Hang one ocean view by the summer window and the room temperature seems to drop three degrees. A curation of 20 SAF landscape works — the cool colors of sea, river, and forest.
20 Landscapes for the Summer Window
Summer is not the season of color but the season of light. A heated living room needs visual coolness. While the air conditioner lowers the temperature of the air, a single artwork lowers the temperature of the eye.
This curation gathers 20 landscapes from the SAF gallery according to the three landscapes of summer — sea, river, and forest. The works are arranged in tiers so you can find the right piece for a summer window, a main living-room wall, or a study.
Why Landscapes Work in Summer
There is an old rule of interior design: "Bring a piece of nature indoors and the room feels three degrees cooler." Not in actual temperature — in how it feels to the eye. Face a painting of sea, river, or forest in summer and the brain calls up the temperature of that landscape at the same time.
A work that suits summer tends to share three traits:
- Dominance of blues and greens — read as cool by the eye
- A horizontal composition that opens out — pulling the gaze sideways
- A generous ratio of negative space and sky — breathing room rather than dense filling
We split the SAF works that meet these criteria into four tiers.
🌊 Tier 1. ₩300,000 — Bringing the Sea to Your Window (5 picks)
1. Park Jae-dong, 〈Seashore〉
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21x29.7cm · pigment on watercolor texture · open edition · ₩300,000
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A small art print, but the openness of the sea is intact. Try it in the corridor across from a bathroom or above a bedside table.
Park Jae-dong, 〈Seashore〉, 21x29.7cm
2. Park Jae-dong, 〈Han Riverside〉
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29.7x42cm · pigment on watercolor texture · open edition · ₩300,000
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A summer in Seoul, the horizon line of the Han River. The wide A3 format suits a long entryway or hallway wall.
Park Jae-dong, 〈Han Riverside〉, 29.7x42.0cm
3. Park Jae-dong, 〈On the Slope〉
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21x29.7cm · pigment on watercolor texture · open edition · ₩300,000
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A summer view from a hillside. Recommended for the wall opposite a window.
Park Jae-dong, 〈On the Slope〉, 21x29.7cm
4. Park Jae-dong, 〈There Lies Haengju Fortress〉
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29.7x42cm · pigment on watercolor texture · open edition · ₩300,000
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A historic landscape seen from the summer riverside. A natural fit for a study.
Park Jae-dong, 〈There Lies Haengju Fortress〉, 29.7x42.0cm
5. Park Jae-dong, 〈Lovers〉
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29.7x42cm · pigment on watercolor texture · open edition · ₩300,000
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A summer-night couple. Suited to a bedroom or shared private space.
Park Jae-dong, 〈Lovers〉, 29.7x42.0cm
🏞️ Tier 2. ₩1.0–1.5 million — Unique Jangji and Mixed Media (5 picks)
6. An Eun-kyung, 〈Comma (,)〉
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19x24cm · color on jangji · unique · ₩1,200,000
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A breath of summer afternoon. Fits a narrow wall or above a desk.
An Eun-kyung, 〈Comma (,)〉, 19x24cm
7. An Eun-kyung, 〈Looking Back〉
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30x30cm · color on jangji · unique · ₩1,200,000
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The reflective spatial sense of summer. The square format brings its own quiet stability.
An Eun-kyung, 〈Looking Back〉, 30x30cm
8. Kim Gyu-hak, 〈Wind and Light-51〉
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50x65cm · oil on canvas · unique · ₩1,200,000
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The grain of summer wind, captured in oil. The entry point to the main living-room candidates.
Kim Gyu-hak, 〈Wind and Light-51〉, 50x65cm
9. Lee Kwang-soo, 〈回4〉
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60x45cm · acrylic on canvas · unique · ₩1,200,000
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The cyclical rhythm of a summer afternoon. Suited to viewers who prefer modern abstraction.
Lee Kwang-soo, 〈回4〉, 60x45cm
10. Lee Kwang-soo, 〈回5〉
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60x45cm · acrylic on canvas · unique · ₩1,200,000
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A different breath in the same series. Two pieces hung symmetrically can compose a study wall.
Lee Kwang-soo, 〈回5〉, 60x45cm
🌿 Tier 3. ₩1.7–2.6 million — Summer Abstraction and Hanji Prints (5 picks)
11. Lee Ho-cheol, 〈Encore〉 (small)
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81x20.5cm · acrylic on canvas (board) · unique · ₩1,700,000
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A horizontally elongated summer abstraction. Sits well above a sofa or a bedroom headboard.
Lee Ho-cheol, 〈Encore〉, 81x20.5cm
12. Lee Ho-cheol, 〈Encore〉 (medium)
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53x45cm · acrylic on canvas · unique · ₩2,500,000
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The rhythmic brushwork of summer. For the central wall of a study.
Lee Ho-cheol, 〈Encore〉, 53x45cm
13. Lee Ik-tae, 〈Sisyphus's Lover〉
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55x33cm · acrylic and aluminum · unique · ₩2,000,000
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The metallic light of summer. A natural fit for a modern interior or office reception.
Lee Ik-tae, 〈Sisyphus's Lover〉, 55x33cm
14. Choi Jae-ran, 〈Time of the Quark #133〉
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40x30cm · archival pigment print · edition of 16 · ₩1,300,000
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A photograph of summer's microscopic world. Suited to a study or studio wall.
