Unmatched Realism
By Lu Qianwen Source:Global Times Published: 2013-3-13 18:38:01
Marching Forward by North Korean artist Choe Chang-ho Photo: Couresy of Ma Taiping
While the world art market experienced its ups and downs in recent years, there has been one quiet corner that stayed apart from this "vanity fair." Like everything else in the isolated country, modern art in North Korea is little known to outside people. But now, more and more of its artists are creating work in foreign countries and their pictures are being increasingly sought after. Finally, beautiful art is unfolding from this country's hard and mysterious exterior.
While the world art market experienced its ups and downs in recent years, there has been one quiet corner that stayed apart from this "vanity fair." Like everything else in the isolated country, modern art in North Korea is little known to outside people. But now, more and more of its artists are creating work in foreign countries and their pictures are being increasingly sought after. Finally, beautiful art is unfolding from this country's hard and mysterious exterior.
Increasing appreciation
Flipping through the album of North Korean paintings, Ma Taiping is busily preparing for his company's spring auction of North Korean modern art scheduled for the end of this month.
As the president of Beijing Jihua Chunqiu Auction Company, one of the few domestic auction companies focused on North Korean modern art, Ma has witnessed an increase in the appreciation of its value in the past years.
"In 2008 when we started to auction North Korean paintings, the highest price was no more than dozens of thousands of yuan. Last year, some of the paintings at our auction reached hundreds of thousands of yuan," said Ma.
In 2007 when North Korean paintings were first introduced into the Chinese auction market at an auction in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, the highest price was 35,000 yuan ($5,630) for the painting Silent Shore by Kim Jeong-tae. At that auction, 10 out of 15 North Korean modern paintings were sold.
In September last year, at Jihua Chunqiu's North Korean Art Auction in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, The Flower Girl, created by North Korean female artist Kim Eun-suk sold for 700,000 yuan. Also this year at the exhibition of North Korean Culture and Art at the Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art from February 5 to 20, a third of the total 117 paintings were sold, among which those showing local common people's life and local scenery were the favorites.
"The quality of their oil paintings has reached the upper level across the world," Huang Sanmei, curator of the February exhibition in Shanghai, said in an interview with Southern Weekly. Having been in the collecting business for 20 years, Huang has observed that paintings of political figures were coldly received during the exhibition, and domestic collectors are focusing more on the real North Korean art.
"We always say that 'art comes from life,' but now the only one that truly practices this doctrine is the North Korean artists," said Wang Yao, an art critic. "Their paintings feature not those visually magnificent sights, but common people's life, mostly peaceful and happy occasions," said Wang.
Now despite the rising prices seen in the past few years, North Korean paintings are still too cheap compared to their Chinese contemporaries. "The price gap can be more than 100 times," said Ma. "Their paintings are heavily underestimated, and there is nowhere in the world that has the potential of North Korean paintings."
Flipping through the album of North Korean paintings, Ma Taiping is busily preparing for his company's spring auction of North Korean modern art scheduled for the end of this month.
As the president of Beijing Jihua Chunqiu Auction Company, one of the few domestic auction companies focused on North Korean modern art, Ma has witnessed an increase in the appreciation of its value in the past years.
"In 2008 when we started to auction North Korean paintings, the highest price was no more than dozens of thousands of yuan. Last year, some of the paintings at our auction reached hundreds of thousands of yuan," said Ma.
In 2007 when North Korean paintings were first introduced into the Chinese auction market at an auction in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, the highest price was 35,000 yuan ($5,630) for the painting Silent Shore by Kim Jeong-tae. At that auction, 10 out of 15 North Korean modern paintings were sold.
In September last year, at Jihua Chunqiu's North Korean Art Auction in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, The Flower Girl, created by North Korean female artist Kim Eun-suk sold for 700,000 yuan. Also this year at the exhibition of North Korean Culture and Art at the Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art from February 5 to 20, a third of the total 117 paintings were sold, among which those showing local common people's life and local scenery were the favorites.
"The quality of their oil paintings has reached the upper level across the world," Huang Sanmei, curator of the February exhibition in Shanghai, said in an interview with Southern Weekly. Having been in the collecting business for 20 years, Huang has observed that paintings of political figures were coldly received during the exhibition, and domestic collectors are focusing more on the real North Korean art.
"We always say that 'art comes from life,' but now the only one that truly practices this doctrine is the North Korean artists," said Wang Yao, an art critic. "Their paintings feature not those visually magnificent sights, but common people's life, mostly peaceful and happy occasions," said Wang.
Now despite the rising prices seen in the past few years, North Korean paintings are still too cheap compared to their Chinese contemporaries. "The price gap can be more than 100 times," said Ma. "Their paintings are heavily underestimated, and there is nowhere in the world that has the potential of North Korean paintings."
Exquisite skills
Unlike most Chinese artists, North Korean painters are usually versed at both traditional and oil painting, according to Ma. And many young North Korean artists, like Kim Eun-suk, are emerging quickly with the price of their works going much higher than some veteran artists in their country who have official titles like "people's artist" or "outstanding artist."
