JULY 14, 2020

By Ungyu Yeo

Andy Warhol, 2015, oil on aluminum, 121 x 121 cm 

Hyung Koo Kang is known for his hyper realistic portraits of iconic personalities from history, such as Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Princess Diana, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Andy Warhol. 

Miles Davis, 2013, Oil on canvas, 259 x 194 cm

Churchill's Eye, 2017, Oil on aluminum, 145 x 140 cm

Kang’s paintings are composed of large canvases depicting facial features of his subjects, of which the most striking attribute is the stunning eyes; piercing and pregnant ciphers of the lives of each persona. The subject's vibrant eyes are not an abstract feature rendered by the flourishing final touches of the artist’s brush, but physiognomy embedded with adjoining facial muscles, nose, mouth, hair, all closely connected to tell a more complete story. 

Brigitte Bardot, 2018, oil on canvas, 194 x 259 cm

self portrait, 2016, oil on canvas, 218 x 291 cm 

Art Terms is honored to have interviewed with Kang Hyung Koo. We would like to share this wonderful experience to all.