Koreana Autumn 1987 (English)

A NOTE ABOUT KOREAN A

Around the middle of the fifth century when Europe was on the brink of the Dark Ages, Korea was enjoying its first renaissance. It was truly a "Golden Age" as evidenced by objets d'art excavated from ancient royal tombs-glittering gold crowns with treeor antler-like uprights from which gold spangles and comma-shaped jade pieces dangle and magnificent rings, bracelets, necklaces, belts and other masterpieces unlike anything found elsewhere.

Few outside Korea knew about this great wealth of art until hundreds of chefs-d'ouevre by Korea's early artisans, Buddhist statues, ceramics, paintings and other masterpieces representing 5,000 years of Korean art were shown in a travelling exhibition that toured eight major American cities from 1979 through 1981 and one that toured three European cities in 1984.

However, these masterpieces, along with all the other facets of Korean culture that have developed over five millenniums to become the essence of a unique civilization, should be considered the common wealth of all mankind.

To the contrary, however, the art and culture of Korea have long been overlooked in the West, even though the peninsular coumry was for centuries a cultural bridge between neighboring China and Japan whose art and culture have long been well known throughout the world. In fact, few are aware that Korea produced the world's first movable metal printing type some 200 years before Gutenberg's invention not to mention its many other contributions to world civilization.

The aim of this journal is to remedy this lack of understanding by being a bridge of sorts. In other words, it is an attempt to bring Korea up close for a better understanding of the little known aspects of its traditional culture as well as its contemporary character through in-depth articles by Korean and non-Korean writers, scholars and artists and roundups of current events and developments in Korea's art world. I hope that you will find KOREANA informative and enlightening.

Kim Seong-jin Publisher

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KOREANA Vol.1/No.1 KOREANA is published quarterly by INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL SOCIETY OF KOREA. 526, 5-ga, Namdaemunno, Chung-gu, Seoul 100, C.P.O. Box 2147, Seoul, Korea ·Telex: INCULKO K27738 Tel: 752-6170, 753-3463/7 KOREANA was registered as a quarterly magazine with the Ministry of Culture and Information, Republic of Korea, on August 8., 1987 Registration No. Ma-1033

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EVENT

PEOPLE

Successful Opener for the Seoul Olympiad of Art

THE LIFE, LOVE AND ART OF UNBO 54

By Lee Kyong-hee Photos by Yang Eun-hwan

PHOTO ESSAY

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By Kim Soo-nam

The Varied Traditions of Tano

FOLK CULTURE

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THE LIFE OF KOREANS IN OLD KOREA

HERITAGE

By Edward B. Adams

The Structure and Ornamentation of Yi Dynasty's Architecture

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By Evelyn McCune

Philosophies and Styles in Korean Art

By Kim Won-yong

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REVIEWS

SPOTLIGHT

ART/Posthumous Exhibitions Held for Three Painters

An Encounter Between the Avant-garde and the Traditional Nameless Flowers Falling in the Wind performed by the Free Theatre Group

By Choi Jung-ho

By Kim In-hwan

DANCE/Artists Explore Avenues for Popularizing Dance

By Chung Hi-chang

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DRAMA/Dramas That Challenge Religion

DIALOGUE

By Han Sang-chul

I WOULD LOVE TO PLAY YANGSANDO ON THE VIOLIN

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A Conversation between Hwang Byungki and Chung Kyung-wha

ART NEWS

CIRCULATION Overseas : TEL 752-6170, 752-3463, 753-3464 C.P.0. Box 2147, Seoul, Korea Domestic : 274-5443, 269-2209 C .P.O. Box 7852, Seoul, Korea U.S. DISTRIBUTION OFFICE The Korea Herald Inc., 150 West 51st St. Suite 1426, New York, N.Y . 10019 Tel: (212) 582-5205/6 TYPESETTING: World Compugraphic PRINTING: Samsung Moonwha Printing Co. C.P.0 . Box 4323 Seoul, Korea Price per copy: US$3. 75 (3,000 won)

EVENT

Successful Opener for the Seoul Olympiad of Art

By Lee Kyong-hee Photos by Yang Eun-hwan

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nder the blazing sun of Seoul in mid-summer, 17 renowned sculptors from various countries around the world sweated for 45 days to turn the Olympic Park, located on the southeastern outskirts of the host city of the 1988 Olympic Games, into a rare showcase of modern sculptural art.

The organizers of the First International Open-air Sculpture Symposium, which was undoubtedly the most expensive single art program ever launched in Korea, refrained from offering a theme, but most artists carved out pieces symbolic of mankind's everlasting aspiration for peace and harmony as embodied in the Olympic spirit.

The opening event of the Seoul Olympiad of Art, geared to the 24th Olympic Games scheduled for Seoul next September, raised its curtain in a gala ceremony held on the everiing of July 3. In attendance were a large group of celebrities including leaders of the Korean arts community and highranking officials of the Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee (SLOOC) which sponsored the 9

billion-won (US$10 million) preOlympic arts extravaganza. Also on hand were the five international members of the symposium's steering committee who were responsible for selecting the foreign artists to participate in the carving exposition.

The 17 artists, representing 16 countries including eight Communistbloc nations, worked with materials

provided by the organizing committee, including Korea's natural stones, granite, concrete and some objets trouve. All of the creations, which were finished by August 20, were donated to the Olympic Park for permanent display outdoors. Considering the monumental nature of the project, the sponsoring committee had requested that all works be of considerable size, preferably standing from 5 to 12 meters.

The entire sculpting process was open to the public, providing a rare opportunity for art lovers to be able to observe firsthand artists from various countries working with similar materials. The Olympic Park, where some of Korea's oldest historic sites stand side by side with modern sporting facilities, is expected to gain further artistic glamor when a second sculpture symposium is held during March and April of next year. At that time, another group of internationally acclaimed artists will work under similar conditions, but using different materials such as cast metals, iron, glass and synthetic fibers.

legend of Form Sime Vulas,JYugoslavia).

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Organizers of the Seoul Olympiad of Art warn art lovers, however, against being hastily satisfied with these two outdoor carving expositions. They say the park will be transformed into a veritable sanctuary of world modern sculpture when the International Open-air Sculpture Exhibition opens on August 15 next year with an additional display of 165 works by leading sculptors from 81 member nations of the International Olympic Committee. The exhibition will continue through the duration of the Seoul Games.

At the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Kwach'on, a satellite town south of the capital city, an international painting exhibition of similar dimension and scale will be held during the same period.

The Art Olympiad represents the efforts of the Seoul Games organizers to make the international athletic event a genuine festival of mankind's ability to transcend the barriers of ideology and culture. In a speech delivered at the opening ceremony for the sculpture symposium, SLOOC

Shim Moon-seup (Korea)

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president Park Seh-jik said: "We intend to make the Seoul Games an Olympiad of culture in which sports, arts and sciences are integrated. By doing so, we hope we can more successfully translate the spirit of the Games into action and elevate it to higher dimensions. "

Zenith Josef Jankovic (Czechoslovakia)

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Gerard Xuriguera, one of the foreign members of the Sculpture Symposium steering committee, said: "We placed importance on two things. First, we considered the international reputations of the artists. At the same time ... whether they were young enough and strong enough to handle heavy materials and carving equipment."

Mohand Amara from Algeria works on a model for his sculpture.

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A primary concern of the symposium's 23-member steering committee was to counter the popular presumption that the Art Olympiad might end as a superfluous show of figures and be a disappointment to those who are interested in the artistic quality of the works rather than a ceremonial pomposity of events. "We understood that the symposium was drawing attention from international art communities and that there were concerns both in terms of participation as well as the artistic standards of the works to be produced," said art critic Lee Il, a member of the committee. "We did our best to" make the artistic standard of the event one 'that would match its ambitious scale."

Gerard Xuriguera, a French art critic who was one of the foreign members of the steering committee, admitted that the committee faced difficulties in choosing artists to participate in the symposium which was seemingly aimed at producing sculptural pieces of impressive size out of heavy materials.

"We placed importance on two things. First, we considered the international reputations of the artists. At the same time, we also had to decide whether they were young enough and strong enough to handle heavy materials and carving equipment. " The names of the artists, their nationalities, and the materials they used are: Mohand Amara, 35, Algeria, granite; Kroum Damianov, 50, Bulgaria, granite; Augustin Cardenas, 60, Cuba, granite; Josef Jankovic, 50, Czechoslovakia, concrete and granite; Anelixis Diohandi, 42, Greece, natural stone; Gyorgy Jovanovics, 48, Hungary, concrete and granite; Dani Karavan, 57, Israel, concrete and granite; Mauro Staccioli, 50, Italy, concrete; Park Suk-won, 46, Korea, granite; Shim Moon-seup, 45, Korea, granite; Mark Brusse, 50, Netherlands, concrete; Alberto Guzman, 60, Peru, granite; Alexandru C. Arghira, 52, Rumania, natural stone; Alexander Rukavishinikov, 37, Soviet Union, granite; Jose M. Subirachs, 60, Spain, concrete; Erik Dietman, 50, Sweden, concrete; and Sime Vulas, 55, Yugoslavia, granite. +

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Birth Since ancient times the Korean ..;, people have always believed that the highest f0rm of filial lliety was to bear a son who could carry on the family's ancestral lineage. , Therefore, Korean women, having always had the deep desire to bear . sons, !:!ave kept the early traditions of honoring the samshin (three sp,irits) which gove1.n childbirth.

'Bhe custom of secretly wearing a miniature hatchet by a childless woman was· interpreted as an expressiop of ~ r desire to bear a .../ male child. ~

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Iron Axes A childless woman carried a small iron axe with her in the belief that she would then give birth to a son; With past ,roots in shamanism, this object served as a talisman rather than as an ornament.(Width 3.6-6.7cml

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Infancy The child's education traditionally began while the baby was in the mother's womb. ¡Koreans believe that what the pregnant mother thinks and how she behaves has a direct bearing on the child's fortune.

A newborn baby is kept in a baby jacket through the anniversaries of the Three Seven Days, First Hundred Days and up to the First Birthday. This First Birthday Anniversary is celebrated with an ~

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Shirt for a Newborn This is the first garment for every infant. It is made from soft white cotton. The mother or grandmother generally. makes the shirt, J..hich has seven long strings that wrap around the baby's chest, symbolizing long life, The long sleeves cover the baby's hands. After one week, one hand is exposed, and on the second week, both hands are placed outsid.e the sleeves. (Sleeve Length 78.5cm, Back 28.5cm)

exciting feast for the entire family , relatives and close friends.

The baby, now clad in First Anniversary clothing, is blessed and his future is foretold according to what he first reaches for among the items displayed on the birthday table. These items co"uld consist of a bowl of uncooked rice, a brush, or a bow and arrow' which are symbols of the rich man, scholar and soldier. If a spool of thread or noodles is reached for, the child will certainly be guaranteed a long life.

Round Dining Table A table such as this is used on a child's first birthday. Symbolic items such as a hank of yarn, money, a book or a writing brush are placed on the table for the baby to choose from. This is a method of predicting the child's futute fortune.

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In general the young child receives very little strict discipline and the child's education begins in a warm loving environment until about the age of five. The child is taught cleanliness and the importance of the family seniority system. Language training places great emphasis on proper use of honorifics for seniors and the courtesies of addressing elders.

Education Education for the ¡. boys was naturally quite different than for the girls.

Greater care was taken with the boys as they would carry on the' family tradition. The boy was sent to a sodang, (a private village school) , where classical Chinese w~ taught. Here he began the preparation to become a Confucian scholar. The students also learned about nature and built up their physical strength by exercising or doing manual work.

Education for girls, on the other hand, was provided by their mothers. and grandmotherd at home.

Here they learned their duties in the domestic arts of cooking, sewing

... I Kites

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On the last day of the kite-flying season, "good luck" and " bad luck" are written -on separate kites.

Both kites are flown in the air, then the string of the "bad luck" kite is cut in the hope of chasing away the bad luck and welcoming the good.

and cleaning and in general, preparing to be a future wife and mother. Boys and girls were separated at an early age. Young girls of aristocratic families were not permitted on the streets and spent' their entire lives, until marriage, behind the walls of the family courtyard. ( '

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Reaching Maturity At about the age of fifteen a ceremony, called kwallye, was held for the "coming of age" of a child.

