“When I paint a bull’s eyes, I see both my own yearning and my sons’ future gazing back at me.”
— Lee Jung-seop, letter to his wife (c. 1953, Archives of the Lee Jung-seop Foundation)
1. Introduction: A Painter Shaped by War and Family Longing
Lee Jung-seop (1916–1956) is a pivotal figure in modern Korean art, renowned for his emotive portrayals of cows and tender family scenes. Against the backdrop of Japanese colonial rule (1910–1945) and the Korean War (1950–1953), he channeled personal tribulations—poverty, illness, separation from loved ones—into works of striking honesty. His bold lines and innovative materials, such as recycled silver foil from cigarette packs, made his paintings not just artistic endeavors, but acts of survival and devotion.
Historical Context:
- The early to mid-20th century in Korea was marked by colonial oppression, cultural upheaval, and the devastation of war.
- Many artists struggled to find resources or stable living conditions, yet sought to preserve national identity and emotional bonds through their art.
2. Life and Artistic Trajectory
2.1 Early Life and Japanese Education
- Birth in Pyeongyang (1916): Raised in a region that would later become part of North Korea, Lee showed a precocious skill for sketching rural scenes.
- Teikoku Art School in Tokyo: Studied both Western painting styles (encountering Fauvism, Cubism) and Japanese nihonga, forging a blend of bold linework and expressive color.
“He absorbed the essence of modern art overseas, yet never lost his affection for Korea’s agrarian traditions.”
— Kim Seon-mi, Modern Korean Painters, 2005, p. 82
2.2 Wartime Hardship and Familial Separation
- Marriage to Yamamoto Masako (later Noh Sun-deok): Lee’s deep love for his wife and two sons permeates his artworks, especially those depicting mother-and-child or father-and-child motifs.
- Forced Displacements: The outbreak of World War II, followed by the Korean War, uprooted Lee’s family multiple times. Short on supplies, he famously repurposed silver foil from cigarette packs as a canvas, creating luminous highlights that became his signature style.
- Physical and Emotional Toll: Illness, poverty, and prolonged separation from his wife and children weighed heavily on him. Yet painting remained his unwavering source of hope, a testament to devotion amid chaos.
3. Iconic Works: Bulls and the Bonds of Family
3.1 The “Bull” (황소) Paintings
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Bull on Silver Foil (c. 1953)
- Medium & Size: Oil on repurposed cigarette-pack foil, approximately 15 × 20 cm (exact measurements vary).
- Visual Impact: The shimmering foil background intensifies the bull’s fierce black outline, emphasizing both raw energy and a gentle stoicism.
- Symbolism: In agrarian Korean culture, the bull embodies patience, resilience, and a spirit of faithful service. For Lee, it also became a stand-in for himself—steadfast yet burdened, carrying silent emotional weight.
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White Bull with Red Sky (1954)
- Technique: Thick brushstrokes for the animal’s form, with swirling red hues overhead evoking an unsettled, war-torn atmosphere.
- Emotional Undertone: Scholars like Lee Kyung-sung argue that the contrast between the calm bull and the tumultuous sky parallels Lee’s personal turmoil—and his enduring resolve.
- Cultural Echo: Many Koreans, still grappling with wartime trauma, resonated with the bull as a collective metaphor for national perseverance.
3.2 Family Motifs and Letters
- Mother-and-Child Sketches: Often minimalistic, highlighting the closeness of parent and child in a single sweeping line. These images capture a longing for the simple joys of domestic life that war had cruelly disrupted.
- Illustrated Letters: While separated from his family, Lee mailed drawings to his sons, depicting playful bulls, birds, and fatherly affection. These illustrated letters, archived in the Lee Jung-seop Foundation, reveal the deep humanity in his art.
4. Critical Reception, Controversy, and the Art Scene
4.1 Mixed Reactions During His Lifetime
- Praised by Some: Contemporary critics admired the bold, expressionistic lines and innovative foil technique.
