Korean artist Yun Hyong-keun made artwork that pushed the boundaries of traditional painting. Yun was among the leading figures of Dansaekhwa (단색화), translated as “monochrome painting,” a group of disparate artists in South Korea in the latter half of the twentieth century whose work centered on the essential elements of painting. Yun focused on the physical properties of his paint, which he applied in rectilinear compositions on canvas. Over the course of weeks or months, he would layer ultramarine and umber to highlight varied rates of absorption. This approach enabled his work to embody time through the process of accumulation. Significant to Yun’s palette was the use of umber to represent the color of earth, and aquamarine as a stand-in for water.

–Ben Rybczynski, from the Glenstone Field Guide