Lee Jung-seob, the forerunner of Korean modern art

April 10, 2020 at 10:08 a.m.

 

El April 10, 1916 Lee Jung-seob was born, considered a precursor of modern art and Korean expressionism.

Characteristic for his works of rural landscapes during the Japanese occupation of South Korea, studied art at the Osan school, where he carried out his first works in which the main character was the bull.

However, both the bull, the Hangul alphabet, as well as some representative symbols of Korea, were prohibited by the authority. Japanese during their occupation.

Continuing his studies, Lee Jung-seob became interested in avant-garde and fovism; and although his style was low, he managed to introduce western works to Korea.

Years later, she married Yamamoto Masako, with whom she had a son who died because of diphtheria.

This deeply impacted Lee, reflecting his pain in the play. A Child Flies with a White Star, which he finally exhibited to celebrate Korea's independence in Pyongyang in 1947.

Life was not easy for Lee, after the outbreak of the Korean War, he could not settle in a specific place, so he even had to separate from Masako and his other two children.

The economic hardship and the separation of his family caused in Lee episodes of schizophrenia and alcoholism, until he finally died of hepatitis in 1956.

However, Korea built a museum dedicated to Lee, in addition to issuing special stamps dedicated to the centenary of his birth in 2016.