Belife in Form and the Form Belife

Abstract

As artists have innumerable methods of facing creation, critics have innumerable ways of confronting works of art; and it is impossible for the critic to use the same method to approach one artist and another. Because of this, the critic has to develop his own internal logic toward innumerable art works made by innumerable creative methods. For me as a critic, Choi Jong Tae as a sculptor has a very special character. Until now, my critical activity and objectives have involved artists who are my living contemporaries and who share with me an awareness of of similar problems, or my efforts have been directed towards historical artists of the past. I have concentrated especially on interpreting historically the works of artist who have passed on. To state this in another way, I have aroided discussing or have ahd reservations about criticizing artists who are one generation older that myself, who are nowadys active, prominent figures or praising people active in out current art milien. During this time, I have only once written an article about such an artist and such works. That artist is Choi Jong Tae ; and that article was in the catalogue for Seoul's Gana Art Gallery for his works which were sent to the 1986 Paris Grand Palais International Gallery Exhibition. "Until now I have not even shared a cup of tea with Choi Jong Tae and I always looked at his workd from afar; but I felt confident that I knew Choi Jong Tae better that other people did and also that I could speak about him accurately. Besides that, I had a strong image within my mind of the world of Choi Jong Tae ; and I find that this was not at all a mistaken impression through the expressive and elegant prose of the artist's notes." Thus, to me as a critic, Choi Jong Tae's art has attained an objective distance, and I stood in the position of an appreciative viewer before considering criticism of the works. Therefore, my article about Choi Jong Tae is not critical from the standpoint of the making of our period's art; but is can not help but consist of an analysis of the content of the artistic results he has accomplished.