After the rite .,the young adolescent was accorded the treatment of an adult. The underlying re~ons of such customs were to ease the psychological discomforts caused by the physical changes of the adolescent.

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would celebrate together this In the case of a young boy, "coming of age" event and the his plait of braided hair hanging most outstanding youths were chosen down his back would be tied up for important government positions. iÂľto a topknot, called sangt'u, over The hwarang movement during which a horsehair hat would be Shilla (57 B.C.-A:D. 935), which placed. A -girl would have her long provided the driving leadership hair made into a large knot, called force behind the/" unification of nangja , at the nape of the neck.

This knot would be held by a large Shilla was also a group of such ornamental hairpin. young men. It is believed that tpis "puberty rite" began during the In the dista9t past a group of young people of the same age . Three Kingcdoms periop.

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Marriage In earlier days marriages were binding contracts made between families, rather than by the young people concerned. Especially during the Choson Kingdom (1392-1910) period, when strict Confucian codes of conduct separated the boys from the girls at the age of seven, most marriages were arranged by the_parents or marriage broker.

After the two families exchanged letters called saj1:1danja and yongil, · the bridegroom went to the bride's home for the marriage ceremony.

The sajudanja is a letter prepared by a fortuneteller giving the four auspicious aspects (year, month, day and hour) 0f the bridegroom's birth called the Four Pillars. This letter was regarded as an official proposal. After this letter was received at the bride's home, a letter of reply called yoHgil was returned in which the official date of the marriage was set and agreed upon by both families according to the lunar calendar. .It is ~interesting to note that this

Crown, Chokturi The bride would wear this type of headpiece called a chokturi on her wedding day along with other bridal attire. It was also worn by women of the yangban (aristocrat) class and the royal household on ceremonial occasions. (Height 4cm, Diameter 9.5cm.

String Length 50cm)

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was an entirely different custom from that in Japan and China, where the bride would go to the house of the groom for the official marriage cerelllony.

The actual marriage ceremony in Korea was an interesting custom and should be presented in more detail, though now in modern Korea most marriage ceremonies are westernized. On the day of the wedding the groom would travel to the bride's home on horseback, accompanied by immediate family members and a gift box for the bride hopefully carried by a relative who had fathered a first born male child.

In addition to gifts of silk and items symbolic of fertility, good fortune and long life, the trousseau gift box, wrapped in gorgeous cloth, would, usually contain a letter of matrimonial affirmation. The delivery could take place on the eve of the wedding or on the same day. The bfide's mother would receive it and, taking it to the women's quarters, would open and appraise the contents.

Often at this same time the bridegroom would also present a goose (symbol of faithfulness) to the bride's house. •This custom later developed into the wedding ducks called kirogi. Placing the goose before the bride's mother, the groom took an oath to be faithful to one mate throughout his lif~.

The mother offered the kirogi some noodles ·which symbolized long life and her approval for the marriage. The groom might take the goose home or keep it during the ceremony. "Feeding noodles to the goose" became an expression for "marriage." When asking a family when they are going to have them over for noodles -was really asking when their daughter: was going to marry.

The actual wedding ceremony would be held in the courtyard of the bride's home. Straw mats would be placed on the-ground. On a _ table would be placed two candles and two vases with a pine and bamboo arrangement. Dishes of chestnuts, jujubes and dried persimmons were also placed on the table. A trussed up hen and cock would also be in evidence.

When the groom entered, an attendant would also bring in a wooden duck to which the groom bowed in respect. The major ritual of the marriage ceremony was when the bride and groom bowed to each other and drank some . rice wine three times. The couple would often attach their wrists with blue and red thread symbolizing the and yang while wine cups were passed to each other.

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Honeymoon After the traditional ceremony the bride and groom retired to a room and the bride would remove her wedding coronet, showing her full face to the groom for the first time. The room for the first night usually had a folding _screen which was helpful for the couple, as customarily the wedding couple were spied upon through holes made in the paper windows by ·inquisitive friends and relatives.

It is a superstitious belief that ·on the wedding night if the candles were blown out with the mouth, one's good fortune would disappear as the breath of air. Therefore, the couple would have to extinguish the lights with chopsticks or pinching the wick. The groom would usually stay at the bride's home for two to three days (in some cases almost a year) and the'n the couple would come to the groom s home. This parade is called shinbaeng with the groom riding a horse and the bride carried in a palanquin.

Bride's New Home Upon the bride's arrival at her new home, the p'yebaek .seremony was held to present her first greetings (or prostration) to hernew family , as well as to offer gifts and food that she had brought from her house for the in-laws and relatives. Her parents-in-law after receiving her bow, threw chestnuts and jujubes into her skirt, as a wish for her to bring forth many sons.

With this final ce~emony, she was formally accepted into her . new family and started her married 1

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life. She would not return to her parents' home until the birth of her first child. Though the traditional marriage procedures were long and complex, it is now ·rarely followed in modern Korea, but certain elements are still preserved.

Professions During the Choson Kingdom the four most common professions were that of a scholar, farmer, artisan and tradesman. However, \1\-'.ith the strong influence ' of Confucianism, people generally preferred to become scholars rather than engage in a produe?tive profession.

Therefore, Korea never really developed a strong industry and all manufacturing work was accomplished by the family or within limited scope of Sll}all businesses or trade. Such concepts are still reflected i'n today's attitudes toward successful professions, as people still prefer office work to a tecl]nical profession.

Spinning Wheel

as a memorial service for a living person and even now much of the food is the same for a traditional memorial ceremony for a deceased ancestor.

In rare cases a second marriage ceremony with both husband and wife would be conducted after the age of sixty to represent this second zodiac cycle that was beginning again after one full life.

procedures. This period of time consisted of three aspects or phases.

The first ceremonial phase, called ch'ohon, was when the first son calls his parent's name three times while waving a coat worn by the deceased when he or she was alive.

The second ceremonial rite, called sangshik, was accomplished by offering hot meals to the spirit of the deceased three times a day.

The third and last phase, called t'alsang, was whe11( the family members shed their mourning clothes and prepared to · return to normal.life.

The burial site was usually chosen according togeomantic principles.

This geomantic theory originated in China where it was applied in the selection of land for the site of a home.

During the Shilla -Kingdo19 temple sites_ were also selected by · . . geomancers and the ' geomantic sciences were formally ~ systematized by T0son Taesa , an influential monk of the , late Shilla period.

The spinning wheel was used to make thread from ginned cotton.

The ginned cotton was made into a long roll from which thread was spun.

(Length 116cm, Width 70cm, Late Choson Kingdom)

Old Age

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It has also been an age-old Korean custom to celebrate the Sixtieth Birthday Anniversary with a large banquet. In appreciation and gratitude for the long life of their parents, the ehildren would prepare a feast with all of their friends and the .feast table would be stacked high with colorful foods and fruits. Unlike in the West, where elderly couples would celebrate their own silver and golden wedding anniversaries, the Korean elders were expected to accept this festive party that was prepared by their childr!c!n, In ancient days 1t was rare for a person to survive until his sixtieth birthday so they counted the years after as those of a second life.

Therefore, the ceremonial rite of the hwan-gap used to be regarded 20

Funerals The funeral rites were designed to help people overcome the fear of those who were present at the deathbed and also help them recover from the sudden changes caused by death. Historically the Korean people believed that the death of a parent was due to the lack of filial piety' and therefore, ' the offspring would commemorate the death with an elaborate funeral ceremony. ·At the funeral service the relatives and neighbors would wear appropriate mourning clothes of hemp and offer funeral contributions according to their close r,elationships formerly enjoyed with the deceased.

The mourning period was observed for hree lunar years in accordance with strict Confucian

Burials

The ·succeeding - ,.k Koryo· Kingdom government _. recommended using geomantic 1 / theories in the site selection for official buildings as well as-temples.

By ,the mid-Choson Kingdom the procedure in selecting I an auspicious burial site .became closely associated with the filial responsibility of offspring and local go~ernment officiajslwould often find themselves embroiled / over family , ~arrels concerning / tomb site selections.

Government officials -often spent important portions of their office "' hours trying to mediate such problems. Even today there are r trained geomancers who are ,,. consulted by Korean families who are looking for an auspicious burial ..... s1'te. ,....

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soul of the deceased continues to live with them and will bless their posterity through the chesa (honoring ancestors) ceremony. For the Korean, life and death are not two different worlds cut off from one another, but two regions linked together by one ancestral lifeline.

Such aspects regarding life and death have led the Korean people to honor and respect their ancestors. Thus, the highest form of filial piety was thought to be the continuation of the family lineage. This Confucian tradition is ' still deeply rooted in the attitudes of the Korean people, who will consult a geomancer when choosing a grave site for their parents.

Every culture has its own ideas abput the dead which have formed the nature of their religious ceremonies. In Korea these rites are based on the belief and assumption that the dead can bring harm to the living but also can continue to care for anq protect their offspring as much as when !hey were alive.

Ancestral Ceremonies In Korea ancestral ceremonies seem to have evolved under Chinese influence during the late 14th century due to strong Confucian concepts. However, certain rites for the dead continue to be shamanistic in nature and date to a pre-Three Kingdoms era.

There are three different types of ancestral honoring ceremonies. The ¡ first type is the memorial ceremonial service held on the anniversary of a death. This service is held at night for the ancestors _of four preceding generations. The second type is called ch'arye. This is when special recognition is given to the ancestors on the morning of a special holiday, such as New Year's 'Day and Ch'usok Day. The third type, called shije, is a ceremopy offered at the ancestral tombs.

Chestnut wood or paper was traditionally used for the ancestral tablets seen in the first two rites.

On these tablets are inscribed the names of both the male ancestor

and spouse. These tablets, to include four generations, were kept in the home shrine and then moved to be buried in front of the grave. Ancestors who have rendered outstanding service to the country and recognized by the king were offered ancestral rites perpetually.

The order of the rites which usually began with the burning of incense, would include a period of vigil and communion with the spirits. Food and wine was prepared and offered. Though these ceremonies differ from family to family and from region to region, in alt of them, however, the order was important and the arrangement on the offering table was also critical.

This preoccupation with the many ceremonies to honor ancestor~ year after year sometimes aroused cliquish dan feelings within a community. However, it also provided occasions for people to reminisce apout the noteworthy contributions of the deceased and developed family pride. Sometimes the sense of dpty and preoccupation with ritual form would mar the true spirit of veneration and loyalty.

The greatest ambition of Koreans during the Choson Kingdom was to have sons who could carry on the ancestral obligations and also pass the state examination for a prominent government position.

These ambitions were often depicted in folk paintings called p'yongsaengdo, which can be literally translated into "a painting of one's whole life."

In the earliest p'yongsaengdo paintings, a particular event in an However, during the late Choson period, the art composition became more stereotyped. Usually the event sequences were the scenes-of the." first birthday, marriage ceremony, passing of the state exam, appointment to an official position, sixtieth birthday and occasionally the sixtieth wedding anniversary on.. marriage for the second cycle of married life. +

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Art and Art History an defines art as what is expressive of his experiences, sensations and mental images, such as painting, literature, dance and acting. The basic factor of art is communication of emotions and, in this connection, Jerome Stolnitz states that when an artist's feeling is transferred to a viewer or listener it becomes art. (l) ·

Philosophies and Styles •

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In a painting, an artist materializes his sensations in a unified manner by means of line, color and form. His actual work depends on his imagination and the result of his work must be endowed with formal harmony.

A work of art is a new, independc ent work of unity. It is something that is created. In other words, a thing becomes a work of art only when it is created by man. A landscape, however beautiful, is not a work of art. Similarly, ink splashed on the wall or a dog's paw marks on a piece of paper cannot become a work of art.

We respect an artist for his creative power. Hegel asserts that the creation of beauty in art is made possible only by an inspiration. (2)

Korean Art

By Kim Won-yong 24

A work of art, however individualistic, retains something of the social and cultural background in which it is made. Art cannot be maintained or supported by a few artists totally separated from the society to which they.belong. Art, therefore, is inseparable from the society to which the artists belong, and, accordingly, is inseparable from geographic condition, a common tendency and a style.

It pulsates within this social framework. (3)

The essential quality of art is beauty; art does not exist ~ithout beauty.

