PYO GALLERY LA is pleased to announce the exhibition of Huh, Dal Jae’s, Moving in Calmness, on display from September 4 to October 2.

Huh, Dal Jae’s Moving in the Calmness series focuses on bamboo, plums, and grapes; a traditional theme in Korean painting representing the Confucian symbols of winter. Huh takes a contemporary approach to this traditional subject by modernizing his technique with fleeting, irregular brush strokes as opposed to the minimal, sweeping strokes of his predecessors. John Goodman, editorial advisor of Art Asia Pacific, says of Huh, Dal Jae’s patterned compositional plane, that the simulated ebb and flow of movement “takes the viewer across the expanse of the canvas, much in the same way a flock of birds will draw a person’s glance across the blank of the sky.” Huh is able to define the negative space of his composition by the pairings of opposites; by embracing the negative space with his intricate patterns.

Plum blossoms represent courage and the plum tree symbolizes the five gods of good luck. Bamboo is a symbol of old age and modesty. Bamboo and plums together represent man and wife. Their ability to withstand a severe winter gives people hope when times are hard. Grapes symbolize resilience, referring to their rapid re-growth in the spring. Renditions of these sacred plants are often hung in the home more for the cultivation of mind than for domestic décor.

Huh, Dal Jae is a Korean born artist who by the age of 6 was already skilled in calligraphy by way of the teachings of his grandfather. His calligraphy training led to an expertise in ink painting; boasting a firm grip of the brush, a steady hand, and repetitive rhythm. Huh’s work is likened to “literati” art, a style derived from the New Southern School of Chinese painting where, much like the Impressionists, the artists intend to disassociate themselves from academic tradition. Literati art is often simplified and expressive and is achieved with calligraphic influence. The literati artist customarily expresses himself, not through the content of the work, but through each unique brushstroke and one can get a true sense of the emotions of the soul just by the idiosyncrasies of Huh’s individual strokes.