Death of Sun I
- Artist: Kim Ku-lim
- Date: 1964
- Medium: Oil paint and plastic on plywood
- Dimensions: unconfirmed: 1070 x
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
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About this artwork
This is the “Death of Sun I” by Kim Ku‑lim. Created in 1964, just after the artist finished his military service in Korea, the work is a stark, almost monochrome canvas of oil paint and burnt plastic on plywood. Kim drew a simple circular form on the panel and laid a sheet of black vinyl over it. He doused the vinyl in petrol and set it alight, then extinguished the flame with a blanket, leaving charred fissures that mimic the texture of scorched earth. Once the smoke settled, he layered oil paint over the remnants, cementing the image of a sun gone dark.
The painting speaks directly to the artist’s experience in a military hospital, where he witnessed young men die amid shortages of medicine and care. The title “Death of Sun” underscores the abrupt, destructive force he felt in that environment, turning the act of creation into a performative act of destruction. It remains a powerful reminder of how art can turn personal trauma into a visual language that challenges viewers’ perceptions of life and death.
See it in person
Death of Sun I is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
