Kansong Art Museum Exhibits Choson Calligraphy Masters

Providing a rare chance to enjoy the treasures in its large collection, the Kansong Art Museum is showing the invaluable works of the ``Chusa'' school, an influential sect of Choson scholars.

Under the title ``Chusa and His School,'' 120 paintings and calligraphy works of Kim Chong-hui and 20 members of his school are on display till May 27 at the museum, which is situated in Songbuk-dong, northern Seoul.

Kim Chong-hui (1786-1856), whose penname was Chusa, was a highly respected scholar and also a forerunner and master of painting and calligraphy who lived during the latter part of the Choson Kingdom.

In the late 18th century, Sung Confucianism (the doctrines of Chu-tzu), the former core of Choson intellectual thought, slowly lost power. At this time, the ``Chingkyong period,'' the golden age of the Choson Kingdom, had also reached its pinnacle and was falling into decline, which brought about a new academic trend. ``Pukhak'' (Northern Learning), a school of thought influenced by the contemporary scholastic trends of Ching China, introduced ``kojunghak (°íÁõÇÐ)'' (a bibliographical study of Chinese classics), as a part of a social reform movement.

Amidst this setting, as a scholar of epigraphy (studies in ancient monumental inscriptions), Kim established his own innovative style of calligraphy _ the ``Chusa'' style _ by breaking away from the conservative and formalistic old techniques, yet incorporating the merits of past styles such as ornamental seal characters and the epigraphs (inscriptions on a stone monument) of China.

Credited for perfectly expressing the abstract and pictorial aspect of Chinese characters, the ``Chusa'' style brought a new revolution to Korean calligraphy. Scholars interested in paintings and calligraphy, as well as kojunghak, flocked to Kim to learn this new technique, including Shin Wi (1769-1845), Kwon Ton-in (1783-1859), Cho Hui-ryong (1789-1866) and Yi Ha- ung (better known as Hungson Taewongun) (1820-1898).

In an endeavor to express compactly the quintessence of an object, Kim boldly discarded all superfluous things, and used his brush sparingly in his paintings and calligraphy.

``Chusa's works are extremely abstract. He was interested in the distinctive qualities and the intrinsic nature of all creation. For instance, when writing the Chinese character signifying a pine tree, he would think of the original essence of the pine tree itself. It was the same when he was painting,'' said Choe Wan-soo, senior researcher of the museum, who has devoted the past 30 years of his life to preserving and researching the vast collection of the museum.

Following the logic that Chinese characters come from pictographs, which makes them equal to a drawing, Kim was a strong believer in the principle of ``Sohwapulpun'' (the integration of painting and calligraphy), and taught his pupils to draw paintings as if writing calligraphy, and vice versa. Though only one painting of Kim's is shown in the exhibition, this influence can be seen in the paintings of his colleagues and pupils.

Kim's works that are displayed include ``Hochonsochobal (Çãõ¼ÒÃʹß),'' an epilogue that he wrote for his friend Kwon Ton-in's book, and ``Chungchongramn,an (Áõû¶÷¶õ),'' an orchid painting done in India ink on a fan.

This exhibition is interesting in that viewers can not only see the superiority and individuality of Kim's work, but also perceive how Chusa influenced the other literati of the period and how his colleagues and pupils developed the Chusa style into their own unique styles.

For instance, Kim's painting of orchids is displayed alongside that of Regent Yi Ha-ung, who Kim regarded as the best painter of orchids during the Choson period, and Kim's calligraphy work is shown with that of Kwon Ton-in's.

The first private museum in Korea, the Kansong Art Museum is reputed to have a myriad of priceless national treasure-level artifacts, books and paintings in its collection. It is also known as having the biggest collection of Kim Chong-hui's work.

The founder of the prestigious museum was Chon Hyong-pil (1906-1962), who dedicated his life to collecting and protecting Korean cultural properties during the Japanese colonial period (1910-1945), salvaging many from the Japanese policy to eliminate or confiscate Korean cultural assets.

Led by Choe Wan-soo, the Center for the Study of Korean Arts, an institute where historians and art experts gather to preserve and do research on the countless invaluable objects stored in the museum, presents the fruit of its efforts through a biannual exhibition and ``Kansong Munhwa,'' a publication accompanying the exhibitions with reproductions and an essay on the research results.

The center's primary aim is to correct the wrong, distorted perceptions regarding the Choson Kingdom _ unwelcome remnants of the Japanese efforts to debase the Korean heritage during the colonial period _ by uncovering well-founded historical proof of the superiority and originality of the Choson culture.

Since 1971, the museum has held regular exhibitions twice a year _ once in the spring and once in the fall _ that always run for only two weeks. After 30 years, this is its 60th exhibition.

As the staggeringly large collection of the museum is usually inaccessible to the public, enthusiasts eagerly await these biannual exhibitions.

The last time Kim Chong-hui's works were exhibited at the museum was three decades ago _ in the spring and fall of 1972. For more information, call (02) 762-0442.

<The Korea Times>