Yakima River at Thorp, WA, January 17, 1980
1980
“I spend a lot of time looking for subjects… And finally, when I find something, there always has to be a unifying, kinetic force. Which means the rhythm, and in musical terms the melodic lines.” — Johsel Namkung
Trained as a classical musician, Namkung artfully arranges his compositions to reveal an entire universe in a tightly composed and focused snippet of a natural scene. Unlike his compatriots, Northwest artists Mark Tobey, George Tsutakawa, and Paul Horiuchi, Namkung created images that invite us to find the abstract rhythms in the nature that is in front of our eyes, rather than seeking universal truths.
Chromogenic digital laser print
40 × 50 in. (101.6 × 127cm)
Gift of Barney A. Ebsworth
2006.114
Provenance: [Cosgrove Editions and the artist]; purchased by the Seattle Art Museum with funds from Barney A. Ebsworth, Oct. 19, 2006
Courtesy of Johsel Namkung
