- Exhibition by artist Han Jung-ok reinterprets Jeju’s coastal stones, moving past clichés.

Jeju Island has long been a favorite muse for artists, frequently captured through iconic symbols like Seongsan Ilchulbong or fields of yellow canola. However, these familiar depictions often rely on pre-existing stereotypes rather than genuine, firsthand exploration. To counter this conventional gaze, French painter Paul Cézanne once famously urged artists to "look at the landscape through the eyes of a dog"—meaning to approach the familiar as if seeing it for the very absolute first time, stripping away all preconceived notions.

Embracing this philosophy, contemporary artist Han Jung-ok’s ongoing exhibition offers a refreshing departure from romanticized clichés by focusing intensely on an overlooked subject: the volcanic stones lining Jeju’s shores. Formed by cooled volcanic ash and battered by relentless winds, tides, and weather over millennia, these stones carry the raw, textured history of nature itself.

Han captures this rugged beauty through a distinctive technique. Rather than traditional brushwork, he layers vibrant colors with crayons on paper and meticulously carves, scrapes, and rubs the surface with knife blades. The resulting texture brings the heavy materiality of the stones directly to the viewer's eyes. Blending realistic details with abstract patterns and a flat perspective, Han’s work bridges the gap between representation and fantasy.

Critics note that nature's grandeur often humbles human art, making direct replication futile. Instead of trying to outdo nature, Han’s exhibition demonstrates how an artist can successfully retranslate the natural world through a fresh, unconventional lens—proving that true artistic vision begins when we abandon the ordinary way of seeing.

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]