Zoom into Lee Ungno's 'Composition (1978)'

In the 1970s and ‘80s, Lee Ungno produced a lot of print works that were connected with his Abstract Letter or People series in content, while showing diverse textural expressions.

This work among those stands out with its round shape full of different angular figures, calling up Mesopotamian cuneiform.

They are mostly geometric forms but...

... if we look at them closely, we see they are also human or bird-like figures: the repetition of such forms conjures up prehistoric rock engravings...

... while the repetition of lines reminds us of the hexagrams of the I Ching.

This work, whose canvas is constructed with forms seemingly developed from multiple origins, employs Western print making technique; but on the other hand, it is linked to traditional seal carving. The image of this woodcut was used for his solo exhibition poster at the Galerie Koryo in Paris in 1978.