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{{Infobox person
| name = Park Su-geun
| image = 박수근 화백.jpg
| alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->
| caption =
| birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name -->
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1914|02|21}}
| birth_place = [[Yanggu County, Gangwon|Yanggu County]], [[Kōgen-dō]], [[Korea under Japanese rule|Korea, Empire of Japan]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1965|05|06|1914|02|21}}
| death_place = [[Seoul]], South Korea
| nationality = <!-- use only when necessary per [[WP:INFONAT]] -->
| other_names =
| occupation = Painter
| years_active =
| known_for =
| notable_works =
| module = {{Infobox Korean name
| child = yes
| hangul = 박수근
| hanja = 朴壽根
| rr = Bak Su-geun
| mr = Pak Sukŭn
|}}
}}
'''Park Su-geun''' ({{Korean|hangul=박수근|hanja=朴壽根}}; February 21, 1914 – May 6, 1965), name also transliterated as '''Park Soo-keun''',<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yuna |first=Park |date=2020-06-29 |title=[Museum of One's Own] Park Soo Keun Museum, place that feels like mother's warm embrace |url=https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200629000912 |access-date=2022-08-18 |website=[[The Korea Herald]] |language=en}}</ref> was a South Korean painter known for his depictions of daily life in rural Korea.<ref name="ChosunWeekly">{{Cite web |date=2011-11-02 |title=박수근 |url=http://weekly.chosun.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=3171 |access-date=2022-08-18 |website=Chosun Weekly |language=ko}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-02-20 |title=박수근 |url=https://terms.naver.com/entry.naver?cid=58862&docId=3577685&categoryId=58878 |access-date=2022-08-18 |website=Naver Encyclopedia |language=ko}}</ref> He was one of the very few Korean artists active during the [[Korea under Japanese rule|colonial]] and [[Korean War|post-war]] period who had no official art education. As a self-taught artist, Park Su-geun formulated a unique painting style using textured surfaces, geometric shapes, bold lines, and muted colours.
== Early life and career ==
Park Su-geun was born in [[Yanggu County, Gangwon|Yanggu County]], [[Kōgen-dō]], [[Korea under Japanese rule|Korea, Empire of Japan]].<ref>Kyu-young Chung, ‘Artist of Ordinary People Park Su-geun’, ''Korea'', December 2015, 42–43.</ref> Park graduated Yanggu Public School ({{Korean|hangul=양구공립보통학교|labels=no}}), after which he had to learn to learn to paint without official training or further education due to financial difficulties.<ref>Hanguk misul yeon-guso, ed., ''Jaryo ro bon uri ui hwaga Park Su-geun'' (Seoul: Sigongsa, 1996), 17–22.</ref> However, with the help of his teachers such as O Deuk-yeong ({{Korean|hangul=오득영|hanja=吳得泳|labels=no}}, 1904–1991) and Shimizu Kiyoshi (靑水靑), Ishiguro Yoshiyasu (石黑義保, 1890–1977), Hara Takeo (原竹男), he was able to continue to study painting.<ref>Bae Won-jeong, ‘Sinye hwaga Park Su-geun ui deungdan: Chuncheon gwa Pyeongyang eseo ui chogi misul hwaldong eul jungsim euro’, ''Misulsa nondan'', no. 54 (June 2022): 112–16.</ref>
