Tale of a Mad Painter

 In “Tale of a Mad Painter” (1935), Kim’s aestheticist tendencies are on full display. The protagonist Solgeo serves as an embodiment of the frequently expressed remark that “evil too can be a form of beauty.” Through him Kim explores an obsessive longing for the beautiful that is akin to madness. Solgeo is both the ugliest creature under the heavens and a painter of genius. His abnormal behavior and desperate final act to complete a work of art can be said to express Kim’s aestheticism.