Monday, 4/7/97
Distinctly Ink
Fowler Museum’s newest exhibit, ‘The Fragrance of Ink: Korean
Literati Paintings of the Choson Dynasty,’ showcases the ancient
works that gave Korea its own artistic style.
By Kathleen Rhames
Daily Bruin Contributor
The delicate brush strokes of Korean Literati paintings often
promote thoughtful contemplation from viewers. It’s not hard to see
why, considering that the style has had 600 years to evolve.
UCLA’s Fowler Museum is proving that its latest exhibit, "The
Fragrance of Ink: Korean Literati Paintings of the Choson Dynasty,"
speaks a timeless truth that reveals some of the best things in
life improve with age.
On display through June 8 and organized by the Korea University
Museum, "The Fragrance of Ink" features 60 pieces selected from the
Choson Dynasty (1392-1910) which include ink paintings, hanging
scrolls, ornate fans and screens.
"The paintings are meant to inspire Confucian ideas as well as
to teach and promote those ideas to others," says exhibit curator
Kim Sang-Deok. "I brought the paintings here because I wanted
students and people in the community to see the Korean Literati
painting through Korean eyes."
However, the now distinctively Korean style started out in
China. The Literati painting was a means of self-cultivation and
relaxation among the educated elite, evolving into an early
expression of scholarly thoughts and ideals.
Such ideals were based on the ancient teachings of Confucius, a
Chinese philosopher who emphasized the fundamental good of people
and propounded a code of ethical conduct that he believed would
return the world to the peaceful order that had existed in the
past. Every scholar’s duty was to promote Confucian ideals and
integrate them into the grain of society.
"You’ll find that a lot of the paintings feature a scholar
sitting alone in a natural surrounding," says fourth-year
undergraduate and exhibit organizer Ellen Kim. "They would often
isolate themselves in nature so that they could meditate and then
they would portray what they had captured from that meditation in
their paintings."
The importance of meditation and solitude is evident in the
subject matter of each painting. Almost every work portrays a
peaceful nature setting in which animals, flowers and insects
interact harmoniously with humans. After 600 years, the Literati
paintings still manage to summon a very real spirituality that
justifies the beauty and the meaning of the exhibit’s title, "The
Fragrance of Ink."
"The work of these Literati painters is overwhelming to the
senses," Lee says. "It’s not just pleasing to the eye but to the
spirit. That is the fragrance. It’s not so much a physical concept
as much as it is mental. The viewer looks at the painting and feels
the overwhelming sense of spirituality that the painter felt."
But although the painters followed basic Literati techniques,
they also infiltrated their own style into their work, striving to
derive a purely Korean Literati style of painting. Korean painters
developed what they called the "True View" technique, in which they
created images of actual landscapes and landmarks. While the
Chinese tradition focused on generalized, idealized perceptions of
nature, this new method was unique to Korea.
One painting, titled "Diamond Mountains," is a specific mountain
ridge in Korea that depicts actual scenic spots. To give the piece
a sense of cultural originality, the painter used a variety of
textured brush strokes to highlight the image as well as special
ink made from burning a certain type of wood.
Korean artists also used elements of humor in their Literati
paintings to further distinguished their technique from the
traditional Chinese. One painting in particular, titled "Sage
Washing His Feet," features a serious and elderly scholar sitting
on the bank of a river. The man has just put his feet into the cold
water and is feeling the effects. His body is quivering and tense
and his head is turned away as if he is wincing from the sharpness
of the cold. The painter also added a note of humor because he gave
the man a sixth toe on one foot.
"This type of humor was not standard Western style," Lee
explains. "It may not seem funny to you or I now but it was funny
to people at that time because it portrayed this serious, grave
scholar flinching at the coldness of the water. The facial
expression and body language were humorously uncharacteristic of
scholars at the time, and so to people this seemed funny."
Lee adds that all of these different artistic twists eventually
helped to make what is today a distinct collection of Korean
Literati paintings. Not only has it given Korea its own Literati
history, but it has enriched Korean culture. Spreading this culture
is why Korea has chosen to bring its paintings to the United
States, in the hope that Americans will better appreciate their
native art.
"Sharing this with different people and making them understand
through these paintings is so rewarding," Lee says. "People should
learn about other cultures because it makes their own lives that
much more interesting and fulfilling."
ART: "The Fragrance of Ink: Korean Literati Paintings from the
Choson Dynasty" will be at the Fowler Museum through June 8.
Admission is $5 and $3 for seniors and non-UCLA students, $1 for
UCLA students and free to everyone on Thursdays. For more
information, call 825-4361.JAIME SCANLON-JACOBS
Curator Kim Sang-Deok (l.) and assistant curator Bae Sung-Hwan
at the exhibit.
JAIME SCANLON-JACOBS
"Sage Washing His Feet" at the Korean Literati paintings
exhibit.
JAIME SCANLON-JACOBS
"Valley of Cool Breezes," from "The Fragrance of Ink" exhibit at
the Fowler Museum.