He is known to have been inspired to seek a career as an artist after he came across a coloured print of [[Jean-François Millet|Jean François Millet]]’s "L’Angelus."<ref>Kim Young-na, ‘Park Su-geun gwa Mille’, in ''Bom eul gidarineun namok'' (Seoul: National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, 2021), 62–71.</ref> In 1932, he made his debut in painting circles with his work titled "Spring Comes" ({{Korean|hangul=봄이 오다|labels=no}}) which was awarded a prize in the 11th annual [[Chōsen Art Exhibition]].<ref>Jeong Hyeon-ung, ''Park Su-geun saeng-ae wa yesul'' (Seoul: Samsung misul munhwa jaedan, 1992), 25–26.</ref> He moved to [[Chuncheon]] in 1935 and received help from O Deuk-yeong and Miyoshi Iwakichi (三吉岩吉), and went on to win prizes in the Joseon Arts Exhibition eight times from 1936 to 1944.<ref>Bae Won-jeong, ‘Sinye hwaga Park Su-geun ui deungdan: Chuncheon gwa Pyeongyang eseo ui chogi misul hwaldong eul jungsim euro’, ''Misulsa nondan'', no. 54 (June 2022): 113-117.</ref> In 1939, Park Su-geun married Kim Bok-sun (김복순, 金福順, 1922–1979), who would later be the [[Model (art)|model]] of many of his paintings of women.<ref>Hanguk misul yeon-guso, ed., ''Jaryo ro bon uri ui hwaga Park Su-geun'' (Seoul: Sigongsa, 1996), 23-36.</ref>
== Pyongyang Period ==
Park Su-geun moved to Pyongyang in 1940 to work as a clerk for the provincial government of [[Heian'nan-dō]], with the help of Miyoshi.<ref>Kim Bok-sun, ‘Park Su-geun hwabaek ui saeng-gi’, in ''Gwiro'' (Yang-gu: Yang-gu Gunrip Park Su-geun Misulgwan, 2016), 254.</ref> He continued to paint while working in Pyongyang and became a member of artists’ group Johohoe ({{Korean|hangul=주호회|hanja=珠壺會|labels=no}}) from 1940 to 1944 and participated in group exhibitions.<ref>Gong Ju-hyeong, ‘Park Su-geun misul ui jeon-gae wa hwakjang: Misul danche hwaldong eul jungsim euro’, ''Gicho johyeonghak yeon-gu'' 21, no. 1 (December 2019): 29–31.</ref> During his stay in Pyongyang, he submitted key works of art such as "Woman [[Millstone|Grinding Beans]]" (맷돌질하는 여인, 1940), "Woman [[Dadeumi|Washing]] Clothes" (망질하는 여인, 1941), "Mother and Child" (모자, 母子, 1942), and "Woman Doing Needlework" (실을 뽑는 여인, 1943) to the Joseon Arts Exhibition<ref>Gong Ju-hyeong, ‘Park Su-geun misul ui jeon-gae wa hwakjang: Misul danche hwaldong eul jungsim euro’, ''Gicho johyeonghak yeon-gu'' 21, no. 1 (December 2019): 31.</ref><ref>Bae Won-jeong, ‘Sinye hwaga Park Su-geun ui deungdan: Chuncheon gwa Pyeongyang eseo ui chogi misul hwaldong eul jungsim euro’, ''Misulsa nondan'', no. 54 (June 2022): 129.</ref> Park’s wife became the model for these paintings of ordinary women at their daily chores.
It is in the 1940s that Park Su-geun developed his unique use of stone-like [[paint]] surfaces, of which he found inspiration from ancient Korean stone [[pagoda]]s and [[The Buddha|Buddha]] [[Stone sculpture|sculptures]].<ref>Lee Seung-hyeon, ‘Muljil gwa haengwi ro ikneun Hanguk Aengporeumel: Park Su-geun gwa jeonhu giseong hwadan eul jungsim euro’, ''Misulsa hakbo'', no. 53 (20219): 43.</ref><ref>Hanguk misul yeon-guso, ed., ''Jaryo ro bon uri ui hwaga Park Su-geun'' (Seoul: Sigongsa, 1996), 80.</ref>
Park Su-geun also experimented with print during his stay at Pyongyang and from his affiliation with Juhohoe.<ref>Jeong Hyeon-ung, ''Park Su-geun saeng-ae wa yesul'' (Seoul: Samsung misul munhwa jaedan, 1992), 46.
