Lee Jung-seob's legacy lives on

Artist Lee Jung-seob (1916-1956) / Courtesy of MMCA

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Lee Jung-seob (1916-1956) is one of the greatest modern painters of Korea. Every Korean knows him, but at the same time people do not know much about him. Lee is most well-known for his "Bull" oil painting with dynamic brushstrokes, but most people have only seen it in replica.

A new exhibition "The 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Korean Modern Masters ― Lee Jung-Seob 1916-1956" at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), Deoksugung commemorates the 100th anniversary of Lee's birth. The exhibit features some 60 oil paintings as well as silver foil drawings borrowed from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, letter paintings, postcards and "Two Homelands, One Love," a 2014 documentary film by Atsuko Sakai on Lee and his wife Masako Yamamoto, also known by her Korean name Lee Nam-duk.

“Bull”

This is the first exhibit shedding light on the artist by the nation's flagship museum some 60 years after his death. The MMCA tried to make atonement for the belated exhibit by offering as many rare works as possible and providing rich information on Lee through the vast archive.

"This exhibition reflects previous studies on Lee and we corrected many errors in the chronology of Lee's life. Some of the documents and photographs are opened to the public for the first time at this exhibit," MMCA curator Kim In-hye said.

The exhibit is organized in chronological order, revisiting Lee's life from his early days studying in Japan to his later days when his artistic spirit bloomed, but the artist suffered financial difficulties and emotional despair from separation from his family.

“Children in Spring”

Lee, born in Pyeongwon, South Pyeongan Province, started his art education when he was in high school. In 1936, he went to the Imperial Art Institute in Tokyo, Japan to continue his education where he met his love of a lifetime, Yamamoto.

Some 80 postcards sent from Lee to Yamamoto on display don’t bear a word, but they are evidence of Lee and Yamamoto's love beyond the border. Lee sent the hand-drawn postcards to Yamamoto for about two years, from 1940 to 1943, asking for her love.

Lee returned to Korea as the Pacific War heightened in 1943 and married Yamamoto in 1945 in Korea. The couple lived together for only seven years and their life was impoverished, hit by the Korean War (1950-53) and they took refuge in Busan and Jeju Island.

“Artist Drawing His Family”

A section of the exhibit is dedicated to Lee's signature silver foil paintings. He used tinfoil from cigarette packs because he could not afford paper, but the sparkling surface created a unique aesthetic effect, combined with Lee's affectionate view on life and love.

Due to hardships in his life, Lee sent his wife and two sons back to Japan, yearning for them throughout his life. "Family on the Road," a small 1954 oil painting, is the highlight of the artwork on display. It depicts Lee drawing an ox cart carrying his wife and two sons, reflecting Lee's longing for his separated family.

He also wrote numerous letters to his family, adorned with colorful illustrations showing his endless love for his wife and two sons. Earlier letters written in 1953 show his excitement as he expected to reunite with them soon. His longing for family deepens as time goes.

“Children in the Seashore”

Lee's "Bull" painting series is often dubbed as a portrait of the Korean spirit. This famous series was mainly produced when Lee lived in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province.

"The white bull depicted in Lee's painting represents the white-clad folk, or the Koreans, reflecting the artist's national consciousness," curator Kim said.

However, Lee suffered poverty and illness in the last phase of his life, ending up at Seoul Red Cross Hospital alone in 1956. The "River of No Return" series was painted in his final days, inspired by the title of a movie starring Marilyn Monroe.

“Three People”

Despite his tragic later years, postmortem appraisal of Lee is highly positive. He is considered the pioneer of Korean modern art, portraying the aesthetics of Korea through fine draughtsmanship and anatomical understanding.

The exhibit runs through Oct. 3. Admission is 7,000 won for adults. For more information, visit

www.mmca.go.kr

or call 02-522-3342.

“Three People”

Lee Jung-seob’s letter

“Fish and the Kids”

“Family of Poet Ku Sang”

“Family with Chickens”