Kim Bok-jin - the founder of national sculpture in Korea during the Japanese colonial period

Abstract

This study analyzes the biography and work of Kim Bok-jin (pseudonym: Chongwan), the first Korean to graduate from the sculpture department of Tokyo University of the Arts in Japan during the Japanese colonial period (in 1925) and the first sculptor to introduce Western realist techniques to Korea. The study will also examine the national motifs in the works of Kim Bok-jin against the backdrop of a difficult historical period, and analyze a number of his little-known works through the prism of Korean studies. The main content of the study is the sculptures of Kim Bok-jin “standing woman”, “statue of Maitreya Buddha” “Baek Hwa”, “Youth (Boy)”, “Old man”. He is a significant figure in Korean sculpture: from 1925 until his death in 1940, Kim Bok-jin regularly exhibited his works at the Joseon Art Exhibition, and in addition to his artistic activities, he also ran the Art Research Institute, nurturing young artists. He also engaged in journalism, criticism, and political activity as a member of the Joseon Communist Party. The purpose of this study is to rethink the work of Kim Bok-jin, the founder of Korean sculpture, who was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit of the National Foundation in 1993.