Midsummer Aesthetics: 4 Must-See Exhibitions in Seoul Alex Katz's Studies
By Jay Joe
Alex Katz, a master of contemporary art who has long dedicated his practice to capturing the poetic essence of everyday moments on canvas. While he is widely celebrated for his sleek, monumental canvases, the true protagonists of this exhibition are his intimate, small-scale paintings. Created rapidly outdoors under the brilliant canopy of natural light, these preparatory studies serve as both the creative genesis for his larger masterpieces and the most pristine, unfiltered expressions of his lifelong pursuit of light. This exhibition offers viewers an exclusive opportunity to intimately experience what the artist himself describes as "the very first flash that sears the mind." The display beautifully pairs these essential studies from the 1990s onward with three monumental pieces from his highly anticipated 2025 Lilies series. Audiences can witness a magnificent artistic evolution firsthand, observing how the fluid, vibrantly textured brushstrokes of Study for Lilies elegantly transform into majestic, translucent petals on the grand scale.
These studies encompass far more than serene blossoms and lush forests; they also introduce captivating portraits of the artist’s close circle. Katz masterfully captures the subtle light that contours his subjects, utilizing bold, cinematic cropping that evokes the dramatic intimacy of a silver-screen close-up. His landscapes are equally compelling. Featuring grass blades dancing in the wind and fragments of sky glimpsed through swaying branches, these works are rendered using his signature "wet-on-wet" technique. By applying wet paint over a fresh underlayer, the surface retains a thrilling, living vitality—the absolute peak of a captured moment. Imbued with the vision of a 98-year-old maestro who continues to chart the vanguard of light, this exhibition is a definitive summer highlight. This season, missing the breathtaking experience of Katz’s lilies is simply not an option.
