Daiwon Lee is an exceptional figure in modern art scene of Korea. He does not just draw light, but rather, he dessin light. He uses the tissue of lines and dots from which his brush derives form and delineation with color. Trees are one of the recurrent objects of Daiwon Lee. Trees form an archetype of his system of formative language. His formative language grows organically and biologically like the tree grows with branches. That’s why his paintings become a sap of colored expressions, in other words a metaphor manipulating the Ki (energy) of the universe. The calligrapher of light expresses an enchanting elevation of drawing Ki. If the artist’s formative language develops into a mild, calm hue, it somehow ironically results in a conflagrated emotion. Such is the case of trees becoming a forest. It is the problem of a subtle mixture of blue and green, which offsets the reverberation of the luminescence of the yellow, red and orange.

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 The formative language of colored lines and dots is a Morse code, letting the artist draw the joy of life and convey it into a pictorial hymn. The trees that Daiwon Lee draws are a pure product of technique consisting points and lines, and belongs to the great tradition of Korean ink-and-wash drawing. He is very sensitive about the natural narrative of the Ki, which arises from the growing trees and blooming flowers.

 

  In such determinism we can find the intrinsic power of psychological pleasure in harmony with the great universe. This harmony is also a lesson of Confucius. The purpose of these paintings is to lead us to a peaceful world of physical and mental happiness, and that world embodies a profound understanding of the artist. And what makes this understanding even more complete is the fact that it overlooks the time needed for others to apply themselves to the organic pace of nature. He paints as we breathe, and he smiles as we smile when we look at the fascinating scene of a sunset. And his paintings retain the transparency of the light we look at. When we look at the work of Daiwon Lee, we feel as though we are standing on the scenery of his landscape painting. In the profound essence of the universe, which is a unique theme of his paintings, the pleasures of life are projected majestically. These doctrines have no borders, and that is a true notary of universal emotion.

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  이대원은 현대 한국 화단에서 출중하고 예외적인 인물이다. 이대원은 빛을 그린다기 보다는 오히려 빛을 데생한다. 그는 선과 점의 조직을 사용해서 그것으로부터 그의 붓은 색채를 가지고 형태의 윤곽을 그려낸다. 나무는 이대원이 즐겨 그리는 소재이다. 나무가 전체 조형언어 체계의 원형(Archetype)을 구성한다. 화가의 조형언어는 나무가 가지를 치며 성장할 때와 동일한 유기적이며 생물학적인 리듬과 같이 성장한다. 그렇기 때문에 그은 그림은 채색된 표현의 수액(樹液), 즉 우주의 기(氣)를 조작하는 은유(隱喩)가 된다. 빛의 서예가는 기를 그리는 매혹적인 고양(高揚)을 표현한다. 화가의 조형언어가 온화한 색조로 발전하면 그 결과는 이상하게 타오르는 불길 같은 양상을 띠게 된다. 나무들이 산이 되는 것이 그러한 경우인데 그것은 청색과 녹색의 미묘한 혼합의 문제로 이 혼합은 노란색과 빨간색과 오렌지색의 발광의 반향을 상쇠 하는 것이다.

   채색된 선과 점의 조형언어는 모스식 부호(Morse Code)로 끊임 삶의 즐거움을 회화적인 찬송가로 그리게 만든다. 이대원의 나무들은 점과 선으로 이루어진 속기법의 순수한 산물로 그것은 한국수묵화의 위대한 전통에 속하는 것이다.  성장해서 꽃이 피는 나무들과 풀들이 그려내는 기(氣)의 자연스러운 서술을 보는데 그는 대단히 민감하다고 말했다.

  우리는 이러한 결정론에서 위대한 우주의 조화를 안은 정신적인 즐거움의 내재적인 힘을 발견할 수 있다. 이러한 조화는 또한 공자(孔子)의 교훈이기도 하다. 이러한 그림의 목적은 우리들을 육체적인 그리고 정신적인 행복이라는 평화로운 세계로 인도하는 것이고 그 세계는 화가의 자인에 대한 심오한 이해를 구현한다. 그리고 이러한 이해를 더더욱 완전하게 만드는 것은 그것이 다른 사람들이 자연계의 유기적인 속도에 자신들을 적용시키는데 필요한 시간을 무시하기 때문이다. 그는 우리가 숨을 쉬듯이 그림을 그리고, 그는 우리가 황홀한 석양을 바라다보며 미소 짓듯이 미소를 짓는다. 그리고 그의 그림은 우리가 바라다보는 빛의 투명함을 간직하고 있다. 이대원의 작품을 보면 우리는 그의 풍경화의 정경 저 편에 있는 기분이다. 그의 그림의 독특한 테마인 우주의 심오한 본질 속에는 삶의 즐거움이 듬뿍 아름답게 투영되어 있다. 이러한 교훈에는 국경이 없으며 그것은 범우주적인 정서의 진솔한 공증(公證)이다.