Recent new watercolor painting, 'Reflection'

Recent new watercolor painting, 'Reflection'

Reflection, 2024, 18 X 24, Myungja Anna Koh

To remember is to make it real. It is the process of contemporizing past events. When we observe a season through memory, that moment becomes the same experience as the past. Lost first love is the past. It is made real through memory.

​One of the memorizing is a painting.

​Among Banksy's graffiti, I like the picture of a person erasing a cave painting. This picture has a lot of meaning. Although artists and the public want to pursue true art and love paintings, I am concerned that we are often swept up in the times and lose our authenticity in pursuit of trends.

As an artist, I sometimes feel conflicted about whether I should paint and promote my paintings in a more cunning way. But every time I do that, I remember the passion and initial feelings I had for painting.

‘Memory’ is not simply remembering the past. This is the act of connecting past events to the present. So, when we think about the hurts of the past, we suffer the same pain in the present. In this way, memories transcend time and space and allow us to stand in same dimension. That's why I realize that I can live a happier life when I use the device called 'memory' well. For artists, this device called ‘memory’ is the task of transferring images that come to mind onto paper. I often find that the past and present are connected through these memories. This painting I completed today also shows the past and present of humanity coexisting. I was able to regain my ‘first love’ through the Altamira cave paintings. When I was suffering from a slump and could no longer draw or come up with any ideas, the Altamira cave paintings I discovered by chance reminded me of humanity's 'first love'. As humans fought for survival in deep caves, they used whatever materials they had available to create paintings. The cows they painted were so vibrant and beautiful that I don't think they were just painting them to survive.

​In those days when there was no language , fierce beasts and unpredictable natural disasters would have been waiting for them if they went out of the cave. They would often gather in dark caves and not be able to get out for long periods of time. Just as we were isolated due to the pandemic shutdown, they may have also experienced the same panic. While they were in the cave, they started drawing on the cave. Looking at their drawings, you can clearly see that they are not just doodles for a day or two. They probably thought for a long time about how to create more three-dimensional, beautiful, and long-lasting paintings. And after researching, trying, practicing, and failing, they would eventually draw the picture on the wall that they wanted. In this painting, I feel a purity and sincerity that goes beyond survival. Then, as if an electric shock passed by, inspiration struck me and I started drawing on this subject. The first picture I drew was called ‘Resilience and Determination.’ This painting symbolizes the Altamira bull and was created as a question of what is needed in life.

And by drawing this picture, I was able to completely get out of my slump. I no longer worried about what to draw or how it would look, but kept thinking, exploring, and finding answers on my own. The painting that was reborn through this process is ‘The refugee from the counterfeit facade.’

​My question mark is sincerity in art. This mark was created while thinking about how to pursue art as an artist in a world distorted by lies, hypocrisy, and contradictions.

​And what I worked on afterwards was the confidence in ‘memory and recovery.’ I contrasted the act of 'remembering' with 'reflection' and created a scene where the past and present meet. At this time, I focused on the girl who first discovered Altamira. And I hypothesized that a pure, childlike desire to simply pursue pleasure through art might be what creates true art. The painting called ‘Reflection’ was created through this work.

​I was very happy when I drew this picture. The space on the paper told me what needed to be there. I just brushed on it. And a new space opened up for me. I find great satisfaction in working on these images. And my journey will continue.