Kim Song-gun (Korean: 김성근; born 1945) is a North Korean painter. He works at the Mansudae Art Studio in Pyongyang.
Life
Kim was born in 1945. He initially worked as a blacksmith for 3 years. After his military service, he started working for the Mansudae in 1971, and studied at Pyongyang University of Fine Arts from 1972 to 1975.[1]
Work
Kim Song-gun is also called "Painter of the Waves" since he mostly paints sea and river sceneries with thunderous waters. Despite a very realistic depiction the paintings carry a subtle kind of modern abstraction achieved through the dramatic presentation of the waves.[2] One of those paintings, Waves of the Sea Kumgang, was noticed internationally due to a photo from Bill Clinton's state visit to North Korea in 2009 showing him sitting next to Kim Jong-il with the large green waves painting in the background.[3]
Awards
- 1999: People's Prize for Waves of the Sea Kumgang[4]
Notes
- ^ "김성근". cybernknet.
- ^ Ruthe, Ingeborg. "My image of the Week (Mein Bild der Woche)". Berliner Zeitung. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
- ^ "Bill Clinton's North Korea Rescue Mission". TIME Magazine. 5 August 2009. Archived from the original on 8 August 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
- ^ "KIM Song Gun". galerie son. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
External links
- Ingeborg Ruthe: "Mein Bild Der Woche: Parabeln auf Nordkoreanisch", Berliner Zeitung, 28 August 2012 (in German)
- "Hae Kumgang" and exhibition report on artdaily.org
- Why Dictators Love Kitch?
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