Painter Unbong (雲峰) Seung Dong-pyo (1918–1996), who was active in Korea and Japan but was forgotten in the art world after the outbreak of the Korean War. A special exhibition reexamining the artistic world and life of the artist, who was known as "the Cézanne of Korea," opened with a ceremony on May 22 and will be held in the University Museum's Special Exhibition Gallery through June 29.

This special exhibition was organized to honor the wish of the artist's son, Seung Su-geun (who works at the College of Natural Science), and his family, who entrusted the artist's posthumous works to the University Museum of Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) this March, trusting the museum's excellent storage facilities and exhibition environment. It was also arranged to shed light on Seung Dong-pyo, who devoted himself to artistic practice and to educating the next generation in the Jeonbuk region. At 3:00 p.m. on the 22nd, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in the museum's central hall to mark the opening, followed by an introduction to the exhibition.

Seung is known to have left approximately 100 works in South Korea, about 60 in North Korea, and about 10 in Japan. Among these, 149 items — including 75 oil paintings, 33 drawings, and personal effects such as the Order of Civil Merit (Magnolia Medal) — were consigned to the University Museum last March.

Seung Dong-pyo's painting style is known to have been influenced by Post-Impressionism, notably Paul Cézanne. One can see this influence in his intense color and brushwork, the simplification of subjects, and the thick, solid expression of contours.

The special exhibition presents some 30 oil paintings and drawings that clearly exhibit this style. Works on display include "Still Life - Nongyeom (1962)", "Secret Place (1987)", and "Azalea Hill (1995)", among other still lifes, portraits, and landscapes painted between 1955 and 1996.

Lee Tae-young, Director of the JBNU University Museum, said, "Seung Dong-pyo was a true artist who, having lived for some 30 years as both painter and educator, never held an exhibition nor submitted his works, yet he never put down his brush. Through this special exhibition, I hope visitors will feel the robust and gentle spirit embodied in Seung's work, and I also hope there will be much interest in donating or entrusting cultural properties."

Born in Jeongju, North Pyongan Province, Seung Dong-pyo first gained attention in 1936 while attending Osan Higher Ordinary School, when he won a special prize at the 1st All-Joseon Student Art Exhibition with "Still Life with a Bouquet." While at Osan, he studied under Im Pa (Im Yong-ryeon), a pioneer of Western-style painting in Korea, and dreamed of becoming a painter alongside his senior peer Lee Jung-seop. In 1938 he went to Japan to study, graduating from the Western Painting Department of the Tokyo Japan Art School, and later returned to his alma mater Osan to succeed Im Yong-ryeon as an art teacher.