The Oriental illustration lives an artistic boom without precedent in the last years. Around the natural evolution of manga and anime have emerged important names of young artists who, through their social networks with tens of thousands of followers, have relaunched a new type of illustration in countries like Japan, China or South Korea. It is a more technical and contemporary drawing, much more intelligent. We expose the reasons why we think it is important to follow these creators of the future:
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Teenage love. The Oriental illustrators have the eternal teenage love of the 21st century among their usual subjects. A love that, sometimes, is cyber love, based on personal experiences, and this is the great novelty. The young illustrator of the Middle East has already removed the emotional shell so binding to their culture, and now express through the pencil their relationships, and do so with a broad and universal vision.
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The minimalist technique. The use of color was always part of the Oriental illustration and drawing, but the new generation of creators, works in a minimalist way. An example is South Korean illustrator Henn Kim, who only using black and white colors has reached tens of thousands of followers.
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Artistic intelligence. The work of the Oriental illustrators is simple but direct. It reflects their lifes, the digital world that surrounds them, and adds emotional content to their work. Their minimalism is also deep and really beautiful. Again, the illustrator Henn Kim masterfully works with the intelligence in her drawings and gets to question the viewer and put a knot in his stomach.
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Nature as a vehicle for expression. Their habitat is their language. Not only the technology they use daily, but also nature plays an important role. The Chinese illustrator Rlon Wang is a clear example of this, with his winged animals and its symbolic breaker of natural forms.
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The parallel market in Oriental art. An alternative stream is being created in the art market in the East, where new names are standing out. The Eastern buyer now also looks for new names from their home countries, and he probably will end up valuing more of the inside than the outside. The Japanese illustrators Noriyoshi Ohrai or Yoshitaka Amano already have heirs. The East is willing to conquer the West, more than 300,000 followers on Instagram by artists such as Henn Kim prove it.
The contemporary oriental illustration has only put a finger in the West, you just have to be attentive to a creative reality that has no return. The artworks of the South Korean artist, Henn Kim, for the Gunter Gallery are only a first stone of a trend in art for those who want to start collecting Oriental art. You can see all her screen printings signed and numbered by the artist of Seoul, clicking here.