Draft:Byun Shi-Ji

Byun Shi-ji (邊時志, 29 May 1926 - 8 June 2013)[1] was a South Korean Western painter and university professor.

Lifetime Byun Shi-Ji (1926-2013) was a South Korean Western painter whose art focused on capturing the nature of Jeju while also exploring the depths of human existence. His work reveals not only the surface beauty of the landscape, but also the emotions and spirit behind it.

The surface and interior of the landscape

In Byun Shi-Ji's art, "landscape" is more than a mere representation of nature; it functions as a medium for exploring the nature of life and existence. His paintings depict Jeju's yellowish soil, harsh winds, and churning sea and sky, with creatures such as one-legged crows and ragged ponies in the background. These elements create a realistic representation of Jeju's nature, while also inviting the viewer to reflect on the inner world of nature and humans.

Through his work, Byun Shi-Ji looks beyond the "surface" of the landscape-the visually perceived forms and colours-to its "interior"-the meaning and value it holds, and the emotions and inspiration it evokes. He has emphasised the difference between art and fine art, saying, "Fine art is visual, and fine art is mental." This perspective shows that in his work, the landscape is more than just a representation of nature, but a vehicle for exploring the human condition and identity.

Jeju's nature has been an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Byun Shi-Ji, and he has used it to create his own unique style of painting. His paintings capture the climate and spirit of Jeju, conveying waves of emotion, sometimes as violent as a storm, sometimes as delicate as a calm breeze. It has been a journey of artistic identity for Byun Shi-Ji over the 38 years he has spent in Jeju, and the simplicity of human existence and reverence for nature are symbolised and sublimated in his canvases.

Byun Shi-Ji's works do not simply depict landscapes, but through those landscapes, he mournfully and tragically expresses the lost homeland and existence of modern man. In his paintings, the dry season of Jeju Island's characteristic stony rocks and poor soil is represented in black strokes, making the viewer feel the harsh nature of Jeju and the human life that lives within it.

In the end, Byun Shi-Ji's art suggests a journey beyond the surface of the landscape and into the inner self. His paintings offer us the opportunity to go beyond appreciating the beauty of nature, to look within ourselves and reflect on the fundamental questions of life. Byun Shi-Ji's art is a journey that goes beyond visual representation to explore spiritual depth and meaning, which is one of the deepest values we can experience through art.

The Seogwipo Years (1926-1931)

Byun Shi-Ji's childhood had a profound impact on his artistic sensibilities and his work. The pristine nature of Jeju Island and his brushwork at Seodang played an important role in shaping his artistic foundation. The crows, ponies and trees that often appear in his work reflect the pure beauty of Jeju Island and the childlike world he experienced as a child. When Byun Shi-Ji later returned to Jeju, he created works that take us back to the pure concentric world of his childhood, telling us a moving and dramatic story. His works capture the landscape and emotions of Jeju, opening a new chapter in Korean art history.

Jeju Island's beautiful blue sea, lush forests, and open skies filled Byun Shi-Ji's childhood; he played freely in these natural surroundings and nurtured his imagination, which gave his artwork its vibrancy and energy. Brushstrokes in the hut taught him delicacy and precision, which led to the harmony of delicate lines and intense colours seen in his work.

These childhood experiences laid the foundation for Byun Shi-Ji to grow up, study art in Osaka, Japan, and eventually become a world-renowned painter. In his artwork, the nature of Jeju Island and his learning at Seodang combine to create a unique artistic world that blends East and West. Returning to Jeju marked another artistic turning point for him, and he further defined his own colour palette through his works that capture the island's nature.

Byun Shi-Ji's works capture the raw nature and pure childlike world of Jeju Island that he felt as a child, and have the power to move and evoke memories in the viewer. Through his art, we are transported back to his childhood and see the world through his eyes, along with the beauty of Jeju Island. His art transcends time and space, and is an inspiration to us all.

The Osaka Years (1931-1945)

Byun Shi-Ji's life was profoundly shaped by his experiences in Osaka and the trials he faced. Moving to Osaka from Jeju Island with his family at a young age in 1931, Byun Shi-Ji began to explore his identity as he adjusted to his new surroundings. His early life was not easy, and he struggled to overcome the discrimination and hardships he faced as a Korean.

In 1933, he had the misfortune of breaking his leg during a wrestling match against an upperclassman at a small school, an accident that had a profound impact on his life and is the reason for the recurring appearance of a figure with a cane in his paintings. Despite this physical disability, he began to receive recognition for his artistic talent when he won the Osaka Mayor's Prize in a children's drawing competition.

