In the classical period, colour was only seen as the cuticle that adorned the painting. But since Impressionism, colour has become the ultimate goal. It is light transmission. From here, light and colour seem to be the same, and colour can change even the perceptual organization of painting.
Regarding light, in “La Théorie des Couleurs” (Theory of colours, written in 1810), Goethe had an excellent idea: “If in a dream we can dream of light, then light must come from ourselves, and even though Goethe’s theory has been proven by science to be incorrect, in the spiritual realm, especially in painting, this still seems “reasonable”, because it is hard to deny the light that radiates from the mind, which we should call “luminosity”.
When looking at the recent paintings of Lim Khim Katy, one can be haunted by Goethe’s above concept. With paintings such as “Giao mùa”, “Hơi thở mùa xuân”, “Hơi thở cây cỏ”, “Bình minh ngọt ngào”, “Khoảnh khắc bên ngoài”, “Bình yên”, hay “Chờ đợi”, “Thư giãn trong miền nhiệt đới”, “Trăng rằm”, “Trăng mật”, “Ánh sáng yên ả” – actually, the last thing the artist wants is still a fluttering light radiating from his soul. Things that can be seen in a picture are only a logical basis for serving the seemingly invisible. Colours such as emerald, turquoise, ruby red, and rubies all represent a highly spiritual spirit, a lofty faith, clarity, purity towards the words harmony and peace.
Colour (which is also talking about light) in Lim Khim Katy paintings is always the critical element to combine the concrete and the abstract, the objective and the subjective, turning the real into the metaphysical and pushing the magical into the supernatural.
This form of painting seems to be popular now. But with Lim Khim Katy, it became pretty separate because this is a new step on a long road that has been started for a long time based on reality, not a series of fashion inspirations as usual.
From about 20 years ago, in the South, Lim Khim Katy has been one of the most consistent art explorers, with the most unique and warm introspective vision. Starting from physical colour, the final effect is cognitive colour, which is this artist’s speciality.
Master of Impressionist Pissarro once said: I once dreamed of a landscape all red. But he never painted such a picture. For an Impressionist like Pissarro, there is still a gap between symbolism and abstraction. Today, such a picture is no longer surprising. One may only be surprised when it is drawn from the inner necessity of the painter, a painter whose soul, disposition, and attitude are compatible with the times, not turning his back on nature, life. Life and people are also the reason for us to love and put hope in the art of Lim Khim Katy.
Quang Viet art critic.
Learn more about artist Lim Khim Katy’s biographical
Tree Spirit is the first landscape painting exhibition of artist Lim Khim Katy in Vietnam, organized and displayed at VY Gallery, which took place from December 12, 2020 to January 10, 2021.
