Mr. Bok-Jin, Kim(金福鎭1901-1940), with the artistic name of Jung-Kwan
(井觀), having taken the western sculpture lesson in Japan, is the first Korean
modern sculptor who initiated the phase of fine art of sculpture genre.
Involved in social movement and communist and literary art activities he was
an intelligentsia as well as an educator who performed resistance movement against
Japan during the colonial period. There is a limit to evaluate his sculptural
boundary by illustrative record alone under the circumstance that even a general
sculpture works of his does not subsist now.
However, it appears necessary to re-evaluate the creation background of the
work <BOY> which was presented to Cho-Sun Fine Art exhibition held in 1940.
This manuscript is in pursuit of the plausible relationship between <BOY>
and Mr. Ki-Jung, Sohn(the gold-medalist of marathon race in the 11th Berlin
Olympic held in August, 1936.) by reviewing his work scope and the presented
last work of <BOY> in comparison with the photo of the great player and the
work under the background of colonial era.
His technique of sculpture was faithful to westernized formula of figurative
human organism. Influenced by Auguste Rodin his early works are regarded as
too much imitative female statues and therefore lacked in qualification to be called
art works.
Ever since the release from prison in 1935 the works like <Paik-Hwa> and
<BOY> show the profound spiritual field and fully matured sculptural technique
resulted from the effort to reach ‘localism and nationalism’. Particularly the work
<BOY> represents both his cumulated thoughts and the situation of the times.
Reviewing backward the situation of the times till 1940 when <BOY> is
presented Japanese colonial rule forced the complete abolition policy of Cho-Sun
nationality humiliating the tribe. And against such a circumstance the intelligentsia
group and literary art people felt desperate necessity to educate the juveniles
looking forward to the new era to come.
Therefore, the symbolic meaning of ‘BOY’ was found even in many other
literary art movements. The sculptor Bok-Jin, Kim who had been also expert in
literary art from his boyhood. Once contributed script to the first publication of
journal 《BOY》published in 1937 and he himself published the magazine of
《Juvenile Cho-Sun》in 1934. He expected the hero of national salvation to
bring hopeful future of nation by sculptured statue of <BOY> with materializing
the symbolic meaning of ‘Boy’ formatted under the social and cultural
background.
It is highly possible that the genuine physical and emotional model of
<BOY> must be Ki-Jung, Sohn. It is also assumed that the heroic image of
the player might provide the nationalist sculptor with the momentum to create
<Boy> under the Japanese compulsory occupation.
Comparing with the sculpture <Boy> and the photo of Ki-Jung, Sohn there
exist many similarities. Standing posture, overall physical proportion and frame,
well-built muscles at arms and legs, visage and skinhead, and short pants are
thought to be almost identical.
The event of mastering Berlin Olympic marathon race might engrave the
image of national hero and new hopeful Boy of Cho-Sun, at the heart of the
sculptor Bok-Jin, Kim and thereby he perhaps inspired the image of player into
the image of the work. <Boy> is a mysterious masterpiece, sculpturally well
controlled, tense and viable in itself.
Reviewing all the related production surroundings the <Boy> is the
representative work to materialize the ‘localism and nationalism’ he pursued. And
furthermore, he specifically described the future archetype image of ‘BOY’ to open
the independent nation free from the occupation through the work. If the work
<BOY> sculptured the image of Ki-Jung, Sohn, the great player under the
somber colonial days it could be still more the brilliant work in Korean Sculpture
history.
* 본 문서는 배포용으로 복사 및 편집이 불가합니다.
⌈新唐書⌋ 권214, ?列傳? 139, ‘劉悟’ 譯註
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