Il Lee
BL-081
2006
Ballpoint pen on canvas
99 x 86 inches
Il Lee’s ballpoint pen works on paper and canvas are innovative, forward looking, and historically grounded. Using ballpoint pens, Il Lee creates intimate to large-scale blue and black ink on white paper drawings and large format, subtly colored works on canvas. These works are contemporary and clearly reference traditional Asian ink painting while remaining accessible, conceptually rigorous, and aesthetically pleasing. Lee’s work with its unorthodox media and distinctive style are widely appreciated by art-viewing audiences worldwide, with recent important exhibitions of his works at major museums, galleries, and cultural institutions both nationally and internationally. Il Lee’s critically acclaimed works are well documented in books, magazine publications, and other news media. The best-selling textbook Drawing: A Contemporary Approach [Fifth Edition (2004) and Sixth Edition (2007)], widely used in university art departments, places Lee’s work in the context of 20th Century trends in drawing along with other major contemporary artists. In 2007, Il Lee has been the subject of a critically-acclaimed mid-career retrospective at the San Jose Museum of Art and a solo exhibition at the Queens Museum of Art, New York. [Read more…]
