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The Gwangju Museum of Art unveils Yim Jiksoon, Magician of Color, the 2022 Gwangju Art Archival Exhibition. Yim Jiksoon (1921-1996) had a profound effect on the formation and proliferation of Western-style art in the Honam region. This exhibition is designed to shed new light on the art of Yim Jiksoon, one of the Korea’s representative colorists and reestablish its significance and worth.

Born in 1921, Yim Jiksoon graduated from the Japan School of Fine Arts in 1942 with a major in oil painting. He garnered prestigious awards such as the Education Minister Prize at the 1956 Korean National Art Exhibition with The Studio and also the Presidential Prize at the 1957 Korean National Art Exhibition with Seated Statue. From 1961 he served as a professor of fine arts at Chosun University and fostered a number of younger students, succeeding Oh Jiho (1905-1982). He was also awarded the Literary and Artistic Awards of the Republic of Korea in 1986, the Oh Jiho Art Prize and Order of Culture Merit (Bogwan) in 1993. Yim ended his life due to his chronic heart disease in 1996.

Focusing primarily on Yim’s major works representative of each period, this exhibition consists of three parts. The section Bloom in and filter into colors is made up of his paintings produced during when he forged his own distinctive artistic language through realistic representations. The section A constellation of radiant colors brings together his paintings that demonstrate variations of space and color. The section An internal chord beyond visual truth displays works that disclose the inner essence of nature with simple lines and colors.

Yim portrayed women and flowers alongside the rich scenery he found in his surroundings through a contrast of light and various flashy, deep hues. He ultimately represented the invisible force of life and its inner beauty in his works featuring flowers and women. It is hoped this exhibition will serve as an opportunity to examine the art of Yim Jiksoon who has had a profound effect on the formation and revitalization of Honam’s figurative art.