Landscape of Rouen

Lee, Chongwoo(pen name: Seolcho, 1899-1981) went to Japan in 1917 and graduated from the Department of Western-style painting at Tokyo School of Fine Arts(東京美術学校) in 1923. After returning to Korea, he went to France. In 1927, his work was accepted at ‘Salon d’Automne,’ which is one of the authoritative exhibitions in France. After returning home, he served as the vice chairman at National Art Association(Daehan Misul Hyeop-hoe) and as examiner at National Art Exhibition. Also, he was a professor at Hongik University.
Lee was prominent in figure painting, landscape painting, and still-life. His early works are mostly figure paintings, based on Western Academism, and after 1945, he usually painted the landscape paintings with the style of Southern Song Landscape painting.
This painting, which was painted during Lee’s study in Paris, is the landscape of a city on the River Seine in the north of France. The use of colors and the volumetric patterns of geometric rhythms pronounced in the buildings reflect the influence of Paul Cézanne(1839-1906). This work is valuable since it is the only remaining landscape painting of Lee.