Intense Emotion and Passion on a Canvas

Chung Dongjoo Exhibition on the Trajectory of Passion at Two Venues in Yufuin Town

'Chung Dongjoo 20th Anniversary of the Opening of the Gallery: Exhibition on the Trajectory of Passion ' is being held at two venues: the Yufuin Artegio Art Museum and the Yufuin Chung Dongjoo Art Gallery in Yufuin Town, Yufuin City. Until 24th. Free admission. Hisashi Utsunomiya, Chief of the Curatorial Division of the Oita Prefectural Art Museum, reviews the exhibition.

Chung Dongjoo aspired to be a painter from an early age, but spent his younger years working and creating at the same time. When he was in his 40s, Chung made a major decision to devote the rest of his life to creative work. Later, he created Rimpa-style paintings in gold and silver, and large paintings that reflect endless time, space and people's lives on a flat surface, with multiple layers of snow-covered mountains and snow-drenched cityscapes painted and drawn through. In addition, he has devoted himself to creating abstract paintings using all his strength, using not only paint and brushes but also a chisel, on a square screen, and the unique world of calligraphy created by a painter who is not a calligrapher.

At Artegio, 43 works are on display, including three works from around the age of 20, when he started painting in oil, and from his turning point in his 40s to recent years, allowing you to follow the changes in his creative process. Meanwhile, 35 recent works are on display in the art gallery. The paintings, such as ‘Images in ink “Mountains and Rivers of the Hometown”’ and ‘Sounds of the Heart “Ripples”', which are tranquil but have a depth and strength that invites the viewer deep into the painting, and the series 'Under the Paris Sky' and 'Mt Fuji', which quietly but eloquently tell a story, and the light, fresh, and varied calligraphy. With white walls, black pillars, and furniture from the Lee dynasty, you can experience a comfortable and unique Asian time and space.

His expression styles and methods, such as figurative and abstract, painting and calligraphy, change as he ages and continues to challenge new horizons. However, what all the works have in common is the intense emotion and passion with which he tries to project his own thoughts and worldview onto a single plane.

The works produced now, at the age of 75, still retain the strong desire for creativity of their youth, but attract the viewer because they sublimate from "passion" to "enthusiasm", brightly and strongly, as if celebrating life on a high note.

I hope you will experience the full range of Chung's creations in Yufuin in autumn, where the scent of osmanthus is pleasant.
 

Oita Godo Newspaper, 6th October 2023, morning edition