Among about 80,000 photographs that Limb took over 70 years of his life, we find three broad categorizations. First, his ‘everydaylife realism’ photograph including ‘Streets of Myungdong’ series that he continuously produced from the 1950s until the end of his career, and his series Traditional Architecture of Korea and Appearance: Korean Artists. 

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​ ‘Everydaylife realism’ began as Limb was attracted to the documentary and reality of photography during his time as a war correspondent during the War. He devoted himself to leading a photographic movement that was humanistic in nature, aiming to portray the unembellished realities of people’s lives by clicking his shutters. This approach introduced the value of documentary of photography to the Korean photography scene which was flooded with the current of aesthetics and fine art, and it was acclaimed to have captured the changing landscape of post-war Korean society. Of course, his everydaylife realism sought to offer insight into the essence that lies beyond mere documentary and factuality of photography.

 In particular, Limb wandered the streets of Myeongdong for 50 years from 1950 to his passing in 2001, capturing the lives of those who shared their breath with the neighborhood’s development. Myeongdong was in ruins after the War, but was soon recovered to be a cultural centre in Seoul in the 1960s where intellectuals and artists gathered. In the 70s, it was transformed into a centre of high fashion and modern trends, and then, again, turned into a financial district in the 80s and the 90s. Its transition reflects the trajectory of the modern history of Korea as a whole. He thought Myeongdong as being “home to every stratum of society from the lowest to the highest” and went to capture their lives nearly every day. Limb’s documentary of ‘Streets of Myeongdong’, and subsequently Seoul, is the very essence of his ‘everydaylife realism’.

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 The series, Traditional Architecture of Korea, came into being at the request of architect Kim Soo Geun, who founded the monthly arts and architecture magazine, Space. Limb contributed 14 times, from the November 1966 issue of Space, offering photographic representations of the traditional architecture of Korea. He introduced landmarks such as the Jongmyo Shrine, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Biwon (Secret Garden), Nakseonjae, and Haeinsa Temple, which eventually led to the five-volume photobook Traditional Architecture of Korea, co-published with architect Kim Won. Limb not only captured the traditional architecture but also cultural elements that were on the verge of extinction, such as jangseung (a traditional totem), folk items, and traditional dances.

Limb Eung Sik (林應植)  1912-2001

 Limb held his first solo exhibition Limb Eung Sik Retrospective in Seoul and Busan in 1972, and held a large-scale retrospective at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) in 1982. All 418 works that were exhibited at the MMCA are permanently collected at the museum. After he passed, MMCA honoured his devotion and legacy in 2012, celebrating the centennial of his birth. The exhibition revisited his life and his artistic world as well as his lifelong dedication to the advancement of Korean photography.

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 Limb is often credited as a photographer who began the ‘everydaylife realism’ movement, a pioneer who paved the way for Korean photography education, and finally as a central figure in the development of the Korean photography scene. From 1932 when he first entered the scene to 2001 when he left, every footstep shows how the road that he walked has led to the establishment of Korean photographic art that we know now.