- Critiqued by Others: Some derided his repeated bull images as “too simplistic or sentimental,” questioning if he leaned too heavily on a single motif.
- Struggles with Recognition: Economic hardship and the chaotic post-war environment prevented him from gaining widespread acclaim before his untimely death at 39.
“A single bull can sustain the spirit of a nation,” wrote critic Park Seung-tae in 1955, “but it may also haunt the painter who bears so many dreams upon its back.”
4.2 Posthumous Rise
- 1970s–1980s Retrospectives: Large-scale exhibitions at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) in Seoul highlighted Lee’s legacy, re-introducing him to a generation eager to rediscover cultural identity after the war.
- Emotional Resonance: His vibrant bulls and heartfelt family scenes spoke to Koreans rebuilding their lives, turning Lee into a symbol of enduring hope.
- Art-Historical Impact: Today, he stands alongside Park Soo-keun and Kim Whanki as a founder of modern Korean painting, bridging local tradition with Western modernist influences.
5. Aesthetic and Scholarly Perspectives
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Expressionist Tendency
- Thick brushstrokes, distorted proportions, and bold color usage align with Expressionism’s emotional intensity. Lee’s works evoke inner feelings rather than literal reproductions of reality.
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Fusion of Western and Eastern Techniques
- While abroad, Lee encountered Fauvist color palettes, Cubist geometric forms, and Japanese nihonga washes. His distinctive style merged these with a deeply Korean subject matter—cattle, family, farmland.
- Comparisons: Some art historians compare his simplified lines to those of Henri Matisse and his emotional color fields to Fauvist aesthetics, yet note the special tenderness and thematic focus on familial ties unique to Lee.
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Symbolic Core: Bull as Self and Nation
- Beyond personal longing, the bull motif resonates with Korea’s struggle for cultural identity under occupation and war.
- Referencing letters and diaries, historian Song Mi-rae notes, “Lee often equated the bull’s endurance with his own paternal duty—uncomplaining, persevering, and essential.”
6. Historical Context: Colonial Korea and Aftermath of War
- Ties to Agrarian Roots: Under Japanese rule, many Koreans looked to rural icons—like rice fields and cattle—to preserve a sense of heritage.
- Post-War Rebuilding: After 1953, the battered nation identified with the bull’s symbolism of steadfast labor and resilience, which paralleled Lee’s personal story of perseverance through adversity.
7. Conclusion: A Legacy of Love, Endurance, and Art
Lee Jung-seop’s art—from bulls on silver foil to poignant sketches of family—serves as a visual diary of a man caught between profound love and relentless hardship. Despite suffering illness, displacement, and separation, he found solace and meaning in each brushstroke. His bulls, at once humble and majestic, stand as emblems of Korean fortitude and a universal testament to the power of fatherly devotion.
“In painting a bull, I paint my life, my faith, and my longing for my children,” he once wrote. That profound attachment to family, couched in a larger struggle for cultural survival, is what endears his work to modern audiences both within and beyond Korea.
Reflective Questions
- In our own age of global upheaval, how might Lee’s unwavering devotion to family and cultural identity guide new forms of artistic expression?
- Could a single motif—like the bull—still convey universal hope and determination in today’s context?
Such questions remind us that art born from adversity can resonate across time, offering not just a portrait of personal struggle but a shared symbol of renewal.
References & Further Reading
- National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), Lee Jung-seop Retrospective (1981, 2016).
- Lee Kyung-sung, In the Eyes of the Bull: The Art of Lee Jung-seop, Seoul: Hakgojae, 2010.
- Lee Jung-seop Foundation: Private letters, sketches, and digital archives.
- Park Seung-tae, “A Single Bull, A Nation’s Spirit,” Korean Art Review, vol. 2, 1955.
- Kim Seon-mi, Modern Korean Painters: A History, Seoul: Hangil Art Press, 2005.
- Song Mi-rae, “Symbolism and Identity in Postwar Korean Painting,” in Asia Arts Journal, vol. 9, 2012.
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