A painting of a young woman with short brown hair wearing a blue robe.
© Miseon Lee. Photo, National Gallery of Ireland.

Miseon Lee

Blues, 2025.

Oil on linen | Unframed: 100 x 70 cm

Blues is a self-portrait that plays on the dual meaning of its title, both the cool palette and a quiet emotional state. The sitter, dressed in a blue cardigan over a warm floral dress, hints at a tension between outward expression and inward feeling. The work explores vulnerability, uncertainty, and contrast (or alignment) between colour and mood, suggesting that melancholy and vitality often exist side by side.’ - Miseon Lee.

After twenty years of creative silence and another twenty immersed in the addictive cycle of art, Miseon Lee has realised that she has been recording her life through painting. The title of Blues, a self-portrait, reflects not only the artist’s use of colour but also an emotional state. The dull grey background draws attention to the sitter and the process of self-reflection. Dressed in a vibrant floral dress under a blue cardigan, the sitter symbolises a contrast between outward vibrancy and inner melancholy. This work is the artist’s interpretation of identity, solitude, and the ongoing search for authenticity.

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