KOREAN BANKNOTE ARTIST LEE JONG-SANG

Korean painter Lee Jong-sang, best known for creating the portraits of Confucian scholar Yi I and his mother, Shin Saimdang, featured on Korean banknotes, died Tuesday. He was 88.

Lee, who worked under the pen name Ilrang, was born in Yesan, South Chungcheong Province, in 1938. He graduated from Daejeon High School and Seoul National University's (SNU) College of Fine Arts, where he studied painting, before earning his master's and doctoral degrees in philosophy from Dongguk University.

He joined the faculty of SNU's Department of Oriental Painting in 1968 and later served as director of the SNU Museum. He also served as an expert member of the museum subcommittee of the Cultural Heritage Committee.

Known primarily for traditional Korean paintings, including murals and portraits, Lee was recognized for seeking to modernize Korean painting through new subjects and techniques while pursuing an indigenous aesthetic distinct from Western traditions.

He conducted extensive research into murals from ancient Goguryeo tombs, presenting them as a source of Korean color painting. He also experimented with modes of expression through his "Original Form" series, which rendered landscapes in a semi-abstract style.

After visiting Dokdo in 1977 and painting its landscape, Lee continued to produce works depicting the easternmost Korean islets and became involved in activities aimed at promoting and protecting them.

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Artist behind portraits on Korean banknotes dies at 88 (https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/lifestyle/people-events/20260909/artist-behind-portraits-on-korean-banknotes-dies-at-88)

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