LIFE OF LIBERATION ARMY ARTIST

[Anchor Lead]

A Korean artist who fought for Korea's liberation from Japan dedicated his life following his country's independence to portraying its growth. It's Choi Deok-hyu, who passed away two decades ago. Let's take a look at what Korea looked like in his eyes.

[Pkg]

This area full of dark buildings is what Seoul Station square looked like in the 1950s. It depicts post-war Seoul, but ironically, the straight lines and powerful brush strokes represent the hope of rebuilding the city. A marketplace in Mapo back in the 1980s, an era of rapid economic growth. This painting shows how vibrant the country was at the time. In this painting, trees are emphasized above the village, and mountain peaks in the distance appear even more distinct than people up close. This art piece represents the artist's belief that people become human only when they learn about nature. The late Choi Deok-hyu fought for Korea's independence during the Japanese colonial rule, hence his nickname "Liberation army artist." Painting natural and urban landscapes was a way to express his affection for his home country.

[Soundbite] Lim Doo-bin(Art Critic) : "He always painted natural landscapes because he wanted to regain his home country. He thought of nature as people's eternal homeland."

Six sketches of Choi's drawings created while he was in the army have been disclosed for the first time.

[Soundbite] Choi Hee-yong(Late Choi Deok-hyu's son) : "His passion for drawing was enormous."

Known as the first-generation landscape artist, Choi expressed his patriotism using diverse artistic techniques. Rather than portraying his country as it was, he portrayed Korea as he wanted it to look like.