A throwback to one of my oil painting studies in 2005, part of my art project which explored cultural identity and the intellectual legacy of indigenous cultures, as well as ‘non-western’ cultural traditions.
Painted on A3 cartridge paper (in very small brushes!), it depicts ‘Eun Ju’, after artist Andrew Tift’s ‘Alexander and Eun Ju.’
The original portrait took on new significance for me as it was Tift’s subjective take on Jan Van Eyck’s Arnolfini marriage, painted in 1422-4. Filled with symbolism, it shows both the unifying, protection and preservation of cultures, something of interest to me with my own cultural background.
Eun Ju wears a hanbok, perhaps to sustain Korean tradition. Along with language, religion and cultural patterns such as dance, food, housing and aesthetics, apparel plays a vital role in the preservation and expression of cultural identity.
My school entered my art project, titled ‘Vanishing Cultures’ into the Surrey Art Award, and I’m delighted to say it won first place.
I had begun selling my paintings to my teachers a few years before this, but around this time I began portrait commissions that continued to this day.
