Calla

This work has winned the prize in the 11th Chosun Art Exhibition. In-Sung Lee has displayed this painting while he was learning art in Japan. He has made a conspicuous figure in the art world when Korea was under the reign of Japan. From 1932, he has winned 6 continuous special prizes in the Chosun Art Exhibition. He became an invited artist of the Chosun Art Exhibition in 1937 but passed away during Korean war in 1950. This early period work was painted while his peculiar expressive style was forming. It is a work of watercolors but it has the opaque and turbid aspects of oil painting. It belonged to the Korean royal family but it was given to a minister and one of his descendants had kept it until recently. The national museum of contemporary art in Korea found this painting in 1988. The title <kaiyou> is a Japanese name for calla lily. The white calla lily is flower that has the meaning of restoration so this painting can be interpreted as a desire for the liberation of his country. The vertical setting of the flower and vase and the horizontal short brush strokes are very harmonic and create a stable composition.