Painter known for "letter abstraction" and the "Crowd (Gunsang)" series; art name Goam (顧菴)
| Life | 1904 ~ 1989 |
| Era | 근현대 |
| Clan | 전의 이씨 |
Yi Ung-no was a painter representative of modern and contemporary Korean art, with the art name Goam (顧菴). Starting from traditional calligraphy and painting, he achieved his own distinctive style through "letter abstraction (munja chusang)," which abstracted the brushstrokes of calligraphy, and through his "Crowd (Gunsang, 群像)" series depicting countless human figures.
In 1958 he went to France and was active internationally, centered on Paris. In 1967 he was implicated in the East Berlin spy incident (Dongbaengnim Incident) and endured imprisonment, but was released through the efforts of the French government and others. He later became a naturalized French citizen and passed away in Paris in 1989. The Lee Ungno Museum, honoring him, is located in Hongseong, Chungcheongnam-do, and in Daejeon.