Byun Shi-Ji's life in grey Osaka fostered his competitive spirit and passion for art. After graduating from the Osaka Art School, he became a pupil of Japanese master Manjiro Terauchi, learning Western modern art techniques and beginning to develop his own style of painting. This period, which doubled as his time in Tokyo, was a crucial time for his artistic identity and social and philosophical awareness, and his work is deeply imbued with the emotions and experiences of that period. Byun Shi-Ji's life in Osaka was a defining period in his artistic journey, and he dedicated his life to exploring the triumph of the human spirit and the beauty of life through his experiences and through art.

The Tokyo Years (1945-1957)

After graduating from the Osaka Art Academy in 1945, Byun Shi-Ji moved to Tokyo to study with Japanese canvas master Manjiro Terauchi, where he established his artistic foundation. It was during this time that he became a recognised painter in the Japanese canvas scene, first as the first Korean to win a prize in a national competition and then as the youngest to win the highest prize. His time in Tokyo was when he began to make a name for himself as a painter, achieving remarkable accomplishments such as winning a prize in the Kwangpung Kai, Japan's premier centralised painting group, and becoming the youngest person to win the top (Kwangpung) prize, as well as the youngest full member and youngest judge.

Under the guidance of his teacher, Manjiro Terauchi, Byun Shi-Ji honed his skills and established his artistic identity. His relationship with his teacher had a great influence on his artistic growth, which can be seen in his work. His two solo exhibitions - the first Korean to win a prize in the Japanese National Exhibition and the first in Japan's first gallery, the Shiseido (Jasaengdang) Gallery - were more than just personal achievements; they were symbolic events that overcame the social and cultural barriers of the time.

The acceptance into the Kwangpung Kai and the top prize meant that Byun Shi-Ji was recognised as one of the greatest painters of his time. His roles as the youngest full member, youngest top prize winner, and youngest juror were testament to his exceptional talent.

Byun Shi-Ji's achievements were the culmination of his efforts to overcome the dual life challenges he had to face: being both a Korean and a disabled person. His hard work and dedication made him one of the most accomplished artists of the modern era. His story is more than just a success story; it shows the indomitability of the human spirit and the journey of self-realisation through art.

The Seoul Years (1957-1975)

Byun Shi-Ji's time in Seoul followed a very unique path. Although he had planned to leave for France, where he learnt French for five years, he travelled to Seoul at the invitation of Yun Il-sun, the president of Seoul National University - a choice he made to explore his own identity and that of Korea, even though he was already a successful painter in Japan.

In May 1958, his homecoming retrospective exhibition was held at Hwasin Department Store, and over 5,000 people viewed his work in a single day. His work "The Porter" was misunderstood as ideological, which led Byun Shi-Ji to leave Seoul National University and take a job as an art teacher at Mapo High School. This first homecoming exhibition marked a major turning point in his destiny as an artist.

Life in Seoul was not easy: the war had just ended, it was a time of economic hardship, and many artists were travelling abroad. Nevertheless, Byun Shi-Ji stayed in Seoul, travelling in and out of Biwon and continuing his search for a Korean identity as a 'Biwonpa', and was under surveillance by the police and intelligence services, who were suspicious of his return after his success.

The 1970s was a time of great transition for the Korean art world, which was actively embracing radical changes in Western art; at the time, mainstream Korean painters were pursuing the techniques of abstract art, including Impressionism, Beast School, Expressionism and En Formel, but after returning home, Byun Shi-Ji abandoned the modern techniques he had already acquired, and instead searched for the roots of Korean aesthetics, painting palace landscapes with realist techniques. Instead of using all the techniques of Western modern art that he had studied and worked with in Japan, he instead worked with classical techniques that he had never tried before, which he later abandoned in Jeju to find his own language.

The Jeju Years (1975-2013)

His return to Jeju was a journey of discovery of his artistic identity. Byun Shi-Ji captured the nature and life of Jeju with a straightforward and honest gaze, and his works reflected the landscape and the lives of the people of Jeju, forming a unique sentiment. Using ochre and black lines, he sought the archetypes of Jeju, and in the process established his own style of painting.