Then what is beauty? In short, beauty is something pleasant to hear and look at. George Santayana defines beauty as pleasure and contends that a thing cannot be beautiful if it does not give us a feeling of pleasure. (4) Where does this sense of pleasure derive from ? Herbert Read claims that "the sense of pleasurable relations is the sense of beauty; the opposite sense is the sense of ugliness. »(5) He states that beauty is ·a unity or harmony of formal relations among our senseperceptions. As Santayana says, therefore, beauty is not a perceived fact but a value, sensation or emotion.

Beauty is a sensation based on a harmonized unity or unified harmony. Then why does harmony give us a pleasurable feeling?

I consider that man's favorable response to harmony is rooted in his instinct for preservation of life. (B) Woman's body is soft an~ curvilinear. God made woman for man to feel beauty and sexual desire. A female bird is often seduced by the flamboyant colors of a male bird's feathers, and flowers exude fragrance to attraet bees and butterflies. Such fragrance and brilliant colors give us pleasurable feelings. Being more sophisticated, man feels from the softness and curvilinear beauty of woman's· body a sense of peace, beauty and vitality. What is soft and curvilinear does not do harm to man.

Man bleeds when something sharp pricks his body, but something soft and curvilinear gives a peaceful feeling and it is therefore pleasurable.

Man sees innumerable composite units. Of all things, however, man seems to feel the most beautiful unified harmony or harmonized unity in the sense of peace and equilibrium that woman's body possesses.

Any form of beauty man perceives is a harmonized unity that does not threaten life, a peaceful and realistic unity that evokes affection. After all, affection is a physical desire, a form of biological instinct.

Man also sets esthetic standards in natural,environmen.ts. Children, for

instance, find flowers beautifl, and adults enjoy viewing landscape paint, ings. F. Silbey was right when he said that adjective terms of beauty cannot be made understand without a background of nature. (7) Beauty, in conclusion, is a sensation empirically developed through natural phenomena ¡ related to man's life.

Artist and Artisan

A Neolithic earthenware pot. Styles of naturalism and idealism tend to alternate with each other throughout history.

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Although all men possess an instinctive esthetic sense, they do not feel it to the same degree.

The qualities of esthetic sense vary according to each individual, each locality and each race. They can be nurtured by education or under the influence of individuals. The refined esthetic sense may be called taste. The development of taste results in the birth of a sophisticated cultural class, a class in pursuit of beauty. Cultured men of this class reflect their esthetic tastes in their clothings and living space. Their lifestyle may be defined as mot, a Korean word for refined taste. Men of this class are art patrons that constitute a driving force for artistic activities. Paris and New York exist as art centers or artists' Meccas because the populations of these cities are dominated by such cultured individuals and groups. Schapiro calls this class "rentier.(B) But these people do not create art, for a work of art cannot be produced by esthetic sense alone. An expression of sensation requires methods and techniques that can be developed through training.

One can teach or learn how to do, but one can never teach or learn how to create. It is for this reason that Hegel said only those with inborn gifts alone can create a work of art. Here lies the difference between an artist and an artisan or craftsman. An artist is able to create a work of art independently. He knows what and how to create it.

Meanwhile , an artisan makes reproductions within an established framework of norms. There is a difference between a painter of art and a painter of signboards, as there is a difference between a sculptor and a stone cutter.

Style and Form Fine art is a genre of art. It is a visual art. It is an artist's expression of his imagination in line, color and form, and as long as it is a work of art . it must contain beauty.

Architecture, painting and sculpture are classified as major arts and pottery, metal crafts, textile-dyeing, and other crafts are classified as minor arts.

When an artist creates a work, it has some individual characteristics in terms of material and technique. A certain painter, for instance, favors pointed mountain peaks on yellow paper and this conspicuous tendency in the way of expression is called a style. Style is of a technical nature and differs from form which is of a common nature. Form can be a result of a style, and it is possible that there is "a painting of Picasso form rendered in a Picasso style. " Generally speaking, however, form is closely related to shape.

Naturalism and Idealism Artists work hard in pursuit of their individualistic styles. However individualistic in appearance, their styles derive consciously or unconsciously from social conditions and cultural traditions to which they belong. If a style of totally heterogeneous character is created, therefore, it does not remain in existence if society does not accept it.

So there are different styles, such as regional, racial, periodic or universal styles. Broadly speaking, styles of naturalism and idealism tend to alternate with each other throughout history.

Let me point out in this context the naturalism of the Paleolithic Age, the idealism that prevailed between the Neolithic Age and the Ircin Age, the naturalism of the classical period, the idealism of the Middle Ages, the naturalism of the Renaissance period, and the idealism of the 20th century.

The repetition of these two basic styles can be traced in Asia as well; the idealism that prevailed through the Yin, Zhou and Han dynasties, the naturalism of the Sui and T'ang dynasties in China, the idealism of the Arabic world, the naturalism of India, the idealism of Japan and the na-

turalism of Korea.

An artist of naturalistic style adopts and develops a naturalistic pattern in shape, composition and effect. His standard of beauty is based on Nature.

Therefore his style becomes realistic rather than abstract. Outstanding examples of this style are Roman figure sculptures, sculptures of the Sokkuram Grotto Temple in Ky6ngju, and landscape paintings of the Northern Sung Dynasty.

A reproduction of a natural scene, however, is not a work of art if it is devoid of an artist's subjective feeling.

Contrary to a naturalist, an artist of idealism perceives objects with his subjective feelings and materializes images, forms and compositions as he sees and feels. He rejects the established values of composition and even tends to express almost insane fantasies, such as those of abstractionism, cubism or surrealism. lie chooses his objects freely, sometimes deforms them, conventionalizes them or schematizes them. Sometimes he expresses his sensations with signs, forms, and geometric patterns.

Character of Art History

Sokkuram Grotto Temple in Kyongju.

What does the science of art history aim at? Art history is a science that deals with art works of individuals, regions, races and mankind. It is to discover styles and schools,anddetermine periods to which they belong. It deals with origins, developments, degenerations, and relations of various arts as well as historical significances.

A student of art history must analyze esthetic qualities of an art work and the artist's philosophical background as well. Art history is not to do with criticism or appreciation of art. It is a mistake to confuse art history with an act of praise of the art of an individual or a country.

A study of art history of a country may require a study of the history of a specific people. But one must deal with art history with sound theories and methods used in the study of art history. If specific historical prejudices and views are involved in the study of art history, it fails to become an objective art history and may be disqualified as a history of art. In this 27

sense we should warn ourselves against a chauvinistic prejudice and exaggeration in the study of our own art lest it should eventually hurt ourselves.

Art History and Archaeology There is a problem arising from the relation between art history and archaeology. Materials and data for the study of these two sciences are partially overlapped, and they are often called collectively "art and archaeology."

In some situations, a student is not certain whether he is a student of archaeology or a student of art history.

But these two sciences must be clearly distinguished in terms of purposes and methods of study. While an art historian's objects are only artists and .their works, an archaeologist's sources of study cover a greater scope such as all the natural remains, dwellings and their environments related to man's activities as well as art objects and other relics produced and used by men. In short, art objects are only a small portion of materials dealt with in archaeology. Archaeology is made up of prehistoric archaeology and historic archaeology. Prehistoric archaeology, according to the school of contemporary archaeology, is aimed at restoring and discovering the history of culture, lifestyle of past men and laws of cultural change. (9) When an archaeologist finds it necessary to study an art object in the process of his archaeological study, he must apprehend it only as part of man's cultural activities. He must rely on an art historian as regards the historical understanding of the art object itself.

Characteristics of Korean Art nyone who has some knowledge of Asian art can easily discern Korean art from Japanese or Chinese art.

But it is not easy to explain the difference in concrete terms point by point.

In his recent research, Prof. D. Seckel defines "Koreaness" by detecting: 1. The decomposition of formcomplexes into small elements like a mosaic work.

2. Flat in volume and graphically

l

Detail of the Divine Bell for King Scingdcik of the Unified Shilla Kingdom (8th century) showing a heavenly maiden with floral and flame motifs in relief. The bell is popularly called the Emilie Bell.

28

linear in surface design.

Nevertheless, the underlying characteristics of Korean art, he concludes, are vitality, spontaneity and unconcern for technical perfection (nonchalance). (IO) Seckel finds the first tendency, i.e. the breaking up of designs in a mosaic manner, in details of punchong (mishima)vesselsand alacquer box whereas he detects the second tendency in the decoration of bronze bells, citing a bell dating from the Koryo Kingdom (918-1392). In the case of the latter, the ornamentation tends to become linedrawing, compared with the preceding Shilla period in which bells were ornamented with flying heavenly maidens and arabesque patterns in relief with sculptural effects.

Korean Neolithic pottery is decorated with geometric patterns. Since it is not a painted pottery, such incised geometric patterns could be the only way of decoration. The same sort of linear geometric ornamentation continues on bronze objects of the ensuing Bronze Age. This abstract tendency is a style derived from the north, and the prehistoric tradition repeatedly reappeared in Korean art when the academic style of naturalism weakened.

Impressed lattice patterns were applied on Kimhae pottery for some time under a Chinese influence, but this type of pottery was replaced soon by the undecorated Shilla pottery.

Linear designs were temporarily in fashion in Shilla pottery during the early Three Kingdoms period in the fifth century, but the pottery of other areas in Kyongsang province and those of Koguryo and Paekche were devoid of any decoration. Entering the sixth century, Shilla pottery returns to the traditional plain pottery. The urns made in the Kyongju area during the Unified Shilla period (668-918) were decorated with stamped designs under a new influence of the art of T'ang China and ¡Persia. But this style of crowded decoration was applied exclusively on urns, and other stoneware vessels remained free from any decoration.

Koryo celadon vessels were often decorated with realistic designs of flowers and grass. They were also inlaid with pictorial designs. We find an obvious deterioration¡ in inlay techniques apd qualities of celadon glaze

in the vessels made in the period from the end of the Koryo Kingdom through the beginning of the Choson Kingdom. A method of decorating the whole surface with repeated designs was adopted in the late Koryo period, apparently for the economy of labor as well as a means of concealing the poor-colored background. The repetition method was not used in the blue and white ware of the Choson period, and persistent in the porcelain of the Choson period was a return to the rejection of decoration and love of empty space. This tendency is not of a temporary nature but a consistent one prevailing .in Korean art.

The second characteristic of Korean art noted by Prof. Seckel is a tendency of depicting a solid object in a flat plane. This is, however, a basic approach in all Asian art. In Asian art, there is a tendency to avoid nudity. An artist prefers a man's figure with his clothes on. Sometimes a dress is more emphasized than the body.

The drapery of a Buddhist image, for instance., covers the entire body. It generally falls in a soft line and spreads out in elegant folds , creating a decorative linear effect. ¡This linear tradition (ll) never died in the Buddhist sculpture of China even when nudity was rendered under an influence of Indian sculpture during the so-called Second Phase.

A similar interest in nudity is also reflected in Korea, for instance., in the gilt-bronze Maitreya of the early seventh century in the National Museum, and in the eighth century images in the Sokkuram Cave Temple. But the flat rendering and linear representation persist as are demonstrated in the drapery folds.

This linear tradition in Chinese and Korean art may have different backgrounds, but the tendency of flat representation can be termed as a basic tradition common to the art of East Asia. Details of my observation in this aspect may conflict with Seckel's, but I hold no opposing views against his assertion that Korean art as a whole is characterized by vitality, spontaneity and unconcern for technical perfection. This characterization of Korean art is valid, but remains still vague. More analytical studies from a new angle are required to support the theory.

In fact, a similar characterization 30

of Korean art was already made over a period of decades by other specialists, though there are slight variations according to each individual. Let us consider now the observations by other specialists.

