i’m jealous of il lee
Whoa. I lost my breath when I saw this work. The beauty, and stunning simplicity, of blue ballpoint pen on canvas… really, really, really big canvas! Korean born, Brooklyn based artist Il Lee started working like this over 30 years ago, and still continues today… now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m suddenly inspired to run out and pick up a few pens. Blue ones.
{Thanks to David Garber for sending me a link to Anthology, who recently featured Il’s work.}
Whoa is right!
OMG – amazing. I thought it was incredible, until I scrolled further down and saw the scale.
the same thing happened to me! i was already in love, and then the scale took my breath away. so stunning.
Wow!! That’s beautiful!!
Amazing is the word. He had a couple of works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art a few months ago … ink-less ballpoint on huge canvas and a smaller work on paper. You gotta see it in person!
I’d seen one or two images of these fl
Grr…premature send! Anyway, what I was saying was that I’d seen these before but had never realized they were freaking huge! That’s a LOT of ball pen hours. Thanks for sharing that very important point! I love it when artists makes rethink simple objects. Who knew you could make something so sublime with a biro?!
WOW! This really takes your breath away… I imagine standing in front of one of these works would feel like standing in front of a Rothko. I love how the artist brought these simple and small ball pen line to monumental proportions.
absolutely!
There energy is awesome, yet serene like Rothko.
Whoa!!! I’m in love! In grade school, we used to make pools of ink on our melamine desktops with ball point pens. I would never have dreamed someone could take it to this level. I would love to experience this in person.
me too. the scale alone is stunning, but to get up close and see the concentration of ink/lines would be amazing.
have you seen any of Sol Lewitt’s work in person? I was lucky enough to watch the “Wall Drawing #1268” drawing in progress and the final result. amazing. these pieces by Lee have a similar feel.
[…] 12 Il Lee does pretty amazing work with only a ballpoint pen and a canvas via The Jealous Curator […]
these are absolutely gorgeous
yes, yes they are! (i knew you’d love them!)
this makes me whimper. simple and grand. thanks.
simple and grand… what a perfect description. and as far as the whimpering goes… yes, me too ; )
[…] (via thejealouscurator) […]
I love them too and featured him on my blog a while ago
http://iladyoracle.blogspot.com/2011/05/scribbles.htmllik
Belgian artist Jan Fabre did similar ballpoint-pen art in the eighties. You might like his work too.
x E.
[…] enjoyed drawing with a pen but this is just amazing! Beyond amazing! By artist Il Lee via the blog The Jealous Curator. Found on […]
I just saw his work this summer in Seoul, South Korea. The texture he is able to work up on the canvas creates amazing volume in the work, which I think is unexpected given his media. When your close to the work its thick, palpable, and atmospheric.
oh, i would LOVE to see these in person – lucky you!
[…] There’s something really beautiful about the simplicity of Il Lee. […]
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Il Lee work is pure energy documented. A monumental ballpoint on canvas and a large framed ballpoint on paper in THE ALDRICH Contemporary Art Museum’s “Extreme Drawing” show — great!
his work truly is amazing!
[…] Ball point pen elevated to a whole new level. […]
ME TOO!
[…] so hypnotized by this work by il lee…in ballpoint pen! […]
Impressive. When I was a little girl my dad would draw like this only on a much smaller scale. He said it was a form of meditation and it would help him to find answers to the BIG questions in life. I understood why he enjoyed doing it but he would not show the work to just anyone, this form of drawing was private, a personal journey and introspective. Generally speaking most other viewers during that time period (circa 1970) would be critical and non-accepting . It made me feel happy to see this work here today, I have a common foundation. Thank you for your generosity in sharing this beautiful work. I think the comparison to the Rothko viewing experience is pretty “right-on” too.