Review: Sungsook Setton Strokes Shown

Ink paintings are a traditional East Asian form of expression that is more than thousands of years old. (As a comparison, oil painting, the Ultimate Thule of Western painting only dates from the Renaissance.) From China, where it originated, it moved to Korea and to Japan where it is known as Sumi-e.

Currently at the North Shore Library is the work of Sungsook Setton who lives in Setauket. Of Korean heritage, she took as her starting point the Confucian male scholars of the 13th century Chosun dynasty who were Masters of the form. In the tradition of those Masters, she makes her own ink by grinding ink sticks against a special ink stone and paints with loose but highly controlled strokes on handmade papers. The type of paper is important for producing both crisp lines and soft and delicate washes. Very committed to her work, she has studied brush painting with the Chinese painter Paul Chan and Callligraphy Mu yang, and with Korean Master of the “Literati” painting genre, Isik Min.

The result of the her superb training can be seen in “Togetherness”. At first this appears to be an abstract tour de force of brush technique but longer examination reveals three carp as seen from above, their watery milieu only implied, not shown. Like the early Abstract Expressionist Black and White paintings, this work transcends its reductionist technique. “Longing For the Summer” and “Lotus” look like companion works with leaf clusters in each positions against stems. The two small studies which are framed together “Plum Blossom Study” are simply gorgeous and are well framed together next each other. Also, look for “When Spring Comes” which I thought looked like Setauket Harbor before I even knew Sungsook lived there.

Not every piece is as successful but this is such a fine exhibit that it should be on everyone’s must-do list.

- Sona Hoefman (The Sound Observer, April 24, 1998) -