Savory Taste Muneyoshi Yanagi, an enthusiastic Japanese connoisseur of Korean art, has most passionately insisted on spontaneity as the main characteristic of Korean art. In his book titled Chosen to Sano Geijutsu (Korea and her Art) published in 1922, he observes tht the beauty of Choson pottery is a beauty that antecedes a concept of what is beautiful or ugly. "It (the beauty) is not made by man but endowed by nature," he contends. "It is born as a result of Korean potters' complete trust in nature., of their freedom from a worldly ambition for human perfection:' After all, this nonchalance that Yanagi sees as a virtue seems to accord with what Seckel means by spontaneity. Yanagi's esthetic concept of Korean art and crafts revealed in the book represents the esthetic views of ancient Japanese tea masters who adopted crude-looking Choson vessels as their finest tea bowls. This feeling is shared not only by the Japanese but by everybody today. Ko Yu-sop is basically of the same opinion, as he defines the characteristics of Korean art as the qualities of "technique without technique," "planning without planning," "asymmetry;' and "nonchalance." "In most cases, a work of Korean art is probably not meticulous in minute details," he observes. "It rather tends to embrace a wholeness, hence its savory taste in total effect. This nonchalance lies in the docile state of mind of Korean artists and artisans who love nature as it is."(12l Toyotaro Tanaka, another Japanese specialist in Korean pottery, states tha.t Korean ware is rather born than' made. "There is no inkling of hesitation on the part of the potter," (l 3) he adds. He also refers this point of view to spontaneity as an outstanding trait of Korean art.

Evelyn McCune, an American art historian born in Korea, asserts that refinement and crudeness are the two polarizing qualities existing in Korean art. Both qualities, she states, reveal

honesty and contribute to strength, or vitality. (! 4) Here the honesty is purity, a trust in nature. According to R. Griffing, Korean art is solid, straightforward and modest and there is no sign of the classicism of Chinese intellects nor the technicality of the JapaneseY 5l

Softness, Modesty, Calmness These interpretations by a number of scholars can actually be summed up in Seckel's terms-vitality, spontaneity and unconcern for technical perfection.

Vitality is a strength resulting from the nonchalance of a creator who is free from hesitation, free from the conflict between the beautiful and the ugly. The strength is even enhanced as he reduces decorations and makes the best of the virtue of his materials itself, the texture and natural grain, for example, in the case of wood. This tendency is closely related, in the end, to the second and third virtues that we have often discussed, i.e. spontaneity and unconcern for technical per-

fection.

Spontaneity is dual in nature. It involves an artist's attitude toward his work as well as his taste for a spontaneous quality. This love of spontaneity, for instance, is reflected in the tendency of leaving pottery undecorated in Korean art. An undecorated object elicits a delightful feeling of expanded space leading to the lack of artificial pretense. Korean art also tends to be devoid of a feeling of movement and this reflects dislike of disturbance, deformation and convention.

The third and last virtue in question. unconcern for technical perfection, is revealed in Korean artisans' use of warped pieces of wood as beams, pillars and brackets in building a house. It is also reflected in a slightly deformed, crudely glazed bowl. Ko Yu-sop claims that the savory taste of Korean ware comes from such qualities. G. St. G. M. Gompertz, an English specialist and collector, explains: "The Korean potters were often careless or inexpert in technique: they were more concern-

Vitality, spontaneity and unconcern for technical perfection are seen in Korean art.

31

ed to achieve an artistic effect and seldom paid attention to detail."

After all, this unconcern is closely related to spontaneity and docile adaptation to natural environments.

It is not of fraudulent nature. There is honesty in it. An artisan uses a deformed piece of wood as a beam only when it can fully support the roof.

Silence, Resignation, Enlightenment, Optimism

As we have already discussed, Korean art has been characterized by submissiveness to and love of nature, lack of artificial consciousness. Thus it has developed within the framework of naturalism. Naturalism as such is a vague term. To make it more precise, the Koreans' basic philosophy lies not in a man-oriented idealism but in a naturalism oriented by nature.

Then where and how have such characteristics of Korean art been formed? They have certainly come from national character motivated by the historical as well as natural environment.

The Koreans have lived in mild natural environments of a temperate region endowed with the distinct four seasons. This natural condition led the northern nomadic tribes to become farmers as they settled in the Korean peninsula, which they made one of the three significant cultural areas in

32

the Far East. The peninsula features mountains occupying four fifths of the total area. The mountains, however, are of modest height and round peaks that make landscapes peaceful and amiable.. It is evident that such peaceful and beautiful natural surrounding.. nurtured love of nature in the mind of Koreans.

Let us consider the historical background. The peninsula projects from Manchuria and faces the east coast of China across the Yellow Sea. It was a strategic outpost for the socalled Tong-i (Eastern Barbarians) to attack China from the sea. Chinese cultural influences, however, penetrated the peninsula with the establishment of Han China's Lolang Colony in B.C. 108. Sandwiched betw~n the northern nomads and Han China, Korea was frequently victimized by foreign invaders. The Koreans were afflicted with suffering.. from merciless foreign invaders as well as from poverty and arrogant bureaucracy.

Amid the sufferings they learned silence and resignation as a realistic solution. Their sense of resignation was not always of a pessimistic nature.

It was a means by which to tolerate their hard-pressed reality, a passage to enlightenment and an optimistic philosophy. Accepting and tolerating the hardship, they believed in a fertile land that offered crops honestly.

This historical background seems to have played a great part in the formation of their national character, such as acceptance of reality, resignation, optimism, trust in nature, escapism, and dislike of artificialness.

But this reasoning still is insufficient to really support our discussions on the character of Koreans and their art. A more satisfying answer can be found in a careful synthetic consideration of various elements, such as topography, geography, history, cultural environment, and lifestyle, that constitute a specific composite whole.

In conclusion, I am inclined to believe that the cultural tradition of a people derives from a composite mode of life formed over a long period in a specific pattern of environment.

Characteristics of art are of course formed by a cultural tradition and they contribute in turn to the formation of a cultural tradition. +

--

------------------- -

--¡--------- - --¡------- - -- - - ---

Footnotes ( 1) Stolnitz, Jerome, Aesthetics, (MacMillan, 1965) , p. 43. ( 2) Tillman, F.S. Cahn ed., Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics, (Harper and Row, 1969), pp. 207-208.

Paek, Ki-su: Yesulhak Kaeron (Outline of Aesthetics),(Tongmin Munhwa-sa, 1974) , p. 36. ( 3) Schapiro, M. "The Social Bases of Art" in D. Schapiro ed., Social Realism-Art as a Weapon, (Frederick Ungar, 1973), p. ll8, 123 . . ( 4 ) Santayana, G., The Sense of Beauty, (Modern Library, 1955), p. 51 ( 5) Read, H. , Th e Meaning of Modern Art, (Pelican Book, 1950) , p. 16. ( 6) Kim, Won-yong: Hankuk Mi ui T'amgu (The Beauty of Korean Art), (Yolhwadang, 1978), pp. 7-9. ( 7) Silbey, F. , "Aesthetic Concepts," F. Tillman et al., ed., p.594 . ( 8) Schapiro, M., op. cit, p . 123. ( 9 ) Binford, S. L., ed. New Perspectives in Archaeology, (Aldine Co., 1968) , pp.6-7.

(10) Seckel, D., "Some Characteristics of Korean Art," Oriental Art XXIII, Spring, 1977, pp.52-61. (ll) Willetts, W., Chinese Art, (Pelican Book, 1958), pp . 372-377.

(12) Ko Yu-sop, "Choson Kodae Misului T'uksaek kwa Ku Jonsung Munjae" (Characteristics of Korean art), in his Hankuk Misulsa, Mihak Non-Ko (Essays on History of Korean art and Esthetics) (T'ongmungwan, 1963), pp.6-8.

(13) Tanaka, Toyotaro, Richo Tojihu (Yi Ceramics), Tokyo 1944, pp.257-8 .

(14) McCune, E., Th e Arts of Korea, (Tuttle Co., 1962) , p.20.

(15) Asia House Gallery, The Art of the Korean Potter, (The Asia Society, 1968) , p.13.

(16) Gompertz; G. St. G.M., Korean Celadon and Other Wares of the Koryo Period, (Faber and Faber, 1963) , p. 2.

Peaceful and beautiful natural surroundings nurtured a love of nature in the mind of Koreans. (Hahoe Village)

33

SPOTLIGHT

An Encounter Between the Avant-Garde and the Traditional. .

· Nameless Flowers

Falling in . the Wind performed by the Free Theatre Group

By Choi Jung-ho

34

Nameless

Flow= Fa/Jing

in the Wind, performed by the Free

Theatre Group, represents the coming of age of a dramatic form uniquely Korean. Through his revival of the kwangdaeguk Oester's play) style native to Korea, Director Kim Jung-ok has succeeded in blending the avantgarde and the traditional and has given new direction to modern Korean drama.

This modern-day jester's play is a joint work by Kim (scriptwriter/director) and Lee Byung-bok (producer).

Staged by the Free Theatre Group in commemoration of its twentieth anniversary, it premiered abroad last November in Osaka at the Asian Festival, which was itself originally conceived by Kim. After a subsequent tour of Tokyo and Kyoto, the pl~y was brought home to Korea last February.

The years leading up to the Free Theatre Group's production of Nameless .F1owers Falling in the Wind represent a period of exploration and discovery for Kim and the other members of the troupe.

Together they were engaged in a search for a new form of drama-one in keeping with the spirit of the modern age while remaining true to the traditions and culture of Korea. It was a journey that entailed their transformation from imitators of the West to innovators of the East.

A scene from f!ameless Flowers Falling in the Wind

35

K

Lee Byung-bok

36

im and Lee were among the first Korean dramatists to embrace the Western style of theater following the Korean War (1950-53). As such, they were energetic leaders in introducing Korean audiences to Western drama, ranging from classics by Moliere, Beaumarchais and Goethe to modern works by Marcel Pagnol, Tennessee Williams, Ionesco and Durrenmatt.

Under their direction, three fourths (44 productions) of the 60 plays presented by the Free Theatre Group during its first 10 years of existence were foreign dramas translated into Korean.

It was not until 1978, with the presentation of What Will I Become? (written by Park U-chun, directed by Kim) at the second Republic of Korea Drama Festival, that a shift in the company's focus began to emerge.

Becoming ever clearer since that time has been the attempt by Kim, Lee and the entire Free Theatre Group to turn from the West to the East, from the foreign to the native, and from the modern to the traditional. The presentation of What Will I Become? marked the start of a new journey by Kim, one in which he sought to develop his own unique style as a director. It was with this production that Kim, faithful to himself as a student of such French masters as Descartes, Valery and Maurois, began to seek a new means of expressing his art and to formulate his "Preface to Methodology."

The task Kim undertook was an enormous one. The transformation entailed a move from drama of the stage to drama of the courtyard, from a theatrical art to an exorcism, and from a performance by actors and actresses to one by jesters. It was also a return from the world of "others" to that of "ourselves," and a shift from looking outward to looking inward.

Stage drama as a theatrical art belongs to the new culture Korean students brought home from Tokyo early in the 20th century after the socalled enlightenment of Korea. It was part of the new learning acquired abroad from men of letters who were fond of literature as well as learning as a whole. This new drama was a drama of letters, that is, a written drama found in the pages of a book

and constructed along the lines of conventional Western literature with ¡clearly developed plots and a logical sequencing of events from beginning to end. Thus, this new drama brought home by Korean students was in the form of scripts, and Korea's new drama movement began with the study of these scripts.

In order for these scripts to be translated into actual stage productions, two essential elements were needed-actors and actresses to play the roles and theaters in which to perform them. However, actors and actresses and theaters as such did not exist in traditional Korean culture and so they had to be created. During the early years of the movement, actors and actresses were recruited from among enlightened intellectuals or students from Tokyo, the modern men of letters. For theaters, the young dramatists rented movie houses or staged their productions in modern school auditoriums.

The problems related to adopting Western drama in Korea were greater than those encountered in other areas of the fine arts. Western paintings could be imitated shortly after the introduction of canvas and pigments from the Western world. In music, Western melodies could be played, though at times in an unskilled manner, soon after acquiring a piano or a violin. However, it was impossible to import Western actors. and actresses for a drama narrated in Korean. It was, therefore, inevitable that Korean actors and actresses, with yellow wigs over their black hair and long dresses hanging on their short bodies, would play the roles of Western ladies and gentlemen, set in peculiar looking salons and making a great fuss in strange social intercourse. For these reasons, Western drama failed to take deep root in Korea and merely circled about, leaving an empty echo in its wake. Furthermore, it was unrealistic to expect large audiences for such seemingly empty drama. This added need to build up an audience for their performances is one that has plagued Korean dramatists since the start of the new movement.

Kim Jung-ck

37

T

he distance between things that exist and those which do not is perhaps greater than that between heaven and earth. In the West, there were the dramas of Sophocles and Aristophanes in the age of ancient Greece. There were theaters on which to stage these works, spectators to view them and an established culture of attending plays.

