The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 20, 2025

Bamboos in Wind

1934

Kim Jin-woo

(Korean, 1883–1950)
Korea, Japanese colonial period (1910−1945)
Ten-panel folding screen; ink on paper
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.)
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2022.91
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

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

Description

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.
  • 1934–35
    Collection of the artist, Hamheung, North Korea, sold to the Kwak family
    1935–?
    Kwak family collection, Korea, by descent to Paul Kwak
    ?–2022
    Paul Kwak, Akron, OH, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2022–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Ink, Paper, and Brush - Korean Gallery 236 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (July 24, 2019-January 26, 2020).
  • {{cite web|title=Bamboos in Wind|url=false|author=Kim Jin-woo|year=1934|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2022.91