Byun Shi-Ji's works from his time in Jeju are the result of the fusion of his life and art, and are original works that depart from Western techniques and embrace the spirit and techniques of the East. His paintings are more than just landscape paintings; they are like poems that reflect the spirit of Eastern literati painting. His recurring motifs of wind, pine trees, thatched houses, and ponies showcase the world created by Jeju's climate, and his artistry is pure and indigenous.

Byun Shi-Ji's time on Jeju was a journey of discovery for his artistic identity, and his paintings symbolise and sublimate the smallness of human existence and reverence for nature in ochre. His work was born out of his search for the original Jeju, which is disappearing in the face of modern civilisation, and his work goes beyond simple landscape painting to capture the colours and light of the island and the lives and emotions of its people. Byun Shi-Ji was in search of the original Jeju, which was disappearing in the face of modern civilisation, and his paintings go beyond mere representation to a poetic language that captures the history and culture of an era and the inner life of a people.

His story still inspires many today, and his artistic legacy continues to be revered across time.

Byun Shi-Ji had the following to say about the distinction between fine art and art.

"Art isvisual, art is mental. Art is seen with the eye, art is felt with the heart. Art is expressed in form and colour, art is expressed in meaning and value. Art is judged by the perfection of technique, art by the depth of inspiration. “

Terauchi Manjiro (1890-1964)

Terauchi Manjiro was a Japanese Western painter who taught classical realism and impressionistic light and colour, and was called the 'saint of nudes'. Byun Shi-Ji was tutored by Terauchi, but added expressionist tendencies to create his own distinctive work. Terauchi Manjiro passed on his artistic skills and philosophy of art to Byun Shi-Ji, and Terauchi Manjiro's influence is evident in Byun Shi-Ji's early works, and his guidance was instrumental in helping Byun Shi-Ji develop his own unique style of painting. In addition to his contributions to the development of Japanese Western painting, Terauchi is also credited with helping his students find their own artistic identity and create individualised works. In his estimation, the positive influence he had on his students and the way he taught them to become independent artists is highly regarded.

In the process of finding his own artistic identity, Byun Shi-Ji sought a balance between his teacher's teachings and his own inner sense. He would paint two paintings at a time, one following the guidance of his teacher, Manjiro Terauchi, and sticking to traditional techniques and forms, and the other freely expressing himself according to his inner feelings and intuition1. This was an important step in Byun Shi-Ji's quest for artistic freedom and creative independence.

The works according to his teacher's teachings emphasised technical perfection and formal discipline, which helped Byun Shi-Ji to solidify the basics of art. On the other hand, the works according to his own feelings led to more experimental and innovative works that reflected Byun Shi-Ji's personal feelings and thoughts. These two approaches gave diversity to his work and, in turn, gave a new direction to Korean contemporary art.

Byun Shi-Ji's way of working shows that art is a process of expressing meaning and value beyond just form and colour. He emphasises the difference between art and fine art by saying, "Fine art is visual, and art is mental", meaning that his works are not just reproductions of nature, but works of art that leave a deep impression on the viewer through emotion and inspiration.

Byun Shi-Ji's artistic exploration was deepened by the landscape and nature of Jeju Island. He captured the island's yellowish soil, harsh winds, and churning sea in his paintings, and these elements brought life and energy to his work. His art served as a window into the inner world and emotions of humans through the island's nature.

Ultimately, Byun Shi-Ji's art developed through two paths: One was to follow the strict teachings of his teacher, and the other was to express freely according to his own inner intuition. These two paths were not opposed to each other, but complementary, and they fused harmoniously in Byun Shi-Ji's work. Through the combination of these two approaches, his art has the power to make the viewer think deeply about art and the nature of art. Byun Shi-Ji's art is centred on two pillars - his teacher's teachings and his own feelings - and is considered to have opened up new horizons in Korean art.

Biographical Novel  :

A novelisation of the life of painter Byun Shi-Ji Byun Shi-Ji, "Nanmu: Painter of Storms" is a portrait of an artist who was born on Jeju Island and worked in Japan before returning to Korea to paint the island's landscapes in a unique style1. It explores Byun Shi-Ji's artistic journey, the meaning of his work, and how the island's nature and culture influenced his art. The novel delves deeply into his personal life and artistic world, shedding light on the internal conflicts and external challenges Byun Shi-Ji faced and the impact his work has had on the Korean art world. "Nanmu" explores the history and identity of Korean contemporary art through the life and art of painter Byun Shi-Ji Byun Shi-Ji, and is a novel that will leave a lasting impression on readers as they follow in his artistic footsteps.

References : Byun Shi-Ji Whitepaper :