Artist Haru.K draws a modern utopia by combining food and landscape

The unique working method of artist Haru.K, who breaks the framework of traditional landscape painting to capture food and nature in a single frame, is drawing attention. According to the Culture and Art for You video, Haru.K presents landscape paintings with a twist: from a distance, they look like delicious food, but as you approach, rocky mountains, trees, and small people appear in between.

Delicate details implemented through the Jangji Agyoposu technique

Haru.K's works are characterized by extremely detailed depictions of food textures and natural forms. From the smooth surface of a bowl to the bumpy shapes of chicken legs and jujubes, everything is expressed exquisitely. To achieve these details, the artist uses traditional materials such as ink and Jangji, specifically undergoing a pre-treatment process called 'Agyoposu'. Agyoposu is a process of applying an Agyo substance to paper, such as Hanji, to harden the fibers within the paper. This prevents ink and paint from soaking excessively into the paper, helping to control bleeding and allowing for the handling of even more delicate lines and colors.

The work sequence is also unique. After coloring first, ink lines are drawn on top to finely capture the shapes of the subjects. Furthermore, the artist harmoniously uses the Western painting method of creating three-dimensionality by dividing light and shadow, alongside the Eastern painting method of creating forms with thin lines. In terms of composition, if the painting is food-centered, the position of the food is set first and the surrounding landscape is filled in; if it is landscape-centered, the landscape is drawn first and then the food is placed to balance the screen.

Harmony of spiritual value and material satisfaction, modern True-View Landscape Painting

The reason the artist combines the heterogeneous subjects of food and landscape contains philosophical contemplations regarding modern people. While traditional landscape paintings showed a utopia for realizing the principles of nature and seeking spiritual value, Haru.K defines the utopia of modern people as 'a state where spiritual happiness and material satisfaction harmonize together.' This is why 'food,' which is directly linked to survival yet symbolizes daily happiness, is brought in as an element of landscape painting.

The artist completes their own 'True-View Landscape Painting' by drawing landscapes and foods they have personally seen and experienced while traveling. While old painters recorded the mountains and rivers they faced, Haru.K integrates all experiences of what they have seen and eaten into a single landscape. The artist's work, which allows one to discover vast nature upon an ordinary dining table, goes beyond the succession of tradition to project the appearance of modern life.