Untitled

Lee Doo Shik Korean

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 233

At first glance, this work looks like an abstract painting. Closer examination reveals that Lee has created a complex, layered image with texturing that appears photorealistic. Studying at Hongik University in the 1970s, Lee rebelled against the dominance of monochrome painting and turned to color and hyperrealism. As seen in this work, his palette primarily consists of green, gold, and the five cardinal colors, or obangsaek: yellow, blue, red, black, and white. Lee’s use of color infuses abstraction with aspects of East Asian cosmology, Buddhist art, and Korean palace and temple architecture.

Untitled, Lee Doo Shik (Korean, 1947–2013), Acrylic on canvas, Korea

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