Any visitor to Athens today can see the arc of terraced spectator seats and the stage of the Bacchus Theatre, whose mifky marble, having endured more than 2,500 years, still glistens in the Mediterranean sun at the foot of the Acropolis.

Western drama evolved as a social function of the middle and upper classes and people dressed in formal attire to attend the theater. Theaters came to be located in the center of almost every major Western city. Furthermore, those who created the works staged in these theaters were all master writers like Goethe, who rose to, the position of prime minister.

And yet these plays, so popular in the West, sounded strange to Koreans and represented a form of culture not found in traditional Korean society.

But it was more than the fact that these traditions simply did not exist.

To say that meju (balls of boiled and fermented soybean paste) did not exist in the West while cheese did not exist in the Orient implies that something exists on the one side and does not exist on the other in an objective sense. However, to say that there was no theatrical culture in Korea implies a somewhat different meaning that is not so neutral in connotation.

Whereas actors and actresses in the West and in Japan performed on a fixed theater stage, Korean jesters had to wander from one marketplace to another in search of their audience and were treated as clowns who wander aimlessly in the wind.

Additionally, while theaters in the West were located in the center of major cities, traditional performances in Korea were held on the outskirts of cities or in rural areas.

Not only were there no theatrical stages in Korea, there were also no scripts for the jester plays. The mask drama, the puppet play and the p'ansori (traditional narrative song) were the arts of peasants and common peo38

ple who did not possess a culture in letters. As such, they were originally based on oral tradition and were handed down from one generation to the next by word of mouth. They constituted an oral culture that flowed like an underground stream in a society which was ruled by a culture of letters.

This oral profession was viewed as among the lowest in traditional Korean society which had a strong reverence for writing and held men of letters , or scholars, in the highest esteem. Kwangdae Uesters), who earned their livings by entertaining, belonged to one of the seven positions considered most despicable during the Choson period, along with singing beggars. In short, this oral entertainmeqt, though a form of popular entertainment, simply was not held in high regard by Korean society.

Traditional Korean drama, then, had no fixed theatrical stage, no fixed schedule of performances and no fixed script. What it did have were exorcisms and plays rendered by jesters in any place and at any time the opportunity arose. And it is this which constituted the starting point for Kim's new drama.

One cannot begin from a void. In order to create something new, it is necessary to begin with something that already exists.

Park U-chun, who wrote Mat Will I Become?, the play which marked the beginning of the Free Theatre Group's transformation, said, "There is neither lineage nor a clan register in this family:' By this he meant that the most fragile aspect of the modern dramatic circle was its lack of a national identity. In order to establish one, he proposed a return to the tradition of the jester's play once so denigrated by men of letters.

He was proposing a revival of a long-buried tradition in order to create something new. But because this tradition was so long-forgotten as to be severed from the present generation, its rebirth inevitably entailed a great deal of experimentation and adventurism on the dramatists' part.

From this standpoint did Kim begin his search for the new method of direction which he later codified in his "Preface to Methodology."

One important element of Kim's approach to directing is his use of the

workshop method which he feels enables his performers to better appreciate the essence of traditional drama. Second, in order to create dramas which are truly in keeping with the spirit of the original jester's plays, Kim does not begin with scripts by men of letters but with plays by exorcist players themselves. As Kim states in the conclusion of the "Preface to Methodology," the nucleus of a drama is made up not of a script but of actors and actresses.

Kim's approach, based on the workshop style with actors and actresses as the central figures, gives rise to a

.......__

.

Rehearsal scene from Nameless Flowers Falling in the Wind

methodology which centers on group dynamics. While scripts are written by individuals working alone, a traditional jester's play develops through the interactions of the performers.

Thus, whereas the profession of men of letters is by nature a lonely one, a drama by jesters is a group effort.

In What Will I Become?, Kim and the other members of the Free Theatre Group rejected the conventional form of W estem drama and applied themselves to creating a stage experience that embodied a new concept of time and space. Though dealing with a historical theme, they

spurned the conventions of strict chronological order and traditional plot sequencing. Their new concept of space and time grew out of their efforts to recreate the space of the courtyard exorcism in which the stage had neither a rear nor a front side and where there was no dividing line between stage and audience. It also reflects their attempts to rediscover the time span of the courtyard exorcism which had no beginning and no end.

Thus were they able to free themselves from the shackles of conventional theater and recreate the naive and caricaturist atmosphere unique to folk

painting which ignores the accurate representation of perspective found in Western art and which originated in the Oriental or Korean montage technique.

While all ¡ of these features were very familiar to the spectators of traditional courtyard exorcisms, audiences today, seeing them applied to modem dramas, are struck by their originality. The space and time concept unique to native dramas offers audiences of the modern age an avant-garde stage experience.

39

R

eturning to things that are most traditional, the Free Theatre Group created things that are most modern. This not only firmly established Kim's method of direction, but also enabled him to develop a thematic continuity with the past.

With the production of Flowers Bloom Even on a Windy Day, the Free Theatre Group's second play in this vein, Lee was finally able to declare, "We are jesters." It was then that the company began to use "jesters in the rear" and "jesters in the front" instead of "staff' and "cast" in its programs. It was also at this time that Kim told the audience, "We have finally found ourselves. Extend your support to us as we try to please you while remaining true to ourselves. " Prior to establishing its own methodology, the Free Theatre Group was unable to break out of the mold of Western drama. This was evident in their 1970 production of Choe Inhun's Where Shall We Meet Again When and in What Capacity? which, though a Korean drama, still bore the look of a Western production in their presentation of it. Once the group had established its own methodology, however, even its rendition of Frederico Garcia Lorca's Blood Wedding in 1984 came to resemble a jester's play original to Korea. This was not a tyranny of direction, but rather a conquest of direction by Kim whose work in this vein has been favorably recognized both at home and abroad.

In Nameless Flowers Falling in the Wind, Kim's methodology showed an even greater degree of refinement and the theatrical company presented its eternal themes even more clearly.

The play entails a portrayal of two

40

historical figures , Taewon-gun (the prince regent) and Queen Min, both of whom were closely involved in the turbulence which marked the end of the Korean empire period and who, rare among Korean nobility, were interested in the drama of the masses.

Taewon-gun,in particular, was very fond of p'ansori songs and invited noted singers of this commoner's art to the palace. The prince regent is the first person Koreans think of when they examine the relationship between politics and art, between political power and artistic taste, or the mere existence of court jesters.

However, it is important to bear in mind that such renowned personages as Taewon-gun and Queen Min are

never the heroes of this form of dra ma. The heroes in Nameless Flowers Falling in the Wind are the jesters themselves. Even those nameless jesters who, while wearing masks, assume roles of nobility are heroes in this play. For this story revolves around the jesters - their life and death , their exorcism and their graves.

As one jester says, "We are tired of flattering the audience. We are tired of describing the life of others .... So we've decided to unfold our own tale. " The structure of this exorcism play is an extremely complicated one involving the portrayal of double and even multiple roles. For example, one actor disguises himself as

by becoming a "jester" and shows that he is a jester both with his mask and beneath if It is a drama in which actors are required to reflect upon themselves and their actions and to conduct Freudian self-psychoanalysis into the depths of their consciousnesses. This gives the native exorcism a modernistic or post-modernistic flavor.

This task of multiple acting and self-reflection is a demanding one.

Concerning this aspect of their acting, jesters in Nameless Flowers Falling in the Wind have said: If a bogus character wants to pass himself off as a genuine one, he needs to be more genuine than the real one... To act a false

character is more difficult than to act a genuine one.

A jester is required to cast off all of his personal attributes. To begin with, he must not possess his own face so that he may wear all possible masks. A jester must not possess his own body for he will be required to assume the form of others. If he owns a house, he will not be able to join the troupe for it wanders from one place to another like the wind. He must forsake all attachment to possessions.

Despite the difficulties of this form of acting, the dramatic experience and close familiarity with exorcism garnered by the members of the Free

Theatre Group during the past ten years of experimenting with this form enabled them to bring it to the level of an art in Nameless Flowers Falling in the Wind.

The actors in this play ably demonstrated an ability to evoke within the audience a wide range of emotions from the catharsis one might feel upon hearing vulgar expressions spoken to the joy of contemplating a philosophic soliloquy. The jesters, however, did not wear a serious expression or display a haughty attitude when they uttered something profound, nor did they snicker or sneer when they exchanged bawdy dialogue. They delivered their lines, not like the soliloquy of Hamlet or Horatio, but in their own unique comic and exhilarated style.

A

mong the jester ensembles presented in Nameless Flowers Falling in the Wind, particular note should be made of the performances of Kim Kum-ji, Son Bok-sun, Park Ung and Oh Young-soo who are all closely united in spirit by virtue of having grown together in this art for the past 20 years.

Additionally, several other noted performers appeared in the drama.

These guest artists included Ahn Sooksun, a J!ansori singer who gave a kayagum recital and sang the Chokbyokka in its entirety; Kuk Suho, a professor at Chung-ang University and head of the National Dance Company; and Yu In-chon, a television actor.

It was by dint of the outstanding skills displayed by these renowned "jesters in the front" that this drama

Director Kim Jung-ck discusses the drama with the Free Theatre,Group members.

41

was so well received by the Japanese, French and Spanish members of the audiences who could not understand Korean; and this, despite the fact that Korean dramas are generally criticized as being tiresmpe and lengthy even

by Koreans.

The themes dealt with by Kim are large in scale and profound in meaning. This is very much the case with Nameless Flowers Falling in the Wind where he is concerned with the relationships between history and drama, between powerful people and jesters, between "flowers" and the "wind" and between the genuine and the false.

As Taewon-gun says in the play, "A drama depends on how you see it.

You can see it from this angle or that.

Since times of old, we have considered it best not to probe too deeply into the words ,, uttered by jesters wearing masks.

But it is in just that, a careful consideration of the words spoken by jesters, that the themes of this drama are revealed.

The play represents a protest staged by jesters. It is a demonstration aimed at proving themselves and at protesting against the world, against the way it has developed and against history itself.

As one jester says, " .... whereas a drama weaves words into a tale, history at times wove words that could not form a tale. Even though this may sound absurd, it is true. Do not speak ill of a drama as an absurd tale. History is more absurd."

History is often viewed as being comprised of changes. However, history cannot exist where there are only changes. History can only exist where there is that which does not change in the midst of that which is

changing. For this reason there is history in a tree but there is no history in the wind.

Nameless Flowers Falling in the Wind is a demonstration staged by the wind in protest against the trees.

It is a drama of resistance in which jesters protest against history. The stage is the eternal present. With a dramatic eye that can perceive the present of history by taking it out of the past, the jesters criticize, scold and ridicule the unskilled nobility in this drama who profess to be making history.

In the words of one of the jesters: The puppet king and the clown prime minister. How badly the state is shaped I Worthless people who behave as they please think that we are jesters. When people who assume leading roles on the historical stage fail to perform their functions properly, we are tempted to call it not reality or history but a drama or a play.

It cannot be forgiven that such people liken themselves to jesters when they fail to perform their functions properly in order to save face. A jester is not such a man.

In Nameless Flowers Falling in the Wind it is t_he jesters who are the nobility and they weave a tale of history and drama as only jesters can.

As one jester says: This is not a tale we heard from others but one found buried in our hearts. It is a tale about the wind that connects · yesterday with tomorrow through today and that drift~ from place to place. Having inherited the attributes of the wind, we have no home despite the fact that all living creatures in this world have their nests, and we have no graves despite the fact that all have se-

cured their burial places. We are the wind that blows across the wilderness in your minds and through the caves in your hearts.

The voice of the wind is exceptionally strong in Nameless Flowers Falling in the Wind.

Paul Valery, who wrote Introduction a la Method de Leonardo da Vinci, said that, "Leonardo was a painter and painting was philosophy to him." By this he meant that da Vinci was dedicated to understanding and representing the ultimate spirit and purpose of painting.

In this same sense, Kim, Lee and the other members of the Free Theatre Group regard drama as philosophy. They express with words what writers cannot describe with letters. They can even express with words what philosophers cannot explain with philosophy.

