Ku Pon-Ung

Place: Seoul

Born: 1930

Death: 2017

Biography:

Pon-ung Ku was a Korean painter born in Seoul in 1930. He was a pioneer of abstract painting and the godfather of the Dansaekhwa movement. Ku's nomadic lifestyle led him to many different places, like Japan, France, and the U.S., which differentiated his artwork from other artists, who created their art based in Korea, due to the lack of opportunities for travel. As a peripatetic artist gaining inspiration from artists of other origins, Ku's style of abstract art transformed from geometric abstraction to art with traditional Korean motifs to monochrome paintings of dots and lines. He balanced keeping Korean values and beliefs close and incorporating new foreign techniques into his works, which evidently reflect his personal identity and Korea's national identity, impacted by the political and social conditions of the mid-1900s. Ku died in 2017.