There are many artists who spend weeks or months creating a work of art, but Kim Jung Gi only took a few hours to comple it. His incredible speed allowed him to create sprawling, intricately detailed scen,es often in front of live audiences. His rapt fans watched him create a fully realized work of art as he narrated as he worked.
CTN News reported this week that Kim, an influential comic artist, passed away suddenly. He was 47 years old. During an exhibition of his work in Paris, the artist experienced chest pains just before he was supposed to fly to New York for Comic Con. According to his verified social media accounts, he was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Lifelong artist Kim began drawing in the South Korean comics publication Young Jump before creating his own manhwa, a style of South Korean comic called "Tiger the Long Tail." In his live drawing sessions, Kim covered blank canvases with impossibly detailed scenes that he often drew without a reference.
Scenes were created using visual snippets he'd collected and memorized. Visual Atelier reported that he improvised about 60% of his most sweeping pieces. Also, he taught manhwa at universities. As a teacher, he emphasized the ability to " visualize the moment," blending observations from daily life with imagination.
In a June interview, he stated, "It is miserable when you cannot draw what is in your head."At the time of his death, he was exhibiting his work at the Daniel Maghen Editions gallery in Paris, where fans lined up to watch him work on the floor.
The artist Kim Jung Gi completed a Batman-themed illustration featuring Batman, Catwoman, and several of the superhero's most feared foes, as well as a soccer-themed illustration for Paris Saint-Germain FC. Kim Jung Gi, who occasionally designed covers for the DC series and participated in drawing workshops through the company, was called "one of the absolute greats" by DC Comics publisher Jim Lee.
Kim Jung Gi's frequent collaborator Hyun Jin Kim Jung Gi, who worked at Superani Studio, a creative group of Asian artists and creatives, shared a brief message along with the official news of Kim's death: "After doing so much for us, you can now put down your brushes. Thank you, Jung Gi."
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