The Korean art industry is growing and the recent art diversity in the sector has seen a rise in the number of contemporary artists who have contributed to broadening the reach of their creativity (Lee 133). Lee (137) appreciates that “as the country's contemporary art scene gradually becomes more broad and diverse, there are emerging artists who stand out from the crowd with their unorthodox ideas and visions”. Lee (141) proceeds to mention a few including Xooang Choi, Gunyoung Kim, JeeYoung Lee, Il Lee and Ham Jin among others. In this paper, much emphasis is put towards Il Lee as one of the pioneers in Korean contemporary artists and a recipient of several noble prices including solo and group exhibitions.
This paper adopts a thesis statement that indeed “Il Lee is the pioneer of Korean drawing and the most influential Korean artist in late 1980s.” This position is adopted owing to the artist significant contribution to the growth of contemporary art throughout the later 19th century and the early 20th century. Although there were other artists of equal stature, it is important that the performance of the artist is considered from a holistic view in term of their origin and not necessarily their piece of art as an independent entity.
Early life and artwork
Born in 1952 in Seoul, South Korea, Il Lee found himself in what he describes a "big" family of his time, five siblings, but his family's biggest challenge was the Korean war that completely shattered their hope of pursuit of education (International 1). International (2) notes that his father, an architecture and engineering student, failed to complete his study because of the then Korean war which forced them to South Korea from their Native home in North Korea. This position meant that the father could not offer sustainable upbringing but later we learn that Il Lee had the privilege of attended Hongik University where he secured a B.F.A in painting. This marked the start of his journey as an artist, a position that landed him in Los Angeles and New York in the United States of America later in life.
From his humble beginnings, there is clear evidence of the will to pursue his interest in contemporary art earning his position as one of the few artists who majored on sharp needles as a preferred tool in the artistic drawing ("Conversation with IL Lee" 2). Lee is also seen increasing is skills in art by studying etching
as his minor
at Pratt. This sheer dedication to art is appreciated as one of the key attribute that colour the careers of the artist as one of the key player in Korean art and an inspiration to his peer artists. International (2) notes that Lee showed a distinct understating on the use of needle and paper, a skill that was widely admired across New York and some part of Los Angeles.
Lee later makes a major presentation titled "Korean Drawing” arguably placing his county’s message and culture to the rest of the world. According to Lee (151), Il Lee’s works appeared “deceptively casual” with the justification of more work in each of the pieces than one would get at first glance. International (3) makes an observation that “Lee’s piece of art required weeks and up to months of work which requires a consistent and accurate application of different layers of colour that carried with it the Korean taste and culture." At this point, the impact of ill Lee as a Korean contemporary artist throughout the later 1990s could not be overstated. The artist, through his sheer precision and accuracy, had sold the Korean culture to the Americans making his art not only unique but also meaningful.
Artist’s impact
The introductory section highlight a thesis statement that in effects portrays Il Lee as the founding father of contemporary art in Korean but some literature argues to the contrary. Lee (157)
forward an argument that contemporary art was an early 1800s creation with the innovation of ink and pen but in this case, arguments are made in respect to the scale of impact of the pieces of art and the geographical scale of the ideas. Arguably, this position justifies the thesis considering that Il Lee was one of the pioneer artists that made it to the United States which hosted most of the art exhibitions.
In further supporting the presented argument, it important to highlight some of renewed art critic’s opinions on Lee’s artwork. Frist, Art critic Edward Leffingwell writes about Lee's 2006 solo exhibition stating that “There is an almost palpable liquidity in the dense use of indigo colour that portrays the heart of Il Lee's recent production" (International 3). Kenneth Baker, a San Francisco Chronicle writer, also made a critic of Lee's artwork that was presented in San Jose Museum of Art stating that ""We might read in Lee's piece an echo of the ancient divisions" making a connection on the artist accuracy to interpreting and communicating the Korean history further stating that “seemingly his automatic action of hand asserts itself everywhere as something that outraces any intellectual agenda” (International 4). These statements justify this paper position that Il Lees was indeed an influential figure in Korean contemporary art.
Conclusion
Although the 1980’s era in Korea was characterized with emerging contemporary artist, it is clear that Il Lee's impact on the scale of Korean art was the most significant and most influential throughout Korean and some cities in the United States. The critics' comments as presented are justification enough on the accuracy, competency, keenness and conciseness of Il Lee as a contemporary artist and his dedication through the tabulated times in his early life is manifestation his undying passion as a contemporary artist.
Works cited
"Conversation With Il Lee". Asia Art Archive In America, 2018, http://www.aaa-a.org/programs/conversation-with-il-lee/. Accessed 17 Apr 2018.
International, Art. "IL Lee Artist Bio | Art Projects International". Artprojects.Com, 2018, http://www.artprojects.com/index.php/cv/tag/IL_Lee/. Accessed 17 Apr 2018.
Lee, Hyangjin. Contemporary Korean Cinema: Culture, identity and politics. Manchester University Press, 2000.
