Jeju Haenyeo and Landscapes Depicted in Hyperrealistic Style

Insa Art Center Lee Myung-bok Solo Exhibition from Next Month 4 to 20

Myungbok Lee 'Haenyeo Oksun', 177×227 cm, acrylic on Korean paper, 2020
Photo by Insart Center

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Insart Center will hold a solo exhibition of painter Lee Myung-bok, who lives in Jeju, from the 4th to the 20th of next month.

In this exhibition, painter Lee Myung-bok will present 22 works including new pieces that fully capture his life in Jeju, as well as a series of portraits and landscapes.

In the main exhibition hall, the artist's new large-scale black-and-white portrait series of haenyeo (female divers) will be prominently displayed. In the second exhibition hall, visitors can see Jeju landscapes in red, green, and blue tones. Notably, the green piece titled "Forest of April" is part of a forest series and will be unveiled for the first time in this exhibition. Rather than simply reproducing natural landscapes, Lee Myung-bok uses monochromatic colors to apply deep and rich chiaroscuro techniques in his landscapes. The large-scale works, some measuring up to 3 meters wide, create an overwhelming tension for viewers.

Lee Myung-bok is an artist who continuously conveys the spirit and emotions of the community era through his paintings and communicates with the world.

Graduating from the Department of Painting at Chung-Ang University College of Arts, Lee Myung-bok has worked based on the theme of "history and reality." In 1982, he participated in the group "Imsulnyeon 98992" and held the inaugural exhibition at Deoksu Art Museum. The group name "Imsulnyeon 98992" referred to the total area of South Korea at the time, symbolizing the intention to closely observe the Korean Peninsula.

Painter Lee Myung-bok sought to infuse the consciousness of the people and the spirit of the times into his works through hyperrealistic techniques. During his activities with Imsulnyeon, he created a series of works reflecting the realities of Korean society in the 1980s.

Myungbok Lee 'Forest of April', 164x260cm, acrylic on canvas [Photo by Insight Center]

In the 1990s, the artist mainly painted rural landscapes gradually declining into capitalist society after the landing of U.S. troops, and from the late 1990s to the early 2000s, he aimed to convey the dominance of power at the time through his works. Using meticulous and detailed hyperrealistic techniques, he painted series of portraits focusing on miners, boatmen, and farmers, expressing their hard lives.

The artist moved to Jeju in 2010. This relocation brought many changes to Lee Myung-bok's work. Unlike his 1900s works that depicted the dark side of Korean society through hyperrealistic landscapes, Lee Myung-bok beautifully and sometimes poignantly captured the landscapes of Jeju.

In Jeju, Lee Myung-bok showed interest in portraits of haenyeo. The Jeju haenyeo culture is a very important part of the identity of Jeju residents. The image of haenyeo fearlessly diving into the rough sea relying on a small buoy vividly represents the spirit of Jeju people. Moreover, the "Jeju haenyeo culture," which represents the spirit of Jeju residents by conducting cooperative work in specially designated sea areas and using the profits to fund community projects, contributes to the improvement of women's status and demonstrates the solidarity and harmony spirit possessed by the haenyeo and their community. The portraits of haenyeo, whom the artist feels are "perhaps divine beings," reveal a sublime gaze like that of our mothers who have overcome the traces of time etched in their facial wrinkles.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.