</ref>
== Seoul Period ==
During the [[Korean War]], Park Su-geun moved from Pyongyang to Seoul alone in 1950 and was later joined by his family in 1952.<ref>Choi Yeol, ''Hanguk geundae misul ui yeoksa: 1800-1945 Hanguk misulsa sajeon'' (Seoul: Yeolhwadang, 1998), 267, 293–94.</ref> Many of his earlier works from Chuncheon and Pyongyang, as well as those produced during fleeing throughout the Korean War were lost or destroyed when he defected to South Korea, leaving his paintings behind in North Korea.<ref>Jeong Hyeon-ung, ''Park Su-geun saeng-ae wa yesul'' (Seoul: Samsung misul munhwa jaedan, 1992), 47.</ref> However, his artistic style of using geometric and flat shapes and simple lines in depicting familiar and realistic scenes of peasant life had already been established at this point, and Park Su-geun readdressed many of his prior works and further developed them after the war.<ref>Jeong Hyeon-ung, ''Park Su-geun saeng-ae wa yesul'' (Seoul: Samsung misul munhwa jaedan, 1992), 51-53.</ref>
Financial hardship continued in Seoul, but Park Su-geun was able to make a living by drawing portraits for American soldiers stationed in Seoul.<ref>Jae-ryung Roe, ‘The Korean War and the Visual Arts’, in ''Remembering the ‘Forgotten War’: The Korean War through Literature and Art'' (Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe, 2001), 63.</ref><ref>Charlotte Horlyck, ''Korean Art: From the 19th Century to the Present'' (London: Reaktion Books, 2017), 99.</ref>
In 1953, Park Su-geun won first prize in the 2nd annual {{Ill|Republic of Korea Art Exhibition|ko|대한민국미술전람회}} with "House" ({{Korean|hangul=집|labels=no}}), after which he painted full-time as an artist.<ref>Jeong Hyeon-ung, ''Park Su-geun saeng-ae wa yesul'' (Seoul: Samsung misul munhwa jaedan, 1992), 101.</ref>
Park Su-geun became a member of Daehan Art Association (Daehan Misul Hyeophoe, 대한미술협회, 大韓美術協會) from 1955 and participated in their annual exhibitions until 1960.<ref>Gong Ju-hyeong, ‘Park Su-geun misul ui jeon-gae wa hwakjang: Misul danche hwaldong eul jungsim euro’, ''Gicho johyeonghak yeon-gu'' 21, no. 1 (December 2019): 33.
</ref> Park was also a founding member of Korea Woodblock Printing Association (Hanguk Panhwa Hyeophoe, 한국판화협회, 韓國版畵協會) in 1958, and submitted a [[Woodblock printing|woodblock]] print piece, "Old Man and Woman" ({{Korean|hangul=노인과 여인|labels=no}}) in the first annual group exhibition of the club.<ref>Gong Ju-hyeong, ‘Park Su-geun misul ui jeon-gae wa hwakjang: Misul danche hwaldong eul jungsim euro’, ''Gicho johyeonghak yeon-gu'' 21, no. 1 (December 2019): 35.</ref> He also participated in a group exhibition in 1960 as a founding member of Hyeondae Panhwa Dong-in ({{Korean|hangul=현대판화동인|hanja=現代版畫同人|labels=no}}), alongside [[Whanki Kim|Kim Whanki]], Choi Yeong-rim (최영림, 崔榮林), Yu Gang-ryeol (유강렬, 劉康烈), and Jeong Gyu (정규, 鄭圭).<ref>Gong Ju-hyeong, ‘Park Su-geun misul ui jeon-gae wa hwakjang: Misul danche hwaldong eul jungsim euro’, ''Gicho johyeonghak yeon-gu'' 21, no. 1 (December 2019): 29, 35.</ref> In 1959, he got became a Recommended Artist of the National Art Exhibition and served on the judging committee in 1962.<ref name=":0">Park Su-geun, ''Park Soo Keun: The Most Beloved Painter in Korea'' (Paju: Maronie bukseu, 2010).</ref>
Park Su-geun also submitted [[oil painting]]s for group exhibitions abroad, including in [[Hong Kong]] and in [[San Francisco Museum of Modern Art|San Francisco Museum]] in 1957, and in New York World House Gallery in 1958.<ref>Gong Ju-hyeong, ‘Park Su-geun misul ui jeon-gae wa hwakjang: Misul danche hwaldong eul jungsim euro’, ''Gicho johyeonghak yeon-gu'' 21, no. 1 (December 2019): 36.</ref> He received help in selling his works and participating in exhibitions abroad from an American [[journalist]], Margaret G. Miller, to whom he left numerous letters regarding the [[sales]] of his paintings, financial situations, and his daily life.<ref>Hanguk misul yeon-guso, ed., ''Jaryo ro bon uri ui hwaga Park Su-geun'' (Seoul: Sigongsa, 1996), 183-221.</ref>
