The humans are affected by the environment.
Especially, the surroundings during growth period make a person’s personality. Growing in the country and growing in the city are very different. It’s obvious that which is more ideal without distinguishing. However, it’s hard to say that a person who lives in the country has more abundant emotion because everybody has a different way to learn the world. The experience in youth reflects one’s life in some ways.
Youngsook Park is a Seoulite to the backbone. She was born in Seoul and lived in Jongro until graduating from the university. That’s why her paintings naturally respond to the city landscape rather than the country. Her landscape paintings are only about the city view. This case is very special and exceptional. For her the image of the landscape is limited to the city because she was born in the city and used to live in the city.
Everybody has an exotic taste about something as if a dream. Nowadays, a dream can be actualized in the reality. Youngsook Park enjoys the exotic mood that she dreamed about through various books during her youth. She lived in the United States for a long time and traveled Europe often. She might feel drawn to the exotic sentiment in the reality.
Maybe the exotic view is always attached to the romantic mood for Youngsook Park. The taste of the exotic sentiment that provokes the romantic feelings might be very personal. The romantically exotic landscape comes from the unfamiliar culture and custom. The unfamiliar scenery of the world is a fantasy to the strangers. Also, the travel itself provokes the romantic feelings so it’s very natural to have a fantasy as seeing strange world. Though, if the people who make a unique culture don’t live with their conventional thoughts, the beautiful scenery never provokes romantic sentiment. Even if there is antique site which is city landscape of the Middle Ages, it would be very lonely and cold without people. So to speak, the romantic feeling does not revive.
On her paintings the peoples’ daily lives actually are described. There should be only city men on her paintings because her paintings are only about the city landscape, but there aren’t. It’s easy to be dazzled to the beautiful scenery rather than every individual. There are some artists who think the beautiful scenery could be vague by arranging the individuals on the paintings. On her works people usually appear so we can feel vigorous and people’s warmth, and delightful mood induces. To deliver the reality with people’s idiosyncrasy or life is connected to one’s will. Youngsook Park tries to express her impression and inspiration of her trip as much as she feels. She wants the viewers to feel exactly the same that she saw and felt.
Of course, Youngsook Park believes describing the detailed shape as she sees is a way to frankly explain her thoughts. In addition, her impression and aesthetical inspiration are added to her works. The romantic emotion can be expressed by the detailed individuals and bright and beautiful colors. Almost her entire works are very bright and luxurious so that exotic scenery can be seen. The surroundings on her paintings reflect her feelings of herself. Not only the degree of purity and brightness of color are high, also to positively see the world is the artist’s feeling.
Additionally, the artist re-interpreted the detailed shape to the plane form so her paintings are more concise. The expression effect depends on using a knife on the canvass so it’s more cheerful by the light and shade. These ways of expression are appropriate to the city landscape paintings. There is no vague or obscure expression. The clearness of the shape which has plane image can be seen more distinctively. Therefore, her works have strong visual images. There is some consistent neutral tint but this is to emphasize sentiment than the visual images. It’s usually used in the evening glow or night scenery.
Youngsook Park transformed the vague city landscape to very clear image through exotic scenery and sentiment. It’s her distinctive feature only made from her aesthetic consciousness and artistic feeling. Therefore, she wants to express her sentiment.

Joshua S. Franco│Art Critic

When I look at the oil paintings of Young-Sook Park, I can't help but want to be in the environment she has created. Whether it's an adobe block bonded together with the age of history or the pounding streets of an urban city. Park captures a mood of romance with the stroke of her brush. The calmness of color soothes and captures me, places me into the paintings and allows me to be a world traveller. By sharing the richness of culture through her skill and craftmanship, one gets a true feeling of emotion from the artist. She is truely a master of her technique.