Alex Katz's studies reveal how fleeting moments are transformed into paintings

By Park Yuna

For Katz, painting is fundamentally about preserving the immediacy of perception. Light, in particular, has remained a lifelong obsession for the artist.

Reflecting on the transient nature of perception, Katz remarked that “each image reads like a ripe, forceful slice of light.”

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The paintings in Seoul show the artist's works from the 1990s to the present, featuring friends, flowers and forests — recurring subjects throughout his career — which appear in quick and instinctive studies painted directly from observation.

Floral studies are shown alongside works from his recent Lilies series, revealing how quick observations evolve into the bold, simplified style for which Katz is known.

The exhibition runs through Aug. 1 at Thaddaeus Ropac gallery in Seoul.