Master of Korean Realism: Gu Ja-seung, Painter of Three Generations of Samsung
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
Gu Ja-seung (age 84) is a leading figure of Korean representational painting, known for his hyperrealistic still lifes and portraits that probe the senses of seeing and the persistence of time. A graduate of Hongik University and former professor at Sangmyung University, he has shown in some 690 exhibitions worldwide and won international honors such as the Monte Carlo International Contemporary Art Prize. Working with his wife, painter Jang Ji-won (the model and spouse of sculptor Kwon Jin-kyu), Gu visualizes the idea of “stopped continuity” — themes like unrotting fruit and frozen shadows that suggest layers of time beyond surfaces. He is also famed for painting portraits of three generations of the Samsung family (Samsung-ga), including founders and successive chairmen Lee Byung-chul, the late Lee Kun-hee, and current leader Lee Jae-yong.
