Collection
Flamenco
Han Bong-Ho
Description of the work
- Media Oil on canvas
- Location LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL 1F The Peninsula Lounge&Bar
This is a lively depiction of a dozen dancers in beautiful costumes dancing the flamenco, a dynamic dance associated with Spanish performers, by artist Han Bong-Ho, who painted flamenco dancers throughout his decades spent in Europe, Japan and Korea. The painting conveys his emotional reactions through the various shapes formed by the dancing figures. The colorful dresses of the women in the painting seem to swirl and flutter with their dynamic movements. The gold-colored antique frame adds to the classical presentation of the work. The painting measures 230 cm by 730 cm, an oversized work of art that is said to have taken five months to complete, using up 20 boxes of paint in the process. This work, which necessitated a considerable amount of effort upon its arrival in 1982 to safely fix it in place given its weight of 1 ton, now occupies the left wall of the Peninsula Lounge & Bar at LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL. “Flamenco” was also famous for a time for the high success rate of arranged dates that took place near the painting that culminated in marriage.
About the author
The artist Han Bong-Ho, long active in the art scene in Europe and Japan, has produced a long list of masterpieces acclaimed for their high level of creativity and originality over the more than 40 years he spent abroad. He has won numerous Grand Prix on the international stage, including the Japanese Prime Minister’s Award, Minister of Education Award, and the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Award, among others. He is best known in Korea for his paintings depicting flamenco dancing painted over decades, his name all but synonymous with flamenco. Han’s works are realistic depictions, but they are imbued with a dynamism derived from the combination of bold brush strokes reminiscent of the Impressionists and a penetrating gaze that captures the essence of the subject. Better recognized in Japan than in Korea, he garnered both popular and critical acclaim in the Japanese art scene, where he served as a standing judge for exhibitions by the Japanese Group of Artists, and was a member of the Japanese Artists’ Association. He returned to Korea later in life and continued his artistic endeavors.
Han Bong-Ho (1921–2016, Republic of Korea)
Kabaya Art Academy
