Lee Seung Jio (1941–1990) was a pioneering figure in postwar Korean geometric abstraction and a founding member of the avant-garde groups Origin (1962–) and AG (1969–1975). Amid Korea’s rapid modernization, Lee developed a distinctive visual language through his iconic Nucleus series—often referred to as his “pipe” paintings—where cylindrical forms dissolve the boundary between two-dimensional plane and three-dimensional space. Executed with flat brushes, masking tape, and sandpaper, his precise, rational compositions stood apart from the gestural energy of Korean Art Informel and the later material focus of Dansaekhwa, establishing him as a singular voice who translated industrial aesthetics into a rigorous painterly vocabulary.

In the 1970s, Lee deepened his investigation into perception and the act of painting itself. Moving away from the sharp, metallic density of his early cylinders, he adopted softer tonal gradations and diagonal arrangements that emphasized rhythm, subtlety, and sensation. His process—rooted in repetition, surface refinement, and the corporeality of painting—aligned conceptually with contemporaneous Dansaekhwa while remaining distinct in its unwavering focus on the “nucleus” as a condensed form of perception. During this period, his works reflected a phenomenological sensibility, presenting illusion not as representation but as an exploration of presence, rhythm, and spatial vibration.

Nucleus 74-07 (1974) exemplifies this shift toward restraint and perceptual subtlety. The canvas is filled edge to edge with precisely rendered tubular forms, tilted diagonally across the surface in rhythmic procession. Each cylinder is modeled with gradual tonal shading, creating the illusion of volume while dissolving into a shimmering optical field. Unlike the bold chromatic punctuations of his late 1960s works, here Lee employs a muted palette of silvery grays and whites, intensifying the meditative quality of the composition. The diagonal orientation departs from his earlier vertical and horizontal structures, heightening the sense of fluid movement and destabilizing the figure–ground relationship. With its disciplined repetition and refined surface, Nucleus 74-07 reveals Lee’s ability to transform industrial aesthetics into contemplative abstraction, situating perception itself as the subject of the work.