Choi Jae-ran, 〈Time of the Quark #133〉, 40x30cm
15. Choi Jae-ran, 〈Time of the Quark #137〉
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40x30cm · archival pigment print · edition of 16 · ₩1,300,000
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A second piece from the same series. For viewers drawn to photography.
Choi Jae-ran, 〈Time of the Quark #137〉, 40x30cm
🏔️ Tier 4. ₩2.5–4.0 million — Candidates for the Main Summer Wall (5 picks)
16. Kim Gyu-hak, 〈Wind and Light-142〉
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65x91cm · oil on canvas · unique · ₩2,500,000
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A large summer landscape. Ideal for the main wall above a living-room sofa.
Kim Gyu-hak, 〈Wind and Light-142〉, 65x91cm
17. Lee Cheol-soo, 〈Water Flowing, Flowing to the Sea〉
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98x42cm · woodblock on hanji · edition of 10 · ₩2,500,000
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A horizontal composition of a summer waterway. A go-to for hallways and long walls.
Lee Cheol-soo, 〈Water Flowing, Flowing to the Sea〉, 98x42cm
18. Lee Ho-cheol, 〈Encore〉 (large)
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91x62cm · signed limited edition fine art print · unique · ₩2,000,000
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A large-format summer abstraction. Also suits corporate spaces and cafes.
Lee Ho-cheol, 〈Encore〉, 91x62cm
19. Lee Ho-cheol, 〈Encore〉 (105cm)
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105x61cm · signed limited edition fine art print · unique · ₩2,500,000
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The line and color of summer. Recommended for receptions and meeting rooms.
Lee Ho-cheol, 〈Encore〉, 105x61cm
20. Lee Cheol-soo, 〈Sacred〉
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96x64cm · woodblock on hanji · edition of 10 · ₩3,000,000
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The mysterious atmosphere of a summer night. Suited to a study or meditation space.
Lee Cheol-soo, 〈Sacred〉, 96x64cm
Three Practical Tips for Summer Collecting
Tip 1. Don't put work in the line of an air conditioner
Positions directly in front of an A/C vent or near the outdoor unit are points of rapid temperature and humidity swings. Paper-based works risk condensation, mold, and warping, so choose a wall the airflow doesn't strike directly.
Tip 2. Manage humidity through the rainy season
From June to August, indoor humidity often climbs above 70%. Above the ideal range (40–55%), paper and canvas can ripple or grow mold. Use a dehumidifier or your A/C's dry mode on a regular schedule.
Tip 3. Close the curtains when you're away
When you're leaving the house for several days on holiday, close the curtains or blinds to block direct sunlight. Even with the A/C off, blocking light is what keeps the work safe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. I'm worried that hanging only seascapes will make the room feel "too hot." A. The opposite, actually. Works dominated by blues lower the visual temperature of a wall. Hang one small, bright seascape in the living room and tune the colors of vases and rugs toward blue too — the space integrates into a single "summer cool" tone.
Q. Can a work bought during the rainy season be hung straight away? A. After delivery, let it adapt to your indoor temperature and humidity for 24–48 hours before hanging. Especially when there is a sharp gap between the outdoor temperature and your indoor A/C, this acclimatization period prevents warping.
Q. Do summer works only stay up in summer? A. Personal preference. If seasonal rotation feels like work, leaving it up year-round is fine for the work itself. That said, exposing the same work on the same wall for several years can lead to long-term UV accumulation, so it's good to rotate the wall every two to three years.
Q. Anything to watch for when choosing a summer work as a gift? A. Check the recipient's living space size and the orientation of their windows in advance. A large oil painting is a burden in a small studio or north-facing room; a ₩300,000 art print can look lost in a large, south-facing living room. Pick the tier to fit their space — that's the formula for gift-giving without misfires.
Q. What about summer works that aren't on the list? A. The full SAF artworks page has many more options if you search keywords like "sea," "river," "summer," or "landscape." This list is a curation of 20, not the totality of summer work at SAF.
In summer, the temperature of the eye drops before the temperature of the air. Hang one piece of sea, one of river, one of forest on the wall, and the space cools all the way into the corners that the air conditioner doesn't reach.
Related reading
If this piece helped, you may also enjoy these related articles:
- Seongsu and Euljiro Alternative Spaces — Where Emerging Korean Artists Grow — If Anguk is Korean art's past and Hannam its global present, Seongsu and Euljiro are its tomorrow. We visit the alternative spaces where emerging artists hold their first solo shows.
- Hannam-Itaewon Gallery Map — Where Global Mega-Galleries Set Up in Seoul — Why Pace, Gagosian, Thaddaeus Ropac, White Cube, and Perrotin all gathered in Hannam. A map linking Leeum and seven global galleries in a single day.
- MMCA Korea 4 Branches Compared — Seoul, Gwacheon, Deoksugung, Cheongju — MMCA's four sites are one institution with completely different characters: contemporary, modern, modern-contemporary, and open storage. A comparison guide for first-time visitors.
Browse all summer landscapes at SAF →
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Seed Art Festival
Published June 1, 2026