Despite the popularity and recognition of his paintings abroad, Park Su-geun’s paintings were often rejected in major Korean exhibitions, much to the artist’s disappointment. He refused to submit works to the Republic of Korea Art Exhibition after "Three Women" ({{Korean|hangul=세 여인|labels=no}}) failed to win a prize in the 1957 exhibition, but was soon appointed as Recommended Artist by the Gukjeon committee in 1959 and subsequently submitted works "Spring" ({{Korean|hangul=봄|labels=no}}), "Woman Resting" ({{Korean|hangul=휴녀|labels=no}}), "Old Man and Playing Children" ({{Korean|hangul=노인과 유동|labels=no}}).<ref>Jeong Hyeon-ung, ''Park Su-geun saeng-ae wa yesul'' (Seoul: Samsung misul munhwa jaedan, 1992), 145.</ref>
== Artistic Style ==
Throughout his career, Park Su-geun retained his conviction to portray ordinary, humble people and to capture mundane yet truthful scenes of familial life, especially the lifestyle that he had personally experienced in rural, agricultural Korea.<ref name="Park Soo Keun 2010">Gwang-su Oh, ‘The Timeless and Original Art of Park Soo Keun’, in ''Park Soo Keun: The Most Beloved Painter in Korea'' (Paju: Maronie bukseu, 2010).</ref> Park also liked to paint daily lives of women and trees.<ref name=":1">Yun Beom-mo, ''Geundae yuhwa gamsangbeop'' (Seoul: Daewonsa, 1997), 108.</ref> Some typical works including women and trees are "Woman [[Jeolgu|Pounding]] Grain" (절구질하는 여인, 1952), "A Wash Place" (빨래터,1954), "Returning Home" (귀가, 1962), and "Old Tree and Woman" (고목과 여인, 1964). Many of his trees are shown bare, twisted, and brittle. The use of trees in his paintings are thought to be both reflections of contemporary social climate and hope and belief in the resilience of the tree in surviving hardship.<ref>Jeon Yeong-u, ‘Park Su-geun ui geurim e natanan namu ui uimi’, ''Sup gwa munhwa'' 4, no. 4 (1995): 26–30.</ref><ref name=":1" /> Peasant women that most frequently appear were often modelled on his wife who often took on the task of making a living and taking care of daily chores<ref>Jane Portal, ''Korea: Art and Archaeology'' (London: British Museum, 2000), 173.</ref> From the lack of distinct facial features and humility in their dress and poses, it can be seen that Park Su-geun reflected his own romantic interpretations of strong and diligent women during times of national hardship and suffering.<ref>Sin Ji-yeong, ‘Park Su-geun hoehwa e natanan yeoseongdeul: “Hanguk jeok in geot” ui gipyo roseo ui yeoseongdeul’, ''Hyeondae misulsa yeon-gu'', no. 12 (December 2000): 139–68.</ref>
Park Su-geun predominantly used unique, [[granite]]-like surface textures and light gray or brown tones to depict simple Korean local scenes and daily lives of ordinary Korean people, using the "matière technique" ({{Korean|hangul=마티에르 기법|labels=no}}).<ref name="Kyu-young Chung 2015">Kyu-young Chung, ‘Artist of Ordinary People Park Su-geun’, ''Korea'', December 2015.</ref> The merging of his [[Cubism|Cubist]] painting style with the "matière technique" that derived from [[Informalism|Art Informel]] practices that emphasised matter and abstraction resulted in a unique image from the 1950s.<ref>Jeong Hyeon-ung, ''Park Su-geun saeng-ae wa yesul'' (Seoul: Samsung misul munhwa jaedan, 1992), 54.</ref><ref>Lee Seung-hyeon, ‘Muljil gwa haengwi ro ikneun Hanguk Aengporeumel: Park Su-geun gwa jeonhu giseong hwadan eul jungsim euro’.</ref> He used both brushes and knives to handle oil paint that had been filtered to reduce the amount of oil and achieved a rough texture that resembled "carved [[relief]]s."<ref>Gallery Nam Kyong, ed., ''Art Collection for Piece Work (Cut, Drawing, Sketch) by Lee Sang-Bum, Kim Ki-Chang, Koo Bon-Woong, Park Soo-Kun'' (Seoul: Hwarang Namgyeong, 1976).</ref><ref>O Gwang-su and Seo Seong-rok, ''Uri misul 100-nyeon'' (Seoul: Hyeonamsa, 2001), 256.