Artist Nam Sang-Woon has perfected his unique blue color by stacking layers of oil paint one on top of the other.
His "BLUE MOON" series, situated on the border between the real and the illusory, draws our gaze into a visionary, virtual space that is simultaneously our reality.
The artist's distinctive blue was inspired by the blue screen (Chroma Key) he observed on film sets. In the camera's angle, the space covered by the blue cloth is reborn as an entirely different scene through post-production, where planned images are composited into the background. This technique of presenting a non-existent space as real—integrating the boundary between reality and fiction, the actual and the illusory—can be interpreted artistically as an act of replacing or manipulating reality. It provokes philosophical questions such as, "What is real?" and "Does an image contain the truth?"
The blue color used in chroma key is a color "destined to be removed" yet, conversely, a color that will "be reborn as another entity." This concept of 'existence that will disappear' or 'the possibility of the impossible' can be interpreted in art as nothingness, a void space, or a space of potentiality. The artist has taken the very neutrality and concept of removal of this color as the subject of his work. Chroma key emphasizes the subject (the foreground) while making the background fluid and replaceable. This connects with concepts in modern art such as "fluidity of identity," "deconstruction of boundaries," and "precarious existence," and is used as a means to express the uncertainty of self, space, and memory. Simultaneously, by painting various objects such as the fingernail-sized Voyager 2, Spider-Man, and The Little Prince onto the lotus leaves, he wittily captures worlds of both reality and unreality within his artwork.
While the "BLUE MOON" pieces are often mistaken for digital art or media employing mechanical power like LED, the artist works entirely in 100% oil paint for all his pieces. Regardless of the size of the canvas, each work takes over four months to complete. He applies hundreds of brushstrokes, using everything from sharp size 0 fine-point brushes to flat brushes over 20cm, layering the paint stroke by stroke.
The expressive technique of "BLUE MOON" is similar to the 'Sfumato technique' used in Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Instead of using clear lines or planes to distinguish the boundaries between overlapping lotus leaves, or between a leaf and the background, the artist achieves a natural separation by applying dozens of coats of paint to the boundary areas. Occasionally compared to the 'seon-yeom' (dyeing) technique in East Asian painting, the unique method in "BLUE MOON" allows the paint to feel less like it's being placed on the canvas and more like it's seeping into it. This creates a mysterious, fantastic, and delicate aura, offering the audience a unique visual experience. This atmosphere, where a contemplative mood and delicate touch harmonize with the concrete image of the lotus leaf, creates an astonishing effect in itself. It is the result of the artist's original vision and idea, combined with his practiced skill and artistic sensibility.
Born in Busan in 1970, Nam Sang-Woon holds a Ph.D. from Hongik University Graduate School. He has extensive teaching experience at institutions including Chonnam National University, Kyonggi University, Seoul National University of Education Graduate School, and Kyeong Hee University Graduate School, and is currently an invited professor at Kyonggi University. Recently, his work has established a unique distinctiveness in both form and content, solidifying his own artistic world. His pieces are frequently featured in various magazines, films, and advertisements.