Nameless Flowers Falling in the Wind represents a milestone in Kim's journey toward creating a style of directing which is true to his own spirit, as well as a milestone in the process of Korean drama becoming more Korean. Furthermore, it marks a turning point in the process by which Korean theatrical artists are becoming jesters.

As a jester says, " ... there is no person who was born a jester, even though there is a person who died a jester."

Men are not born jesters; they become jesters. As it has been said of womeQ that they are the second sex, so it is that jesters are the second personality.

Korean dramas are not born, but they are becoming more Korean just as men who were not born jesters are becoming them. And Kim is becoming more himself. +

''••• there is no person who was born a jester, even though there is a person who died a jester. ''

42

DIALOGUE

I WOULD LOVE TO PLAY ''YANGSANDO" ON THE VIOLIN

Hwang Byungki is a renowned kayagum (a ¡12-stringed zither) player and composer with a large following in both the United States and Europe, particularly among¡avant-garde music lovers and composers. Professor Hwang also teaches classical Korean music at Ehwa Womans University in Seoul and spent 1986-7 as an exchange professor at Harvard University.

Chung Kyung-wha is a celebrated Korean violinist whose virtuoso performances have received critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic as well as in Asia.

Trained at the Juilliard School of Music in New York, Mme. Chung is presnetly living in London.

The following conversation grew out of Chung Kyung-wha's desire to learn more about traditional Korean music with the ultimate aim of adapting selected pieces to the violin and including them in her performances. In order to realize this goal, she sought the advice and assistance of Hwang Byungki while visiting in Korea. This conversation represents their initial discussion of the opportunities and challenges entailed in such an endeavor.

43

Hwang Byungki

This is the fourth time we've met, Professor Chung. It must be a good twenty years since I first met you.

Yes. I do remember a little, though not very well . It was such a long time ago.

I heard that you weren't very well after the birth of your baby.

Are you fully recovered now?

I think I overdid it when I was carrying the baby, I was very worried. But they say it often happens.

Now I'm fine.

I'm glad. I knew all would be well, though. I will have to call you Madame Chung from now on.

Good heavens, no, not Madame Chung!

(Smiling) When I met Master Unbo (the pen name of Kim Kich' ang, Korea's preeminent Oriental painter) the other day, he told me, 'Tm only a boy of fifteen," to which I replied, "Then I'm only two."

Madame Chung indeed! You must be joking.

Joking aside, the purpose of our meeting is to find out whether I could study traditional Korean music and make use of it somehow.

I've given innumerable concerts abroad, but have never included Korean music in my repertoire so far. So I was wondering whether it would be possible to play Korean music on the violin.

Then there should be a theme, in other words, a melody. Also, we would need to find someone who 44

can adapt the music expertly.

That's what I would like to discuss with you and study further.

For example, as you know, Yangsando has only one melody line.

Until recently I wasn't terribly interested in it, but I've changed my mind.

When I went to see Master Kim Ki-ch'ang, he asked me if I would like to play traditional Korean music, and I would certainly like to have a go. Anyway, there is no harm in trying, is there?

If it works, it will be lovely. If not, at least I can console myself with having m¡ade an attempt.

Of course. But you might as well think in terms of doing something possible, rather than making an attempt to do something impossible.

The success depends 100 percent on the composer. Hungarian folk songs owe a great deal to composers like Bartok. Our problem will be solved if we can find someone who can compose violin music based on folk music, like Bartok, Kodaly or Stravinsky. Because it is impossible to play traditional Korean melodies on the violin, we will have to adapt them.

I don't think there wÂľ l be any problem with playing a melody on the violin. The problem will be the harmony.

There is no such thing as harmony in our music, so the composer will have to create it.

It won't be simple, becau:,e a melody has to be played on the assumption that a harmony exists, and moreover, melody in traditional Korean music, Yangsando, for example, varies according to the performer.

That's why I'm asking you how to go about it. I will try to listen to all the well-known singers in Korea.

The problem is, whereas our music doesn't use harmony, it has a concept which doesn't exist in Western music. It is called shigimsae (literally meaning "maturing," but perhaps better translated as "deliberation") . In the case of Western music, for example Beethoven's symphonies, if you take out one melody, it doesn't make

music. Therefore a harmony is all important. But in the case of Korean traditional music-unlike Western music-to create music out of a melody, one uses shigimsae.

You may well ask what this shigimsae is exactly. It is, speaking in Western terms, something like a microtone in differential. Exactly the opposite to a harmony. The word, shigimsae comes from cooking. For example, we can eat cabbage raw, but we don't. Instead, we mix it with various spices and bury it underground and allow it to ferment to make it tastier.

That process is called saeginda (to mature). You must mature it properly.

If you study this maturity in music, you find all sorts of sounds; a note elaborately crooked, a note with a hole, etc. In the case of Western music, for example in a sonata, notes from a keyboard are like bricks. These "bricks" are beautifully laid to make music. But Korean traditional music is like a house built with "natural rocks."

So some have holes, some are covered with moss, some are broken ... everyone of them has a flavor of its own .

With the piano it would be virtually impossible to imitate those sounds in a hundred years, but as the violin is an instrument which can reproduce sounds, I think if only I _can assimilate the idea, it will be possible.

Of course it will be different from a human voice, but I will know better if I study it more thoroughly. Vibrato, glissando, and all sorts of other things can be applied. That's why I'd like to study it.

That's a good idea. In my opinion, the problem will be studiously adapting, say a folk song, to the specific characteristics of the violin, which would be unlike the singing of a traditional Korean singer or playing the song on a Korean flute.

Even the same Yangsando is different when it's played on a flute and on a kayagiim.

Likewise the problem will be solved if we can find someone who is capable of making maximum use of the sp_ecific characteristics of the

violin and half creating something based on our folk music.

I suppose it will be fun just trying to imitate as well.

It would be impossible to find someone of that ability among foreigners. They say traditional Korean music is impossible to understand unless you have Korean blood, even if you don't know the tradition perfectly.

I'm never satisfied with a mere imitation, but in the beginning I will have to start with that.

If I don't even try to imitate, nothing will come out of it, will it?

As a matter of fact, at a recent recital, I found a short piece by Elgar very difficult. It only lasts one and a half minutes, but I've worked on it for a year and a half to two years and I still find it unsatisfactory. As I said, it only lasts a minute and a half, and I could have got it over and done with quickly, but I couldn't leave it like that, Now it seems to be coming along.

Since that's my personality, I wouldn't like to just imitate halfheartedly.

When I was little, I often used to listen to my father sing at the dinner table in front of guests, and, as we lived just opposite the National Theater, we frequently heard traditional folk singing.

I've never taken proper lessons in traditional Korean music, but my dancing teacher often taught me bits and pieces, and even that is better than nothing.

When I was little, my father used to ask me to play Pak-yun Falls or Yangsando, and I used to imitate the sounds. Then he used to say, "There you should play it more kandiirojige (can be translated as "captivatingly," "charmingly" or "with feeling," but none of these words describe it accurately). How would one express kandiirojige in English?

Therefore I would like to seek your help and advice, Professor Hwang, so that I can study it further.

Also, perhaps you could find out whether there is a composer equal to the task.

Since I specialize in traditional Korean music, I can give you some

melodies, but I can't tell you whether they are suitable for the violin.

That's, of course, up to nie.

I would like you just to open the doors for me to study. If you coul<l explain to me what may be helpful, using cassettes or whatever, I will do the studying.

I will carry on my studies, and whenever I come to Korea, I will meet with you and discuss what l have done. Then you will be able to advise me. I won't be able to do too many pieces, but even one or two would be nice.

If you crack one half, it will be easier afterwards.

I agree. If I concentrate on one or two pieces for a few years, I will crack them and the rest will be easy. So I would like to have a go.

Have you done any composing?

No, I never have.

Most people specializing in Western music in Korea don't understand traditional Korean music, though of course there are many composers who love Korean music, and some have studied it to a certain degree. From the point of view of Korean traditional musicians, it is a great pity.

In my study of traditional Korean music, where should I begin?

Korean traditional music can be largely divided into two categories: Chong-ak and sok-ak, that is, music for the yangban (aristocrat) and for the commoner, respectively. The nature of these two kinds of music differs. Yangban society is equivalent to Western aristocratic society. However, Korean aristocrats were scholars who read, wrote poetry, painted, etc. What these people valued most was assimilation with great Mether Nature and consequently they disliked artifice. They liked simple but meditative music, and detested music that excited.

By contrast, folk music expresses the common people's joy and sorrow spontaneously and is often elaborate and complicated.

To be more precise, there are two kinds of folk music; one type is sung by the common people in their everyday lives, the so-called

folk songs, and the other is folk music played by professionals. In Western terms, the latter group were like gypsy musicians who earned their living with music.

They were, of course, professionals, but their audiences were always commoners.

But how did they learn the technique? Were they brought up with it?

Folk musicians almost always inherited their roles, and as they belonged to the lower end of the social scale they were pitied for having to make their living with music.

Listening to you, Professor Chung, I'm reminded of a chongak musical ¡instrument called the hae-giim (a two-stringed Korean fiddle). The reason I'm talking about chong-ak first is because it is relatively less technical, so it would be best for you to try chong-ak first and then move on to professional folk music.

Won't I need an ideological approach for chong-ak? In my opinion it would be better to do it later. I think I will try folk music first, even though it is complicated.

Until you start working on it, you won't know where the problems lie. ~he biggest problem is 45

the- question of intervals. Western music is standardized like piano music. But Korean music, especially folk music, has many half tones.

For that reason, Bartok often used quarter tones .. I don't think half tones will present a big problem.

With frequent drilling I will crack it.

That's fine. But if you keep listening to those sounds, don't you think you may confuse them with Western sounds?

I'm sure that won't happen to me. They are totally different.

Then, please, have a go! As I know Korean music very well, I will know instantly whether a note is right or not when you play it.

Incidentally, Korean music has three important notes. There is a first note and then a second one.

In addition to those, there is a major second note. These three are the most important notes.

Could you explain why they are so -important?

You know the song, "Bird, bird, blue bird .. ?'; Do So Ray Do. Ray Do So So. Ray So .... This song has only three notes.

The problem occurs, for example, when a scholar sings his shijo (traditional form of Korean poetry also intended to be sung).

I said Do So Ray Do earlier on?

Let's begin with a Do. "High mountains .... " (vibrating on the way down) should be done like this.

Let's say, we do it like this: "High mountains" (smoothly, without vibrating). Then it becomes a children's song.

To sing a shijo well, when you

EDITOR'S NOTE: Up to this point, only minor parts of the conversation between Professor Hwang and Chung have been omitted. From here on, it became more difficult to print all that passed between them, as Professor Hwang Byungki often sang or kept time.

He spoke extensively on the concept of Korean traditional music, musical characteristics, instruments and performance techniques, often using examples. Chung Kyungwha asked questions on points she could not readily understand and often exclaimed, 'This is a truly breathtaking lesson. "

46

go down, you must vibrate tremendously deeply on the way down.

Western vibrato is nothing in comparison.

Quarter tones cannot be done vibrato because there is very little space, but it depends on the quarter tones.

Shijo has high int.ervals, but I can practice. With the piano it is impossible, however, it is possible with wind instruments, like the flute or the clarinet. But in my opinion, the violin will be the best.

I will try. On the subject of notes, the moment you hear a song like Chindo Arirang, you know instantly it's not music for scholars, though it also uses the same three notes.

Earlier on I mentioned shigimsae (maturing). The way a note is matured varies according to the genre.

My mother studied the kayagum a long time ago. When I came home once on a concert tour, she said, "Guess what I'm doing now!" and said that she was learning to play the kayagum.

My mother also played the Hawaiian guitar.

But unfortunately, I know too little about Korean music. Your lessons are so alive that I think I will learn more easily like this.

I think you need to know a little before you start. I will have to listen to some of the pieces you've composed and study them. I'd like to take some lessons from you in the future.

By the way, how do you accompany the kayagum?

There are, of course, kayagum solos, but, particularly in folk music, it is rarely played solo.

It's usually accqmpanied by changgo (hourglass drums).

Our music is similar to Indian music.

For Indian music there is already Menuhin. He has incredibly good ears. And Indian music is terribly complicated.

Indian music is complicated, but Korean music is even more so.

Indian music is nearer to Western music in comparison.

You mean the rhythm is more difficult? I thought the Indian rhythm was terribly complicated.

