Bringing classical aesthetics into a contemporary, East Asian context. Through their work, they seek to reconnect with the culture and background that they left behind, while asking questions about contemporary understandings of both form and technique.

Prior to completing an MFA at the New York Academy of Art, W. R. Lee pursued in-depth, comprehensive training in traditional figurative methods by completing the Core Program in Drawing and Painting at the Grand Central Atelier, with additional studies at the Art Students League of New York and the Florence Academy of Art.

Today, they are inspired by a number of both historical and contemporary influences, ranging all the way from Tiepolo and Titian, to Bouguereau and Regnault, to Van Gogh and Mancini, and to modern anime, the Superflat, and theDansaekhwa.