Burnt Umber & Ultramarine Blue 1998

Yun Hyong–keun made *Burnt Umber & Ultramarine Blue* with oil on canvas; there's a certain quietude in the limited palette. It’s like he's not trying to impress, but rather to communicate something elemental. The blurred edges and thinned paint feel really process-oriented, as though he wants us to see the layers of time and the act of making. The way the paint seeps into the canvas creates this incredible sense of depth, almost like looking into water. Notice how the dark masses hover and breathe against the pale ground. There’s a specific spot near the top where the umber bleeds slightly into the untouched canvas. This little imperfection is really beautiful. It's like a breath, a moment of pause, that gives the work its soul. Yun's work reminds me a lot of Agnes Martin, especially in the way both artists use subtle variations and a kind of rigorous simplicity to evoke deeper, almost spiritual experiences. Both understand that art is a conversation, a continuous back-and-forth between artists, ideas, and materials.