No, not the rhythm. For you, Professor Chung, the rhythm will present no problem.

Frankly, if Menuhin can play Indian music like that, why can't I play Korean music? After all I'm a Korean. You seem to be saying, "All right then, have a go, if you like."

(Smiling) I am determined to try. I won't know until I have tried. They say, "To begin is to be halfway there. " Apart from that, even if you fail, if you try something new, it will be a sort of advancement.

By the way, because our country is situated between China and Japan, many Westerners seem to think Korean music is somewhere between Chinese and Japanese music, but Korean music is fundamentally different from both.

For example, there is basically only binary time in Chinese or Japanese music, that is binary or quadruple time. Korean music uses mainly triple time. Therefore, in Chinese or Japanese music the rhythm has a feel of "tap tap tap tap," which ¡is quite different from our own.

I do understand. You mean it is basically like a waltz.

By the way, you don't learn to play Korean music with written music, do you?

Traditionally, written music wasn't used. Particularly in folk music, written music doesn't exist.

In chong-ak, there is written music.

Then can even complicated rhythm be explained in the music?

Chong-ak isn't very complicated, because scholars used to hate complicated music.

That's true of chong-ak, however, the ordinary commoners suffered a lot physically, so their music has more rhythmic elements, as in the Negro spirituals.

But, if there is no written music, how can I learn complicated rhythms?

If you want to learn to play Korean music, though the music is not accurate, you must learn from it in conjunction with your ear.

Even if the music is sketchy, you will have to lean on it like a walking stick while you learn.

Otherwise it will take tremendously long ti~e.

Is music readily available?

Yes, it is. In any case, it's not difficult to write it.

I would like some. Maybe not a lot. If I keep practicing the most important elements of it whenever l've got time, for a year or two, I will gradually get used to it. And I will discuss my progress with you whenever I come to Korea.

Then you will finally become a composer.

I will see when the time comes, but you will have to do the composition. I am just a performer and will merely follow it. You will have to provide the material for me and the coaching.

I would like you to advise me before I start. Though I live abroad, to open my ears and eyes I will have to lay a foundation.

Where do I start? I would like to know.

The easiest to begin with is scholars' music, but you don't find it attractive, do you?

No, I don't. I like Bartok's music, which is really based on folk music. I absolutely adore it.

All problems will be solved, if we have someone like Bartok.

I bought an album of Hungarian folk songs in Hawaii. I've heard your recordings, but I wanted to hear the original Hungarian folk songs which form the basis of Bartok's music. I realized how great Bartok was after listening to it.

I had thought the original folk songs must have¡ been fantastic, but they were really not all that great.

Imagine creating such music out of those folk songs! I again felt his greatness.

Our big question is whether we are capable of creating excellent pieces for you to play on the violin. It will be extremely difficult.

It will take a lot of time.

However, one has to start somewhere.

Since you teach music, I'd like to ask you this question. Do you think one is born with a natural talent for either Western music or Korean music?

Of course one needs talent, but one has to jump at it like someone possessed. These days, not just in Korea, students don't seem to be

that dedicated. It's not easy to practice like mad.

Natural talent certainly exists, but it is called "destiny" in Korea.

I agree it's never easy. One can learn this and that superficially without any problem, but to do it deeply, one has to drill hard and long. If you strive long enough, you attain a state of spiritual enlightenment. In the end, it's a matter of time.

There is a Korean term used for musical criticism. As you know, to be said to be technically rich and musically talented is the highest praise one can receive. In Korea we use a term meaning "elaborated." The effort a performer has put into a work over a long period of time manifests itself when an artist performs, and when a critic wants to praise a performance, he says, "The artist has elaborated considerably." The powerful impact, achieved by the performer's combined past, passion and effort, is praised in that way.

A superb expression in my opinion.

If I practice as regularly as brush my teeth in the morning, I will perhaps be spiritually enlightened.

Professor Kim Ki-ch'ang said, "A performer, if he wants to convey the musical essence of a composer, must also have an essence himself."

He said, "There are not many who were born with that essence, and that is the most important matter for an artist."

I'd like to try Korean music and find out whether I was born with that essence.

You seem to be also interested in fine arts.

I think all arts are related to one another. My husband loves literature. I also used to like reading, but since I started performing in public I am too exhausted to read. I have cut down on my public performances, so I have more time to read, which is nice.

Before I couldn't become too absorbed in a book because of tour itineraries and programs, etc.

I have more time for mental leisure now.

You seem to have attained a state of "spiritual enlightenment."

r

While we are on the subject, I've got something to tell you. We are brought up with the idea, "Get hold of just one thing. To get water you must dig one well. You must stick to one thing."

I was deeply moved by an old poem which appears in a book called Ch'ae-geun-dam. It goes like this: When a wild goose flies over a lake, its shadow appears on the surface of the lake, but the shadow is no longer there when it's gone.

It is the same with wind in long reeds. When a wind shakes reed, there is a noise, but when it dies down, all is quiet. Likewise, the human mind should reflect events accurately when they occur, but when they pass, it should be completely empty.

People don't normally worry and get tense over the present, do they?

They usually do so over the past or the future. During a performance, it is like a wild goose passing over a lake. When a performance is over, you must clear your mind and read a book or do something else. That is the state a spiritually enlightened person attain. +

The conversation ended with Hwang Byungki agreeing to continue advising and assisting Chung Kyung-wha in her study of traditional Korean music. Professor Hwang further offered to help Mme. Chung by providing her with recordings of Korean p'ansori (traditional narrative songs), folk songs and instrumental music.

With this as a basis for beginning, .t hey then made arrangements to remain in contact following Mme. Chung's departure From Korea.

47

PEOPLE

The Life, Love

and

Art

of Ullbo I

n the twilight of his career, Kim Ki-ch'ang, one of Korea's greatest living painters, remains a surprise and inspiration to an entire nation of struggling young artists, and to the handicapped. At 74, his vitality is undiminished. He -prowls restlessly for new art horizons to explore.

The story of Kim's rise to greatness is one of triumph over personal adversity-of unswerving determination to overcome an early loss of hearing and endless efforts to plumb the depths of his artistic

48

talents in the face of heavy odds.

It is a story that cannot be told without mentioning the three women who played key roles in his personal and artistic growth: his mother, his grandmother, and his wife.

"What I am today is the result of their fervent service, sense of responsibility and love," Kim recalls. "At the passing away of each of them, I could not help but wail with deep grief."

It was Kim's mother, Mrs. Han Yun-myung, who gave him the strength and encouragement needed to pursue a career in art by refusing to let him be limited by his hearing loss.

The day after entering elementary school at the age of seven, Kim contracted typhoid fever. His illness persisted for several months, left him deaf and as a natural consequence, speech-deficient as well.

Korean mothers often view handicapped children as heaven's punishment for their own sins. As a result, they lavish them with attention and make few demands upon them. Mrs. Han's reaction was different. It was her belief that through constant encouragement and strict discipline, Kim could overcome his disabilities and pursue any career he chose.

"Even though I am now passed 70, I can still remember my mother holding a whip, her eyes filled with tears," he says. "The memory of her teachings helps me retain my strength. It revitalizes me in every moment of my life."

Although Mrs. Han urged her son to return to school as soon as he had fully recovered, his inability to follow the lessons doomed normal education to failure. Kim instead stayed at home for the next four years, drawing and dreaming of becoming a painter.

At 11, Kim reentered elementary school. Through those lonely and difficult days, with only his scribblings and random drawings as friends, he persevered. With the help of his mother's tutoring, he eventually finished primary school.

Kim's father suggested the boy learn carpentry as a means of support. Mrs. Han, however, rejected

the idea. She was still determined that her son not be limited by his handicap, so arranged for him to study with the Oriental master Kim Un-ho, who painted and taught under the name Yidang.

Under Yidang's tutelage, Kim adopted the brush name Unbo and devoted himself to art. In May 1931, only six months after starting work with the master, he offered a painting to the Tenth Chosen Art Exhibition. The presentation of this piece, of young girls on a seesaw, their pigtails tied with colorful ribbons in classic Korean tradition, marked the start of a professional career that has spanned 56 years.

It is a career that has been studded with fits and starts. In 1932, barely a year after his first exhibition, Unbo's mother died. The aspiring artist, unable to finance further studies himself, was nearly forced to abandon his dreams of an art career for more gainful employment. But at the critical moment, his grandmother, Mrs. Lee Chongjin stepped in to become his sponsor and salvage his career.

Though his circumstances were spartan at best, Unbo persevered.

He was determined not to forsake his mother's wishes or his own goal.

After several years of concentrated study, Unbo established himself within Korea's art circle.

Eventually, appreciation of his work spread to neighboring Japan, opening the door to international recognition and to the entry of the third important woman in his life-Park Rae-hyun.

In 1942, Miss Park was a student at the Tokyo Women's Art School. A promising young artist working under the name Uhyang, she had won first place with her entry in that year's Chosen Art Exhibition. Knowing of Unbo's renown and assuming him to be an aged master, she arranged a meeting with him. She was surprised ¡ to find the acclaimed artist to be a much younger man than she had imagined, and Unbo was attracted by her beauty and charm.

After a four-year courtship, they were married and Unbo still believes that "Her visit to me then was the will of God."

For the next 30 years, until her death in 1976, Uhyang shared Unbo's life as his wife, friend, secretary, teacher and artistic partner. When they were first married, Unbo was scarcely able to speak.

And though he never achieved full command of spoken language, through Uhyang's ceaseless efforts and encouragement Unbo eventually learned to communicate orally.

While pursuing separate forms of expression, Unbo and Uhyang worked as a team, encouraging, advising and assisting each other.

50

In 1948, they held the first of 17 joint exhibitions at the Tonghwa (now Shinsegye) Department Store in Seoul. The exhibition, marked by their different art styles, drew crowds of viewers, and numerous collectors lined up to purchase their works.

By 1956, Unbo and Uhyang were both acknowledged Korean artists, garnering¡ the Presidential Prize in the Fifth National Art Exhibition and the Eighth Korean Art Association Exhibition, respectively.

During the 1960s, the couple

embarked on extensive travels abroad to view and study the art of the West. They toured and exhibited as they traveled: at the Sao Paulo Biennale in Brazil in 1968; the East-West Center in Hawaii, the Obelisk Gallery in Washington, the Asia Museum in New York in 1964; and in a series of displays in the major cities of France in 1968 and 1969.

Unbo's tours culminated in 1970, with an exhibition of his work at the New York Museum of Modern Art-the first by an Oriental artist.

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The partnership of Unbo and Uhyang was a rich and rewarding one that endured until her death in 1976.

Unbo's career as an artist has been characterized by continual search and experimentation. He is an artist of many moods and moves freely from figurative to abstract painting, sometimes even combining abstract expressionism with figurative themes.

"An artist can achieve a new creation only through continuous searches and trials," he says. "The

diversity of my work has been formed through a natural process of its own. I myself cannot say in what shape the creativity of my artistic world will demonstrate itself."

Unbo's early works are colorful products of realism . The paintings he produced during the period between his first entry in the Choson Art Exhibition at the age of 18 to his selection for the Ch' angd6k Palace Award (forerunner of the Presidential Award) at the age of 24, show a strong inclination toward the Northern School of

Oriental painting, with its delicate touches and clear colors. During this early period of his career, Unbo sought to portray the world in a highly objective manner.

Korea's liberation from Japanese occupation in 1945 marked a turning point in Unbo's art. He began to demonstrate a growing tendency toward the Southern School of Oriental painting, and to interpret the essence of his subjects in a more intuitive manner.

The change in Unbo's art became more pronounced following 51

the two. As Unbo explains, his abstractionism is not an import from Europe, but a natural product originating in the Oriental image. In the works he presented in Sao Paulo, be explored a new dimension of composition and color reminiscent of Koryo Kingdom celadon or Choson Kingdom porcelain.

Unbo has been called an artist of wildness. Born in the Year of the Tiger, his personality as well as his painting exudes tremendous power.

His dominant themes-rearing horses, charging bulls, fighting cocks and jostling crabs-are characterized by an exciting vitality in their grand and imposing com-

the Korean War with a stronger move toward abstractionism.

Together with like-minded artists, Unbo sought to modernize his art by breaking through the boundaries of traditional Oriental painting. As a leader of the movement, Unbo's influence on Oriental painting circles in Korea was widely felt and the modernization of Korean art came to be a dominant theme of this period.

