Il Lee is a South Korean-born American contemporary artist.
18 Facts About Il Lee
1.
2.
Il Lee was born in South Korea and has been living in America since the mid-1970s.
3.
Il Lee is best known for his ballpoint pen artwork; large-scale abstract imagery on paper and canvas.
4.
Il Lee creates artwork in a similar vein utilizing acrylic and oil paint on canvas.
5.
Exhibitions of Il Lee's artwork have been held in Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris, New Delhi, Mexico City, and numerous cities across the United States.
6.
Il Lee's father studied architecture and engineering, but was unable to pursue it due to the outbreak of war.
7.
Il Lee has five siblings, and describes his family as "big" for his generation.
8.
Il Lee began working with ballpoint pens during his time at Pratt in the early 1980s.
9.
Il Lee studied etching as his minor at Pratt, and the sharp needles became a preferred tool.
10.
Il Lee participated in the group exhibition "Korean Drawing" at the Brooklyn Museum in 1981, introducing his ballpoint drawings.
11.
Those earlier works were all drawn on paper, but Il Lee soon began to work on large, primed canvases.
12.
Il Lee's artwork is categorized by some as minimalist in content, but has been described as "deceptively casual," with more work going into each piece than immediately apparent.
13.
Il Lee uses the largest paper available; rolls with a 60-inch width allow him to create lengthy artwork.
14.
Il Lee has stated that producing small works can sometimes be "limiting," adding that producing larger works provides certain satisfaction.
15.
Il Lee describes his creative process as "intuitive," a term he came to identify with during his time at Pratt.
16.
Il Lee prefers approaching his work with an empty mind and minimal forethought.
17.
Il Lee, commenting on critical debate as to whether his artworks are drawings or paintings.
18.
Il Lee's artwork is represented in major museum and public collections.