As the name of the exhibition suggests, Park’s life was not unlike a bare tree weathering the harsh winter. The reason for this is that, contrary to his present-day fame, Park’s work gained little attention during his lifetime. His works and their slice-of-life depictions of everyday people were considered too mundane for a Korean art world then in a transitional period and lacking the capacity to recognize the artist’s self-taught originality. Park nevertheless continued his work, adhering to his personal style and choice of subject matter for the duration of his life, leading him to be remembered today as one of Korea’s most celebrated painters. So, what features and appeal does the modern viewer find in his works today?

When discussing Park’s works, the rural imagery seen on his canvases is invariably the first thing to come up. The farmhouse settings, women at work and ordinary appearance of the city-dwelling working class consistently appear in his art, from the earliest pieces until his final works. The images themselves are inseparable from life, and by depicting the scenes of that era of Korea’s history without any deviation, he seems to feed into a deep nostalgia in the hearts of its people. Moreover, the surfaces of his paintings, applied in layers of oil-reduced oil paints over long periods of time, conjure up images of dirt walls, Buncheong ware—a blue-green pottery—and granite, which has led to the consensus that Park successfully interpreted Western oil paintings in a Korean fashion.

Thus, after layering colors to form the base of the canvas, Park rendered the images of his subjects using simple lines and surfaces, creating works that are both formative and flat. The prominent texture and muted perspective he uses is reminiscent of traditional murals; at the same time, he makes his subjects stand out by omitting the background. The understated colors and expression give the impression of monochrome paintings, while the strongly shaped lines depicted therein are seen as a reflection of the artist’s inner volition. The lines in his later works are particularly emphasized, likely a side effect of his eventually failing eyesight. Park didn’t stop working, however, even after losing vision in his left eye, rather capturing the Korean aesthetic with simplified lines.

The retrospective exhibition examines works by Park that demonstrate the features discussed here together with objects that help us examine the circumstances of the era, which together showcase the conditions that led to the accumulation of his body of works. The exhibition hall divides its subject matter by time period into four separate sections. Lesser-known parts of Park’s life are presented in detail through anecdotes like how he was influenced by the art of Jean-François Millet as a child and dreamed of becoming a painter, the exhibition he held on the US Army base and the time he painted his neighbors living their lives while staying with his family, all of which craft a unique narrative for the curious to follow. While it’s difficult to identify a single piece that is representative of all his work, the distinct perspective and touch give each of his paintings a uniqueness that make it clear when you’re looking at one of Park’s works. His passionate life’s work can be felt through the pieces he left behind while he lived and their subject matter and leaves an opportunity to ruminate again over the meaning of The Naked Tree Awaiting Spring.