WPR-05

YOUNG-IL AHN (1934-2020)

WPR-05

signed, inscribed, titled and dated 'YOUNG-IL AHN WPR-05 OIL ON CANVAS 50" X 43" 2005' (on the reverse)

oil on canvas

50 x 43 inches (127 x 109.2 cm)

framed: 50 9/16 x 43 1/2 inches (128.5 x 110.5 cm)

Painted in 2005.

PROVENANCE:

BAIK ART, Los Angeles

Acquired from the above by the present owner, 2018

NOTES:

Born in 1934 in Gaeseong, Korea, Young-Il Ahn (1934-2020) immigrated to the United States in 1966 and worked in Los Angeles until his passing in 2020. Before moving to the United States, Ahn studied at the College of Fine Arts at Seoul National University and was recognized early in his career as a prodigy, winning national art competitions and receiving a solo exhibition in Tokyo as a child. During more than five decades in Southern California, he developed a meditative abstract practice that drew on both his classical training and the atmospheric light of the Pacific coast. In 2017, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art presented Unexpected Light: Works by Young-Il Ahn, making him the first Korean-American artist to receive a solo exhibition at the museum. His work now resides in major public collections across the United States and Asia.

Ahn’s paintings are renowned for their meticulous surfaces composed of countless hand-applied strokes of color. Although reminiscent of the Korean Dansaekhwa movement, his work diverges in its emotional and experiential foundation. In 1983, the artist became lost at sea off the Santa Monica coast after getting lost in the fog and accidentally drifting into the Pacific ocean. While out there, he became profoundly aware of the water and its ever changing nature, sparking a lifelong exploration of perception, light and the shifting character of water. From this revelation emerged his celebrated Water series, in which each canvas captures the fleeting interplay of reflection, movement, and time. Through a disciplined yet intuitive process, Ahn transformed repetition into transcendence, merging structure and spontaneity in equal measure.

Painted in 2005, WPR-05 reflects the artist’s sustained investigation into color and perception in his Water series. From a distance, the work appears as a uniform expanse of radiant crimson, but when viewed closely, its surface reveals a mosaic of small, deliberate red squares layered over undertones of green and blue. This intricate build-up of color creates a sense of depth and vibration, as if the painting itself were alive with light. The composition feels both still and dynamic, each mark contributing to a quiet rhythm reminiscent of rippling water. In its precision and luminous presence, WPR-05 exemplifies Ahn’s lifelong commitment to translating experience into visual harmony.