"Their oil paintings look more realistic in nature than Chinese oil paintings," said Ma, "The structure of objects in the painting, and the use of color are more detailed and need high skills as well as high concentration during the production."
In many of the country's oil paintings, which either portrays a person or shows the natural scenery, details of the big background such as different layers of grasses or flowers gradually changing color were all fully displayed in the painting.
In Marching Forward by artist Choe Chang-ho, a large group of North Korean girls were happily marching forward in uniforms and with drums around their waists. The painting looks so like a real photo taken at a parade since despite such a large group, the author drew the girls at different heights and gave them different facial expressions.
"This actually requires a high skill level to paint those extremely subtle details in a large area well, but it's hardly seen among Chinese artists' works now, especially young painters. Skills aside, they don't have such a peaceful mind as their North Korean partners during the painting process," said Ma.
Unlike most Chinese artists, North Korean painters are usually versed at both traditional and oil painting, according to Ma. And many young North Korean artists, like Kim Eun-suk, are emerging quickly with the price of their works going much higher than some veteran artists in their country who have official titles like "people's artist" or "outstanding artist."
"Their oil paintings look more realistic in nature than Chinese oil paintings," said Ma, "The structure of objects in the painting, and the use of color are more detailed and need high skills as well as high concentration during the production."
In many of the country's oil paintings, which either portrays a person or shows the natural scenery, details of the big background such as different layers of grasses or flowers gradually changing color were all fully displayed in the painting.
In Marching Forward by artist Choe Chang-ho, a large group of North Korean girls were happily marching forward in uniforms and with drums around their waists. The painting looks so like a real photo taken at a parade since despite such a large group, the author drew the girls at different heights and gave them different facial expressions.
"This actually requires a high skill level to paint those extremely subtle details in a large area well, but it's hardly seen among Chinese artists' works now, especially young painters. Skills aside, they don't have such a peaceful mind as their North Korean partners during the painting process," said Ma.
Going commercial
Largely shut off from the outside world for several decades, the country's art has rarely gone abroad. Now, thanks to a similar aesthetic standard, China has become the biggest market and transfer platform for North Korean paintings. There has been several production bases established especially for North Korean artists, like those in Dandong, Liaoning Province and Yantai in eastern Shandong Province.
Periodically some North Korean artists are invited to paint for private commissions for personal portraits or paintings that feature natural scenery or cultural elements. And thanks to the highly realistic nature of their paintings, North Korean artists are increasingly invited to other foreign countries including some in Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
While spreading the popularity of their works and earning money back for the country (North Korean artists don't get the money their paintings earn), going commercial has also brought side effects for North Korean art.
"Sometimes foreign rich entrepreneurs invite them to paint their personal portraits," said Ma, "I think this shows disrespect to the artists as those works are not real art. The real ones are those created in their country, reflecting the characteristics of local conditions in North Korea."
Meanwhile in recent years another unhealthy trend about North Korean paintings in the Chinese market is the large amount of fake products. Looking at China's biggest online shopping website taobao.com or art work website artxun.com, and searching on key words "North Korean paintings" one can see numerous products ranging from hundreds of yuan to dozens of hundreds of yuan, by famous or non-famous North Korean artists. "Many of those are fake works," said Ma.
The fact that China is being swamped with fake products even at a time when North Korean art is still largely unavailable to the outside underscores its huge potential in the future. "After all, while art in South Korea is already totally influenced by the US, the art in North Korea maintains its strong characteristic," said Ma.
Largely shut off from the outside world for several decades, the country's art has rarely gone abroad. Now, thanks to a similar aesthetic standard, China has become the biggest market and transfer platform for North Korean paintings. There has been several production bases established especially for North Korean artists, like those in Dandong, Liaoning Province and Yantai in eastern Shandong Province.
Periodically some North Korean artists are invited to paint for private commissions for personal portraits or paintings that feature natural scenery or cultural elements. And thanks to the highly realistic nature of their paintings, North Korean artists are increasingly invited to other foreign countries including some in Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
While spreading the popularity of their works and earning money back for the country (North Korean artists don't get the money their paintings earn), going commercial has also brought side effects for North Korean art.
"Sometimes foreign rich entrepreneurs invite them to paint their personal portraits," said Ma, "I think this shows disrespect to the artists as those works are not real art. The real ones are those created in their country, reflecting the characteristics of local conditions in North Korea."
Meanwhile in recent years another unhealthy trend about North Korean paintings in the Chinese market is the large amount of fake products. Looking at China's biggest online shopping website taobao.com or art work website artxun.com, and searching on key words "North Korean paintings" one can see numerous products ranging from hundreds of yuan to dozens of hundreds of yuan, by famous or non-famous North Korean artists. "Many of those are fake works," said Ma.
The fact that China is being swamped with fake products even at a time when North Korean art is still largely unavailable to the outside underscores its huge potential in the future. "After all, while art in South Korea is already totally influenced by the US, the art in North Korea maintains its strong characteristic," said Ma.
Posted in: ARTS