</ref><ref>Hanguk misul yeon-guso, ed., ''Jaryo ro bon uri ui hwaga Park Su-geun'' (Seoul: Sigongsa, 1996), 252.</ref> On this surface, he applied thick, bold lines to depict simple forms.<ref>Hanguk misul yeon-guso, ed., ''Jaryo ro bon uri ui hwaga Park Su-geun'' (Seoul: Sigongsa, 1996), 241.</ref> His focus on subjects of naïveté and geometric, flattened, and simplified painting style was strengthened from the late 1950s, and his paintings reflected architectural inspirations as he experimented with the juxtaposition of flat, contrasting shapes and forms in formulating his spatial compositions.<ref name="Park Soo Keun 2010"/> Most of his later works are devoid of realistic backgrounds and [[Perspective (graphical)|perspective]].<ref>Hanguk misul yeon-guso, ed., ''Jaryo ro bon uri ui hwaga Park Su-geun'' (Seoul: Sigongsa, 1996), 246.</ref>
Park also produced prints, watercolors, drawings, and illustrations throughout his career.<ref>Sung-ah Kwon, ‘Paintings of Park Soo-Keun, the Common People’s Artist, Come Home’, ''Koreana'' 19, no. 1 (Spring 2005): 56-58.</ref>
While Park Su-geun's themes and subjects of painting were of the common and ordinary, his artistic creativity and contribution to modern Korean art history is thought to be unique, especially as many other contemporary artists were experimenting with and even imitating Western subjects and styles of painting.<ref>Jane Portal, ''Korea: Art and Archaeology'' (London: British Museum, 2000), 171.</ref>
== Later life and death ==
Despite his lifelong active production of artworks and relatively consistent sales toward the later period of his career, Park Su-geun neither owned his own studio nor was able to make a comfortable living from painting.<ref name="Kyu-young Chung 2015"/> In 1963, Park lost his sight in his left eye due to a [[cataract]], and died of [[Cirrhosis|liver cirrhosis]] at the age of 51 in 1965.<ref name=":0" /> For much of his life Park struggled with poverty and hardship, but in 1980, he was posthumously awarded Eun-gwan Jang (은관장, 銀冠章, Silver Medal) of Order of Culture Merit ({{Korean|hangul=문화훈장|hanja=文化勳章|labels=no}}).<ref name=":0" />
A memorial solo exhibition of Park Su-geun was held in October 1965 at the Korean Information Service Gallery ({{Korean|hangul=중앙공보관|labels=no}}) after his death.<ref>Hanguk misul yeon-guso, ed., ''Jaryo ro bon uri ui hwaga Park Su-geun'' (Seoul: Sigongsa, 1996), 276.</ref>
His work is housed in numerous institutions around the world, including the [[University of Michigan Museum of Art]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Exchange: People on the Street|url=https://exchange.umma.umich.edu/resources/35232/view|access-date=2021-01-07|website=exchange.umma.umich.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=In Focus: Park Su-geun {{!}} University of Michigan Museum of Art|url=https://umma.umich.edu/archive/insider/park-su-geun|access-date=2021-01-07|website=umma.umich.edu}}</ref> and the [[USC Pacific Asia Museum]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=USC PACIFIC ASIA MUSEUM ANNOUNCES NEW ACQUISITION: MODERNIST KOREAN PAINTER PARK SOO-KEUN|url=https://pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu/files/2016/05/Release_ParkSuKeun.pdf|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=}}</ref>
Park Su-geun Museum was established in 2002 at Park’s birthplace, Yanggu.<ref>Sung-ah Kwon, ‘Paintings of Park Soo-Keun, the Common People’s Artist, Come Home’, ''Koreana'' 19, no. 1 (Spring 2005): 56.</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* [http://www.parksookeun.or.kr Park
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[[Category:1914 births]]
[[Category:1965 deaths]]
[[Category:Deaths from cirrhosis]]
[[Category:20th-century South Korean painters]]
[[Category:20th-century
[[Category:People from Gangwon Province, South Korea]]
[[Category:People from Yanggu County, Gangwon]]
[[Category:Culture of Korea under Japanese rule]]
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