There are many artists whose artworks are much neglected despite their priceless value. Some of them have been forgotten from mainstream art due to the times of chaos in history. For Korea, such a chaotic period represents ideological conflicts between the North and the South. Lee Quede is one of those who lived a tragic life as a defector from South Korea. Having his pieces banned by the government, his world of art was forgotten despite his attempts to secure Korean traditions in the middle of Japanese colonization. Commemorating the 70th anniversary of liberation, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art holds Lee Quede: An Epic of Liberation until this November to remember his art.

 

The exhibition holds old paintings, drawings, related archives, and articles from Lee’s schooldays to his prime years. The collection of such works was possible with the contribution of several organizations and some private owners of Lee’s works. It would not have been feasible without the dedicated efforts of Lee’s family who stored the delicate works to this day. Visitors are provided with an opportunity to discover the process of Lee’s development as an artist in chronological order. Starting from the 1920s until the 1950s the exhibition is divided into three sections.

 

 

 

Lee moved to Japan after marriage to enter the Imperial Art School where he learned Western painting. While he was taught Western styles of art, it was not the school that influenced him the most in the creation of his own unique styles. It was in fact Lee’s constant drawings of his wife, the most inspiring muse of his that served to create his very own unique world of art. Lee liked to convey messages through drawings of women. “Woman in Jeogori,” “Woman in Red Coat,” and “Couple Playing Cards” are all paintings that feature his wife as a model, and are what later motivated him to use woman as the main subject.

 

Moreover, repetitive drawings of Lee’s wife taught him the technique of using facial expressions—especially the glare of eyes—to deliver the intended message. “Couple Playing Cars” is a very catchy piece that stands out due to the stiff, unreadable facial expression of the couple. In the picture sits Lee and his wife spending their leisure time playing cards. What stands out is that the picture manages to carry a stiff atmosphere despite the existence of a half remaining liquor bottle, flushed cheeks of Lee’s wife, and the blossoming flowers in the background. This is due to the vacant facial expression of the couple. The use of the glare is further employed as one of Lee’s defining styles throughout his life as an artist.

 

 

 

After discovering and establishing his own style as an artist, Lee moved on to express his sincere desires to secure his country’s tradition from Japanese colonization. Such desires are contained in the second section of the exhibition which carries Lee’s pieces from 1938 to 1944. Paintings in this section slightly differ from the ones in the previous section in that the colors are brighter. They also contain black lines and bold color blocks, indicating Lee’s attempts of adopting Korean traditional styles and color in Western painting.

 

One of the intriguing pieces was “Destiny” which was the painting selected for the Nikakai Exhibition. The Nikakai Exhibition exhibition, established in 1941, was the most influential non-governmental art exhibition at the time. Beyond the threshold sit five women lamenting around a horizontally placed man who seems to be terribly ill or dead. The use of white and green creates a well suiting harmony that evokes tension in the ominous atmosphere, and the threshold intensifies the drama. Here, Lee seemed to have a message. The man symbolizes the devastating state of Korea under Japanese colonization. Miserable women who show tears, and also calmness was drawn as a symbol of Korea’s hope—hope that Koreans will be able to independently make it through rough times under oppression.

 

 

 

The last section of the exhibition holds pieces drawn after Korea’s liberation. In the middle of the joy of liberation, Lee agonized over establishing the identity of a new national art. He desired to start a new era of art free from the trace of Japanese.

 

Lee’s joy towards Korea’s liberation from Japan colonization is reflected in his masterpiece, “Group of People I-Notification of Liberation.” As the title shows, two women run to a crowd to inform the news of liberation. Despite the news of delight and relief, the situation of Koreans is quite devastating. Cold bodies colored in green lie on the group hopelessly, and the overall dim colors create a dark atmosphere. However, Lee does not forget to add two rays of light on the left of the painting, which seem to represent hope for Koreans.

 

The artworks in the last section mostly carry the similar soil color—the colors are not vivid reds and yellows but are brownish green colors. They seem to realistically portray the devastating sight of Korea right after the end of Japanese colonization. Lee also conveys a message steadily throughout his works that “there is hope,” by adding brightness to one side of his paintings. His sincere love and passion toward protecting Korean art in the dark times of our history must be remembered.

 

Lee Quede: An Epic of Liberation may not be the best answer for those who wish to reach immediate interpretation of paintings during a visit to an exhibition. Employing colors of low chroma and delicate symbols in his paintings, Lee does not allow the viewers to immediately grasp the purpose and meanings of his works. He constantly requires the viewers to look in closely, not overlooking one prop in his works, and insists the viewers to wonder what the characters in the paintings are trying to say. It is an effort consuming process, and yet it is more than worthy of spending some time to explore the artistic universe of Lee Quede—it enabled him to secure our traditional art styles during the darkest times of Korean history.

 

 

<Exhibition Information>

 

Location :  National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

 

Open Hours : Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday – 10:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. Wednesday and Saturday 10:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M.  (Tickets are available until one hour prior to the closing time)

 

Period : July 22 to November 1

 

Admission : Free