Han Sang-Ik, An Authentic Painter Of North Korea
한상익, 북한의 순수 미술가

The Love Story A love story is one of indispensable concerns when you look into the life of an artist. Han Sang-Ik who devoted his lifetime to painting had an interesting love story that attracted the attention of the world, and I'm going to introduce it in this article. First of all, it is known that for him, his artistic goal was more important than his personal life. It is even said that he gave up on the happiness that he should have enjoyed as a human being in order to focus on his orientation and aim as an artist. "I will find the truly beautiful and elegant colours from the protean colours of nature, and make them my own ---syncopation-- I will not accept any personal concerns until I achieve this goal." -An excerpt from the biographical dictionary of artists in Chosun(-North Korea) He neglected his personal life and pursued only the artistic goals with this kind of mind since his youth, and in 1970 he married at the age of 53 which was quite late for marr...

A Biographical Dictionary Of Artists In Chosun There is a book titled 'A biographical dictionary of artists in Chosun(-North Korea) ' written by Lee Jae-Hyun, an art historian in North Korea. The book was published in North Korea, and it introduces about 1000 painters in North Korean history (it is almost the only art history book published in North Korea, which is available to the South Korean public.) I’m posting about 5 pages regarding Han Sang-Ik out of 800 pages in total. Please note that that the article will be quoted as closely as possible to the original because the article is a perspective of North Korean historian, even though there are many North Korean expressions which may be unfamiliar to South Korean readers. A biographical dictionary of artists in Chosun, written by Lee Jae-Hyun, 1999 (Revised edition) Han Sang-Ik (1917.9.2~1997.10.22) He was born in Juseo-ri, Hamju-goon, Hamgyongnam-do in 1917, and graduated from the Hamheong public high scho...

Criticism and Stubbornness Firstly, do not apply the paint too thickly or excessively. Secondly, the colour must be bright in oil painting. Thirdly, do not apply extreme contrast in painting. Fourthly, mass of paint, rough brush strokes and uneven paint layers, etc would not be suitable for the aesthetic taste of the North Korean people. Fifthly, the layers of colours needs to be smoothened evenly so that there is nothing caught by hand when you touch the surface of the painting. Sixthly, vibrant colours, accuracy of shapes and clarity of silhouette should be described. -- A sketchbook of Park Gae-ri | Quoted from ‘What is the Choson socialist painting?’ The article quoted above is not what a teacher from art school teaches students.It is what the North Korean oil painters were instructed in 1970’s. Many of oil painters changed their practice from oil painting to Chosonhwa(-the traditional North Korean ink-wash painting) as the Chosonhwa got selected as Juche art and t...

Starting a blog Hi. I start my blog with an article titled [Han Sang-Ik, An authentic painter of North Korea]. I intend to share my favorite paintings of Han Sang-ik(1917~1997) with many people. Especially, I would like to introduce his paintings and activities which would have been created through the agnony between art and regime as a North Korean artist, even though this introduction may be limited. The first reason why it may be 'limited' is because I am South Korean. There is only a limited access to references available on the internet, and I can't even go to North Korea for research because of the reality of a divided country. Secondly, I am just an art lover collecting paintings of Han Sang-ik, but I have no knowledge of art.  It is frustrating to have no previous knowledge and reference to be found due to the special nature of the division of country, but it can be rather fun to contentrate on the interaction, imagination and appreciation of the painting...