Artwork Page for Umber-Black

Details / Information for Umber-Black

Umber-Black

1975

Yun Hyong-keun 윤형근

(Korean, 1928–2007)
Culture
Korea
Medium
Oil on linen
Measurements
93.5 x 113 cm (36 13/16 x 44 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 2022.142
Copyright
© Yun Seong-ryeol
This artwork is known to be under copyright.
Location
236 Korean
Print
?

Did You Know?

The South Korean pop band BTS's RM in his solo album (released in 2022) dedicated the first track to the artist Yun Hyong-Keun.

Description

The dark pillars that extend the height of the canvas in Yun Hyong Keun's Umber-Black exemplify the type of work for which the artist was most celebrated. The composition seems simple, yet the process was long and complex. After adding layers of paint—often applying the next coat before the last one had dried—Yun diluted the pigments, allowing them to seep into the fibers of the coarse linen. According to the artist, blank spaces between the pillars evoke a pathway toward “the gate of heaven and earth.” Yet Yun’s paintings do not depict a peaceful cosmos. They were a sanctuary where Yun could escape anger toward the prevailing injustice of South Korea’s military dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s.
A tan linen canvas with four dark, vertical pillars of oil. The black pillars are next to each other and their edges bleed slightly out, like an oil stain.

Umber-Black

1975

Yun Hyong-keun

(Korean, 1928–2007)
Korea

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