Park Soo-keun revisited

Park Soo-keun’s “Two Women and a Tree” is on view at an exhibit commemorating the 50th anniversary of Park’s death at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul / Courtesy of Dongdaemun Design Plaza

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Park Soo-keun (1914-1965) is known for paintings portraying the life of Koreans in the mid-20th century. Though he lived in poverty, Park painted the daily life of his family and neighbors with affectionate eyes, such as his wife grinding grain in a millstone, or a fruit vendor.

A special exhibit commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of the painter opened at Dongdaemun Design Plaza’s (DDP) Yigansumun Exhibition Hall in central Seoul, Thursday.

The exhibit features 50 of Park's works, including 45 oil paintings and five watercolors. Yu Hong-jun, art historian and emeritus professor at Myongji University, selected works from Park’s oeuvre for the exhibition, along with Gallery Hyundai president Park Myung-ja and Leeum deputy director Hong Ra-young.

Park was born in Yanggu, Gangwon Province, and moved to Seoul in 1952, during the Korean War. He lived in Changsin-dong, where the DDP is located, and the exhibit is designed to resemble the alleyways of the area at that time.

A highlight of the exhibition is his 1962 painting "Two Women and a Tree." A woman carrying a baby on her back stands under a winter’s withered tree, while another woman passes carrying a bundle on her head. This painting captures the simple life of ordinary Koreans in a unique texture similar to that of granite.

It also inspired famed novelist Park Wan-suh’s (1931-2011) maiden work, "The Naked Tree" (1970). The painter Park and writer Park shared a time at a U.S. 8th Army PX in Seoul shortly after the war, where the painter made portraits of the soldiers and the writer promoted the paintings.

The painter’s eldest daughter, In-sook, 71, attended the press preview to share memories of the painter. She inspired one of her father’s most famous paintings, "A Girl Caring for a Baby."

"He always tried not to let us down, despite being in tough circumstances,” In-sook said. “When he came home, he always had snacks, such as a piece of taffy or sweet potato, for us.".

She said that the Changsin-dong area, where she lived from her elementary school days until she was a freshman at university, had a special place in her heart.

"My parents got separated during the Korean War (1950-53),” In-sook said. “My father headed south, while my mother went north. However, they miraculously reunited here at Dongdaemun. The Changsin-dong home was our sweet home where my father dreamt of becoming an artist."

Park is one of the most expensive artists in Korea. His painting "The Washing Place" sold for 4.5 billion won at the Seoul Auction in 2007, the highest price for a Korean piece of art. It has held the record for nearly a decade. In the exhibit, another larger version of “The Washing Place” is on display.

However, the painter's daughter does not want to appraise her father's works with money. "He painted with a good heart and I hope the viewers will get purified after looking at the paintings," In-sook said.

The exhibit runs through June 28. Admission is 8,000 won. For more information, visit www.ddp.or.kr.