Lee Jung Seob (April 10, 1916 in
Pyeongannamdo – September 6, 1956 in
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
) was a Korean artist, most known for his oil paintings such as ''"White Ox"''.
Life
Born and raised during
Korea under Japanese rule
Between 1910 and 1945, Korea was ruled as a part of the Empire of Japan. Joseon Korea had come into the Japanese sphere of influence with the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1876; a complex coalition of the Meiji government, military, and business offic ...
, Lee was greatly inspired by his high school art teacher Lim Yong Ryeon. He entered
Teikoku Art School for
Occidental Painting in Japan in 1932 and studied Art in earnest. He abruptly quit and entered
Bunka Gakuin
is a Japanese vocational school. It opened in 1921 as the first co-educational school in Japan.
Alumni
* Hisae Imai
* Takako Irie
* Liu Chi-hsiang
* Yoko Mizuki
* Akiko Santo
* Akira Terao
*Mitsu Yashima
* Guan Zilan
Guan Zilan (; January ...
(Japanese: 文化學院), which was more fascinated with the
avant-garde
The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...
than Teikoku. At Bunka Gakuin, Lee showed
Fauvist
Fauvism /ˈfoʊvɪzm̩/ is the style of ''les Fauves'' (French for "the wild beasts"), a group of early 20th-century modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong colour over the representational or realistic values retai ...
tendencies and a strong, free-like drawing style. He met a woman named Yamamoto Masako (Japanese: 山本方子, Korean name Lee Nam-deok, in
hangul
The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...
: 이남덕) who would later become his wife.
Lee graduated from Bunka Gakuen in 1944 during the last stage of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, and married Masako the following year. In 1946, their first child was born but suddenly died from
diphtheria
Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...
. At that time, he was preparing an exhibition and making artwork as an unknown artist. The sudden death of his child greatly affected him. He sent his painting ''"A Child Flies with a White Star"'', which was inspired by his loss, to the exhibition commemorating the
independence of Korea in 1947.
Following the outbreak of the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
, Lee frequently moved around the country. He took refuge in Busan with his first son, Taehyun, who was born in 1947, and his second son, Taeseong who was born in 1949. With a fear of the war's progress, he fled to
Jeju
Jeju may refer to:
* Jeju Island (Jejudo), an island near South Korea
* Jeju Province (formerly transliterated Cheju), a province of South Korea comprising Jejudo
**Jeju City, the biggest city on Jejudo
**Jeju dog, a dog native to Jejudo
** Jeju l ...
. Due to financial hardships and safety, he sent Masako and his two sons to Japan initially as a temporary arrangement. Lee would send letters and postcards with drawings to his family, expressing his love and longing to see them again. He picked up a job as a crafts teacher. However, due to hardships, he was never able to save up enough money to move and be reunited. He never met his family again except for a short meeting for 5 days in Tokyo in 1953.
Lee later returned to the capital of Seoul. In 1955, he held only one private exhibition at the Midopa Gallery. He suffered from a type of
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...
credited to longings for his family and stress from life hardships. In his loneliness, Lee turned to alcohol and died of hepatitis in 1956 in Seoul.
His style was influenced by Fauvism and his themes were very characteristic and indigenous. He made great contributions to the introduction of Western styles in Korea. Lee also made line drawings with an
awl on packs of cigarettes.
In 1995, The Lee Jung Seob Art Gallery was built in his honor at the center of the so-called "Lee Jung-Seob's Art Street" (a part of Olle Route 6) in
Seogwipo
Seogwipo () is the second-largest city on Jeju Island, settled on a rocky volcanic coastline in the southern part of Jeju Province, South Korea. In July 2006, Seogwipo's boundaries were expanded to include the entire southern half of Jeju island. ...
, Jeju. The location holds a geographical significance and meaning for many of his pieces; Lee created some of the greatest paintings in the history of Korean modern art during his stay at
Seogwipo
Seogwipo () is the second-largest city on Jeju Island, settled on a rocky volcanic coastline in the southern part of Jeju Province, South Korea. In July 2006, Seogwipo's boundaries were expanded to include the entire southern half of Jeju island. ...
.
Paintings
![White Ox (1954) - Lee Jung Seob](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/White_Ox_%281954%29_-_Lee_Jung_Seob.jpg)
Lee Jung Seob has produced many works during his lifetime. Some of his paintings include:
*"White Ox" – 흰 소, 1954 (exhibited in
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...
)
*"Fighting Ox" – 싸우는 소
*"Fish and the Kids" – 물고기와 아이들, 1950
*"The Family and the Dove" – 가족과 비둘기, 1956
See also
*
List of Korean painters
This page lists notable Korean painters beginning from the Joseon Dynasty, including any born in Korea or identifying themselves as Korean.
Joseon period
20th century
Contemporary painters
See also
*Korean painting
*Korean art
Not ...
*
Korean art
Korean arts include traditions in calligraphy, music, painting and pottery, often marked by the use of natural forms, surface decoration and bold colors or sounds.
The earliest examples of Korean art consist of Stone Age works dating from 3000 ...
References
External links
Lee Jung Seob MuseumNaver Cast – Lee Jung-seobDoosan Encyclopedia – Lee Jung-seobEncyclopedia of Korean Culture – Lee Jung-seob
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Jung Seob
1916 births
1956 deaths
Korean artists
People from South Pyongan