Park Seo-bo (, Hanja: 朴栖甫; 15 November 1931 – 14 October 2023) was a South Korean painter known for his "Écriture" series (1967 onwards), involvement in the Korean Art Informel movement, and particular formal concerns around painting that have led critics and art historians to identify him as a leading Dansaekhwa artist.
Park was part of the first generation of artists to begin building their careers in the wake of the Korean War after growing up under Japanese colonial rule, having their study interrupted by the outbreak of the Korean War, and surviving the conflict. Much of Park's early work emerged in response to his own experiences at the time.
After graduating from Hongik University, Park was very much on the social and art world periphery as both a draft dodger hiding under a new name (changed from Park Jae-hong), and ardent critic of the National Art Exhibition (Kukjeon for short). Park joined the Contemporary Artists Association (Hyeondae Misul Hyeohoe) in 1957, and became one of the main figures in the Korean Art Informel movement along with others in the association. Park sought to conceptually and materially challenge assumptions around painting at the time through his abstract paintings that experimented with texture, color, material, line, and shape. The main focus of his practice for over his last half century was exploring the formal possibilities for painting through an emphasis on process, and deemphasis on artistic intention in his "Écriture" series.
Increasing opportunities to write about foreign artists and travel abroad also compelled Park to take an active role advocating for the promotion of Korean contemporary art on a local and global scale. Park's mentorship of students at Hongik, curation of shows featuring emerging avant-garde artists, and work at the Korean Fine Arts Association (KFFA) played a crucial role in supporting generations of contemporary Korean artists. His work at the KFFA in particular was central to the development of Dansaekhwa.
After founding the Seo-bo Art and Cultural Foundation in 1994, Park passed on leadership to his son in 2014. He had his most recent retrospective at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) in 2019, and there are now two museums dedicated to his work. Park worked and lived in Yeonhui-dong, Seoul.
Early life
Park was born in Yecheon County of North Gyeongsang, Joseon in Japanese-occupied South Korea on November 15, 1931. He was the third of eight children to father Park Jaehun and mother Nam Kimae. He was originally named Park Jae-hong, but began using the name Park Seo-bo in 1955 to avoid military conscription. In 1934, his family moved from Yecheon to Anseong in Gyeonggi Province. It was there that his father started to work as a local solicitor out of their house.
As a child, Park loved drawing. He spent much of his time copying paintings by Korean artists like Kim Eun-ho ("Idang"). Although his father wanted him to study law, Park insisted on continuing to pursue art in school.
Education
Hongik University (1950–1955) In spite of his father's opposition, Park enrolled at the College of Fine Arts at Hongik University to study Korean Painting under the tutelage of Yi Eungro. However, his freshman year was interrupted by the outbreak of the Korean War. He narrowly survived the war, dealing with the abrupt passing of his father, drafts both by North Korean and South Korean forces, and a long winter spent evacuating from his hometown Anseong to Masan on foot.
Due to the war, Hongik temporarily moved to Busan, thus making it possible for Park to return to school in 1952. In order to support himself, Park sold portraits to US soldiers on the street and in restaurants, but did not make enough to feed and house himself. He often slept in empty classrooms, and had to rely on others to buy him meals. He scavenged materials from garbage bins and stole soy sauce packets from Chinese restaurants to paint with.
As a second-year student, he changed his major to Western Painting because none of his professors from the department of Korean Painting remained. He studied under Kim Whanki before graduating in 1955. However, Park never attended the graduation ceremony. In order to avoid the military draft, he changed his name to Park Seo-bo. He was on the run until he won his case against the military on 16 May 1961.
Lee Bongsang Painting Institute (1957) Park joined the institute in Anguk-dong, Seoul. Artists like Bang Geuntaek, Kim Tschang-Yeul, and Ha In-doo frequented the institute, collectively becoming known as the "Anguk school."