Bamboos in Wind (1934): Art, History and Details

Bamboos in Wind (1934) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Kim Jin-woo (Korean, 1883–1950).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Active during the Japanese colonial period in Korea (1910–45), the artist Jin-woo Kim earned his artistic reputation for his expressive renditions of bamboo swaying in a strong wind. His piercing bamboo shoots are often compared to an iron spear, and their sharp leaves to a knife. It is believed that he deliberately emphasized sharpness in his brushstrokes to express his strong resistance against Japanese colonial oppression.

Object facts

• Title: Bamboos in Wind
• Date: 1934
• Creator attribution: Kim Jin-woo (Korean, 1883–1950)
• Culture: Korea, Japanese colonial period (1910−1945)
• Type: Painting
• Technique: Ten-panel folding screen; ink on paper
• Dimensions: Each panel: 128.9 x 33 cm (50 3/4 x 13 in.); Each panel framed: 194.3 x 47.6 cm (76 1/2 x 18 3/4 in.)
• Collection: ASIAN - Folding screen
• Department: Korean Art
• Accession number: 2022.91

A detail from the museum

The artist’s prolific artistic production were a major part of fundraising efforts to support resistance activities for Korea’s independence.

Collection credit

Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.