Lot 988: YOO SEUNG HO

YOO SEUNG HO
(Born in 1973)
Ya-Hoo!!!
ink on paper and mounted on board
122 x 89 cm. (48 x 35 in.)
Painted in 2003

Christie's Hong Kong, 29th May 2005, Lot 346
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

For Yoo Seung-ho, onomatopoeic words replace brushwork and line, becoming the starting point for the inspiration of his works. The power of the words quickly entices us into the world of his creation, which is Yoo's way of continuing tradition while creating a new unique style. The introduction of sound into painting is an irreplaceable element of Yoo's creative work. Viewing this Yoo painting, we will first be attracted by the landscape depiction, but moving closer, we surprisingly discover that each of its lines is made up of a collection of calligraphy characters. As we view the painting, the visual experience constantly provides hints of auditory experience as well, resulting in a pleasing combination of sight, sound, and imaginative experience. In 2000, Yoo began applying this logic to a reconstruction of the traditional landscape, and the work on offer here, Reconstruction of the Chinese Landscape Series -Ya-hoo!! is one of the most striking works of the series. Yoo Seung-Ho's use of a Korean exclamatory phrase that sounds like "Ya-hoo!" to "write out " an entire landscape composition naturally induces the viewer to enter more deeply into the experience of the painting, as if ascending to the crest of a mountain ridge and suddenly seeing the magnificent vista beneath, while hearing the sound of this enthusiastic shout echoing through the valleys below. The viewer is placed within the painting itself, hearing the echo of his or her own voice through the valleys, expressing in lively fashion the artist's sense of free and unrestrained pleasure and satisfaction.