HUH DAL JAE

Born as the grandson of Heo Baekryeon, the master of traditional Namjonghwa painting, Huh Dal Jae internalized the essence of traditional ink wash painting from an early age, having been personally instructed by his grandfather in the spirit and techniques of Namsonghwa. Just as Southern School painting focuses on capturing the spirituality and inner essence of its subjects rather than merely reproducing their outward forms, Huh has also revealed the vitality of nature and its spiritual resonance through restrained brushwork, ink tones, and concise compositions, reinterpreting the conventions of traditional literati painting into a modern visual language.

His representative works include the “Landscapes,” “Plum Blossoms,” “Peony Blossoms,” “Stone,” and “Island” series. The “Plum Blossoms” series reveals vitality condensed within a restrained composition, while the “Stone” series symbolizes the primordial nature of existence that has withstood nature over time and the passage of silent time. In particular, the juxtaposition of rocks and water disrupts the spatial order of traditional landscape painting and deconstructs the hierarchy between background and subject, thereby reconstructing the elements of literati painting into contemporary imagery. In his recent “Island” series, the tranquility of the mountain landscape, solid rocks, and minimalist composition further emphasize the abstract quality that lies beyond the form. In this way, his landscapes expand beyond real-world scenery into spaces of spiritual contemplation, renewing the essence of traditional ink painting through the visual language of today.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Department of Oriental Painting at Hongik University and served as a visiting professor at Stony Brook University in New York from 1987 to 1988. The artist has held solo exhibitions at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (2001), the Gwangju Museum of Art (2025, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2009), Jeonnam Museum of Art (2026, 2024, 2021), National Asian Culture Center (2026, 2023), Uijae Art Museum (2025, 2022, 2012, 2005, 2004), Shanghai Art Museum (Shanghai, 2011), Beijing Fine Art Academy (Beijing, 2011), National Art Museum of China (Beijing, 2008), and the Guan Shanyue Art Museum (Shenzhen, 2004, 2002), among other domestic and international art museums. The artist’s works are in the collections of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, the Gwangju Museum of Art, the Jeonnam Museum of Art, the Blue House (the presidential office of South Korea), the National Art Museum of China (Beijing), the Shanghai Art Museum (Shanghai), and the Abu Dhabi Royal Collection (Abu Dhabi).

Text courtesy Gallery Baton.