In The American Dream, a quiet dialogue unfolds between two symbols of progress: a steam-powered locomotive and the Coca-Cola logo. The painting is bathed in soft and subdued sepia tones, as though it belongs to a fading memory. The locomotive stretches across the canvas, its steel form a testament to an era when steam and ambition powered the world. Its lines are strong yet graceful, evoking the drive of the Industrial Revolution, when rails stitched distant places together and dreams of connection first took shape.
Above this engine of progress floats the Coca-Cola logo, rendered in English and Korean. The sleek and flowing words starkly contrast the locomotive’s solid, mechanical presence. They speak of a different kind of power—the influence of culture, the reach of an idea. Where the locomotive carried goods and people across continents, Coca-Cola carried symbols and aspirations, a product of modern globalisation. The choice of dual languages reflects how far this influence has spread, and how deeply it has been embraced and reimagined.
The interplay between these two elements is quiet but profound. The locomotive recalls the raw, physical force of a world being built, while the logo suggests the soft, cultural connections of a world now shared. Together, they form a portrait of progress, a meditation on how the tools of change evolve. The painting does not shout; it whispers, inviting reflection on the paths that carry us forward and the symbols that define our journey. It captures the dreams of communities and impoverished nations, yearning for greater prosperity and the sweeter happiness of a better life.
