Join the monthly Art History Group! 

We will review the life and works of one artist each month, and discuss the movements that they contributed to. No prior knowledge of art history or the artist of the month is necessary. 

Kim Tschang-Yeul (1929-2021) was among the first generation of Korean modernist painters. Born in the mountain village of Maengsan, North Korea, his war-torn childhood left a lasting effect on the artist’s life and work. He later fled to South Korea and studied art at Seoul National University, before joining Korea’s Art Informel movement with a group of avant-garde Dansaekhwa artists.

Kim settled in France and began to meticulously paint waterdrops, which he continued to do for the rest of his career. He became internationally known for his waterdrop paintings. These simple yet highly conceptual works are in response to the devastations of war. Influenced by Taoist and Zen Buddhist philosophies, for Kim the repetition of this motif offered an escape from past tragedies and trauma.

Join us as we examine the incredible work of Kim Tschang-Yeul—some of the most meditative and moving paintings of the last century.