A Hidden Gem in Abstract Art Oil Painting: Seungyoon Choi

What defines value for an abstract piece of art? Sure, you have the development of a new style and decades of time, but beyond that, what makes an image with no recognizable form good? An artist develops a new combination, giving life to a familiar medium through subtle movement and unique ways to paint.

Seungyoon Choi may not be a household name in America yet, but he’s built a following in South Korea for his abstract artwork. And in true Artist Replete fashion, it's exciting to find an artist gaining momentum before the rest of the world picks up on it. We first noticed his style while looking at abstract art on Artsy and saw pages and pages of sold works by Choi. His sweeping brushwork is strong enough to broaden the taste of a portrait art lover.

With layered compositions that feel like beautifully organized chaos, Choi brings together brushstrokes of varying thickness and force. Dense passages open into stretches of untouched canvas, giving all that movement room to breathe. The artist follows his own rulebook, often using canvases of different sizes to create a larger, interconnected body of work. Some pieces even suggest organisms under a microscope.

Art being subjective, his style invites viewers to create their own imagery and ideas behind the work, like an inkblot test of interpretation. Throughout the years, we’ve highlighted artists for using new mediums and exploring new ideas. Choi is the first abstract artist we’ve highlighted, and for good reason. It’s the harmony between restraint and execution that’s kept us following his work for the past few years as his market gradually has reached the States. That balance brings us back to the question of value: knowing how much a painting needs, and when to stop.

Explore more of Seungyoon Choi’s artwork here.