Lot 321: Park Sookeun (1914-1965) Gidalim (Waiting)

PARK SOOKEUN (1914-1965)
Gidalim (Waiting)
Oil and mixed media on board, signed in
hangul at the upper right Sookeun; the paper
label on the verso inscribed in black crayon
with the title Gidalim (Waiting) in hangul above
Park Sookeun in Roman letters and in hangul 14 1/8 x 5 1/4in (36 x 13.5cm)

Park Sookeun took as his principal subject
matter characters and scenery from everyday
life in post-war Korea. It is the celebration of a
lost era in Korean history that may explain the
great popularity of his work today, when such
scenes evoke feelings of nostalgia among
collectors. Here, a mother and child dressed
in traditional hanbok clothing are seen from
behind, the child suspended in a sling and the
woman’s red under-robe showing beneath
her hem.
Sookeun’s body of work is thought to be
quite small, perhaps no more than 400 paintings. His career was cut short by his
premature death from cirrhosis of the liver
at the age of 51 in 1965.
Waiting is the fifth Park Sookeun painting
to be offered by Bonhams: others include
Two Figures, December 10, 2012, lot 5346;
Selling by the Roadside, November 17, 2004,
lot 134; Roadside Vendor, June 23, 2008,
lot 8330; On the Road Home, December 13, 2010, lot 5302.