IL LEE Ballpoint Drawings at the Queens Museum of Art
September 07, 2007 The New York Times
Queens Museum of Art
IL LEE: Ballpoint Drawings
A selection of drawings — striking indigo and black ink abstractions, all done exclusively in ballpoint pen, on paper and canvas — makes up this engrossing show by the veteran Korean artist Il Lee. The centerpiece is a 50-foot drawing that took two and a half months and 400 to 500 ballpoint pens to complete, with the artist working on sections at a time that were propped up against the wall in his Brooklyn studio. It is a sweeping, rhythmical abstraction in blue recalling the Italian Futurist paintings of Giacomo Balla, combined with elements of traditional Asian ink and wash painting.
– Benjamin Genocchio