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Retired actress Shim Eun-ha unveils artwork

Shim Eun-ha is one of those curious cases, where her mystique keeps growing, even years after stepping out of the spotlight.

I remember hearing that she took to studying art seriously, and now, four years into her retirement, she’s revealing some of her works at the Seoul Open Arts Fair (SOAF). The fair opens April 15, with an opening ceremony kicking things off on the night of the 14th. To my untrained eye, the paintings are surprisingly good; it doesn’t look like mere dilettantism and the pieces are done in the classical Korean style. (Check out a few below.)


One of Shim Eun-ha’s paintings

SOAF 2009 runs from April 15 through 19, and Shim’s pieces run as part of the “Star Art Project,” a special section that will exhibit several works by celebrity artists. Among the others featured is actress Kim Hye-soo, singer Jo Young-nam, and broadcaster Lee Sang-byuk.

When you make a special celebrity section, I think it tends to dilute the effect of exhibiting the work, since you’re basically admitting to special treatment, but I do think Shim Eun-ha’s pieces are good.

I’m not so impressed with Kim Hye-soo’s (at right is her “Raining Again”), but I like the composition of Shim’s paintings, and they show some technique. Maybe I just don’t get Kim’s brand of pop art.

This is Shim Eun-ha’s second exhibition; she first showed in April 2003. After a long career in which she gained widespread popularity and recognition as a top actress, Shim married at age 33 and retired at the height of her fame. She is now raising a family with her professor husband, and has maintained both a low profile and a firm stance that she would not make an acting return.

Still, every year or so, you’ll find rumors and articles that pop up speculating on whether a Shim Eun-ha comeback is likely. (It’s not, in my opinion.) I suppose it’s somewhat similar to when Go Hyun-jung married and retired, or if Lee Young-ae suddenly decided to quit her career.

Shim recently returned to school to get her university degree, having expressed regret that she hadn’t pursued further education while she’d been acting. She is a student in the college of liberal arts at Korean National Open University.

Here are two more of Shim’s paintings:

Via DongA, Segye

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Wow, quite impressive.

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they're beautiful

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I like her paintings, especially the third one.

Maybe her celebrity status will help promote korean art to the world at least.

Looking forward to a korean art exhibit in Canada one day.

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i love Shim Eun Ha. she's a great actress and one of the most beautiful. i'm no artist myself but her paintings look really nice. though i miss seeing her acting, i salute her firmness in her decision.

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wow, I'm very impressed. Beauty and talent, she has it all.

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so far i like what i see. I think she has talent unlike other celebs like Kim Hye soo that throws paint on a canvas for an hour and tells the whole world that the piece of crap is a piece of art. Now i know art when i see it and Kim Hye soo better stick with acting.

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wow. her artworks are really good! o_o
keep it up :)

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Sigh. I guess a fan can hope right?

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God, I miss Shim EunHa.

And those paintings are not bad at all. :)

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I love her painting. I`m always love classical chinese/korean water painting,their so beautiful...

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I like...a lot.

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amazingly beatiful....

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Beautiful paintings, very talented!

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wow! she is really talented.
the paintings are absolutly amazing!! (:

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Chapeau, Shim Eun-ha.
The frivolity of all kinds of arrogance, of every kind of superficiality, went behind her back.
A choice of life that shows in every sign, in any color, the depth of the inner soul.
The race against the wind is over to begin the hard journey in itself.
Good luck.

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@hmmmmm:
The way you talk just shows that you know nothing about art. Shim's style and Kim's style are very different. While Shim used the classical art, Kim Hye Soo's paintings adopt a post-modern approach. Just because you are impressed by Shim's painting does not mean that you know art. And people have their own interests, if Kim Hye Soo likes to draw her paintings like that, there is no reason for a properly educated people to call her work a piece of crap. Learn to appreciate other people's passions before spilling stupid comments.

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wow! she's got talent for sure!
the paintings are brilliant.
they almost look as if they were alive! especially the 1st one!

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Both women are as beautiful as their paintings..but i'd pick Kim HyeSoo's work and hang it on my all ..

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I like Shim's style better, but 1)I don't usually like post pop-art à la Kim Hye-soo, 2)I know nothing about traditional korean painting expect the things I've seen in The Painter of the Wind. Heh. So if a good paiting is any paiting that you like and touches you in special ways, then Shim's got me.

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I think Shim Eun Ha made a good decision to retire at the peak of her popularity. This way, she gets to maintain that mystique she had going and always be remembered as a classy actress and beauty. She reminds me a bit of Audrey Hepburn in that sense.

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ok i know absolutely nothing about art except that i like what i like and... wow i really love the first one. i really love the colors and shading that she used... i feel like it's one of those paintings i'd like hanging up in my house :o)

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At the Korean language school I go to on the weekends (it's run in the basement of a local Korean church, so it's not really intensive), we have a special period of time set aside for "culture" activities, usually oriental art/painting.. And I have to say, it's a lot harder that it looks. o.o (Although I'm showing a surprising aptitude for anything involving flowers or birds, especially roosters and owls, while my friend is becoming a master at anything involving mountains or bamboo. I find this funny. XD)

Her work looks really good.. I would definitely go see her exhibit if I was in Korea. :/

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I'd quit show biz, too, if I could paint like her.

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Wow... She's great. =) I'm thinking about painting too, but I'm such a bad artist. That's why I want to try. Haha. =)

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She's beautiful!

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Wow! I've always liked the Japanese style. I think it's nice that a Korean can do that as well.

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nice impressive paintings

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