By 1963, with his exhibition at the Sao Paulo Biennale, Unbo had established himself as a preeminent abstract painter. But he did not reject the art of the Orient. Instead, he found a means of harmonizing

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position, and in the use of strong colors framed by bold black lines.

Some of Unbo's admirers see his work as a sign of innocence and humor, which has its roots in traditional Korean folk painting.

Unbo has described his Pabosansu (Foolish Nature), a drawing based on Korean traditional village life which demonstrates humor through rough expression, as "a result of my efforts to instill the spirit of folk painting into the world of my art. Our folk painting is a great art. In presenting the simple life of common people, it contains a lot of wit and humor with no exaggeration."

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With the Oriental master Kim Un-ho (Yidang}, who greatly influenced Unbo's painting style. Having studied only six months under Yidang's tutlelage, Unbo entered a painting in the 10th Choson Art Exhibition in May 1930.

52

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He characterizes a similar work, Ch'ongnoksansu (Green Hills and Blue Rivers), as "the natural destination of my art." Critics say it exemplifies the images of Korean landscape in its natural colors.

A deep, religious faith is also evident in Unbo's art. A recent convert to Catholicism, Unbo says that "Nothing can sever the relationship between art and God." His belief that genuine art can only be realized through dialog with God is perhaps best shown in his painting entitled The Life of Christ, a popular illustration on Korean Christmas cards today.

This painting, which depicts Christ

attired in traditional Korean dress, was completed during a year Unbo spent in Challa Province while taking shelter from the Korean War. The energy and vitality expressed in Unbo's art-in the vigorous themes of his paintings and the bold, unrestrained stroke of his brush-are also due to the rage and frustration caused by his hearing loss. The power of his art lies in his paintings.

In this regard,-- Unbo often likens himself to Lim Kok-chong, a peasant who lived during King Myongjong's reign (1545-1567) during the Choson Kingdom. Outraged by the greed of the landed

yangban and their oppression of the peasant class, Yim staged a popular rebellion. Though caught and beheaded in 1562, Yim's revolutionary spirit and courage captured the admiration of the common people.

"What differentiates me from Yim is that while he followed the way of a rebel, I put my indignation onto the canvas," Unbo says.

"I think the basic source of the strength of my art can be found in the burst of condensed anger and agony of a man who can neither hear nor speak."

Unbo has directed that same anger and frustration toward eliminating discrimination against the handicapped, still prevalent in Korean society. Having overcome his own physical handicap to excel in the field of art, Unbo is now working to help others do the same. He has founded the Korean Welfare Association for the Deaf and financed construction of its four-story facility in soutneastern Seoul. More importantly, he has established the Unbo Center, a training institute for the deaf which provides rehabilitation, counselling, job placement, vocational training, sign language instruction and other services.

In the more than five decades since Unbo first entered the Choson Art Exhibition at the age of 18, his drive, determination and dedication to art have not diminished.

"I feel able to continue my work for at least 10 more years and am now envisioning a ten-year plan to complete a total of 50 paintings, all in large sizes," he says. "I don't feel any limit to my life.

Limitedness is another expression of reluctance to challenge. My only goal is to jump into limitedness and overcome all obstacles. Deep in my late years, I will not cease to move my brush on the canvas and reap my works as the fruits of my life just as I pluck ripened apples from the tree of wisdom and the forest of experience. I have too many things to do." +

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PHOTO ESSAY

The Varied Traditions. of

rano ~

[ one of the four prin, cipal traditional holidays, falls on the fifth day of the Fifth Month by the lunar calendar. Koreans have long believed that in the odd · months, if the number of the mQnth and day- coincides that it is a lucky day. Thus the first day of the First Month, the third day of the Third Month, the seventh day of the Seventh Month and the ninth day of the Ninth Month are also holidays.· Tana, which was also called Ch'i5njungii51, Chun-oji51, Tanyangji51 or Surinnal, falls just after the

sgring-planting at a time when, according to the Taoist philosophy of yin and yang, the yang or ~ positive forces are at their height and everything is at its best and most vigorous. The "o" of Tano means "horse" which is one of the 12 signs of the Oriental zodiac and also stands for the noon hour. The horse is a positive sign.

The other names for the day grew out of the customs or beliefs associated with the festival. For instance, the name "SurinnaJ:: either comes from the name of a rice cake, suritti5k, which- was flavored with surich 'i leaves, a wild green collected ill the mountains on Tano, or it might have come from another kind of rice cake which was made in the shape of a wheel and flavored with mugwort. The word for wheel is sureoakwi and the rice -cake and possibly the day takes its name from that_. ·

Women on Tano Day by Shin Yun-bok, late 18th century-early 19th century, Chosiin period (National Treasure No. 135). Ink and colors on paper, 18.3cm x 35.2cm, Kansong_Art Museum, Seoul, Korea.

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Most- of the Tano customs are intended either to beat the heat, drive out evil spirits or prevent illness. During the Choson Kingdom (1392-1910), for instance, the king presented specially made fans to high-ranking court officials and retainers. These fans were called Tanoson, after the holiday.

Another custom intended to prevent skin disease and bring relief from the summer heat was to wash the' face with the dew -from a leaf lettuce picked early on Tano morning.

Many of the Tano customs were ' intended to prevent disease and expel evil spirits. Two kinds of medicines were made especially for the king on Tano: chehot'ang, a kind of herb tea and okchudan, a Pill coated with~golden powder.

The latter was not only taken on Tano but also was carried around throughout the summer in the belief that it woukl drive out evil spii:its and ensure good fortune.

Slices of dried pumpkin were also carried around the waist to protect the wearer from disease.

Ssuk 6r mugwort and ikmoch'o or_motherwort w:ere used in herb _

medicine and it was said that those dug up at the "ho.rse-hour" of noqn on Tano and dried in the shade made the most potent medicine.

Mugwort has been thought to have magical properties since the founding of the-nation. According to a national foundation myth, a bear and a tiger were told to eat mugwort and garlic and remain in a cave for 100 days. The tiger became impatient and left but the bear followed the instructions and turned into a beautiful woman who subsequently gave birth to Tan-gun, the legendiil'Y founder of Korea. Nevertheless, mugwort, collected on Tano, was used to flavor rice cakes and soup or dried for medicinal purposes. ¡ Another Tano custom was for girls to wash their hair in a brook which1 flowed east because, since the sun Fises in the east, that direction was considered to be the source of great stamina. People prayed to the east to expel evil spirits and diseases and to invite good fortune.

Women also washed their hair in water boiled with iris and made Qrnamental hairpins with iris. They painted both ends of the hairpins

Farmer's Music and Dance during the Kangniing Tano Festival

red and wrote the characters for longevity and good fortune on them. It was hoped they would ensure good health and repel evil spirits.

On Tano, talismans were hung on the door or column of a house or carried on one's person. They read in part that "On the fifth day of the fifth moon, the spirit ... will annihilate 404 diseases and thus heavenly blessings and earthly fortunes will be obtained ... " On the talismans was an image of Ch 'oyong, a legendary figÂľre believed to fight disease, or a peach which was believed to repel evil spirits and disease. Another custom associated with Tano is the "date tree wedding. " It was believed that if a round stone was placed between the branches of a date tree at noon on Tano , as a symbol of the tree's 'marriage, it would bear more fruit. It was also believed that if the branches were trimmed early in the morning on .the first full moon day of the year, this too would increase the fruit .

Tano was an especially important holiday in the northern p,art

of the peninsula and even today in Kangnung in Kangwon-do Province, Tano is still a great featival at which homage is paid to the tutelary deity of Taegwallyong Pass. It is said that at this place, a monk helped the exhausted troops of Wang Kon, the founder of the Koryo Kingdom (918-1392), to ¡ revive and thus defeat the troops of Latter Paekche. The monk has since been revered as the tutelary deity of Taegwallyong Pass and ceremonies haveoeen observed in his honor on Tano.

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Those who broke the taboo were beli~ved to arouse the anger of the gods and were punished.

After the arrival of the spirit, a shamanist rite is held. A 16th century record reports that 100 shamans took part in the ritual, which was intended, in part, to ensure the safety of travelers to ¡ and from Seoul¡who had to pass through Taegwallyong Pass. The mountain roads were rugged and there were many wild beasts.

It was also intencled to protect the nearby villages from the wild animals and disease. A mask dance followed, performed by the servants of the local magistrate, and, unlike other mask dances, it did not have any dialogue.

According to legend the deities which appear at ~Tano have definite characters and specific roles. The tutelary deity of Taegwallyong Pass is believed to spend several nights once a year at this time with a female spirit, Chingny6. -

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Tano falls at the beginning of the summer season when the planting is over and it is possible for the farmers to take time out for fun.

Two of the traditional activities on this day are swinging for the girls and ssiriim or Korean wrestling for the boys and men. Girls, dressed up for the festival in brightly colored traditional clothing, swing sta~ding up, often in pairs. The point is to go as high as possibleeven to climb to the heavens.

Sslrum, or Korean wrestling, matches are the festival's only event for men.

Ssiriim matches were held outdoors in the gi;ass or on the beach. They began -with matches bet.ween the young boys and then between the adults .. The-early matches were just for fun but as the day wore on, they become very serious. The final winner is called "' Changsa or "Super Strong Man" and¡ was aw..arded an ox, no small prize,,.,especially in the old ctays when a good ox was essential to a farmer's livelihood. â&#x20AC;˘

HERITAGE

The Sttucture and Ornamentation

of Yi Dynasty's *Architecture

By Evelyn McCune

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arly in the dynasty, in order to exercise some control over the spate of building that attended the erection of the new capital, a government office was created for the supervision of construction and the inspection of materials. This office continued to operate throughout the dynasty.

Certain subfunctions, such as that of inspecting tile accessories, were important enough to rate a special office like the Tile Bureau, which at the close of the dynasty employed forty-four tile experts. All substandard products were officially broken in a special annual ceremony held at the close of the ninth month.

In construction itself, many ancient methods were (and still are) used to accomplish such universal tasks as that of nailless jointure both in major projects and in cabinet work. Complicated jointure techniques were required in the solution of how best to achieve the safe interlocking of pillars and brackets in the larger halls. The methods for the transference of stress in roof construction through the building up of crossbeams and the use of a series of poles were thoroughly time-tested and standardized. Where maximum outside lighting was required, architects and builders developed a variety of methods of roof construction to accommodate buildings with wings and gables. These additions to the basic structure were especially popular for study pavilions and schools, where access to outside light was essential. An interior sketch of a study wing of this kind contains such furnishings as bookcases, armrests, brush containers, charcoal brazier, and so forth.

*Chosiion Kingdom (1392-1910)

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The ornamentation of important buildings was generally done in carved or painted wood, sometimes in both. A common design used for decorating beams or brackets was the scroll. Stylized lotus, peony, and vine were also found everywhere with little variation in form or color. Many of the decorations used on the walls, eaves, and ceilings were symbolic: animal, floral, and geometric. Among the animal symbols, the most frequently used were the dragon, the tiger, the phoenix, and the tortoise or "black warrior," which have been employed from antiquity to represent the four directions of the compass. In Korean as well as in Chinese cosmology, time and space were at first symbolically divided into four sections .

These sections or directions, and later the four seasons, were assigned to the abovenamed four animals, which represented east, west, south, and north respectively. Later, time and space came to be divided into twelve sections, and the twelve animals of the zodiac came to be associated with them. These symbols figured even more prominently in Korean art than in Chinese. Not only did they appear in the Koguryo tombs but continued to be¡ used down to modem times. Their use in the tombs of Unified Shilla is especially notable. The throne hall of Kyongbokkung Palace, built as late as 1870, features them; the four deities are found on the posts of the stair railings on each side of the upper terrace, and the twelve deities on the posts of the lower terrace. According to one authority, there appears to have been no palace in China where the zodiacal animals were so placed.

The dragon in association with the tiger represented spiritual in contrast with physical strength. In Korea the dragon representing the king was sometimes shown with seven claws, whereas the Chinese imperial dragon had five. Sometimes the dragon is shown holding a pearl, the symbol of changelessness, while the dragon itself represents change. F1ames rising from either or both indicate their supernatural aspects. The tiger is the symbol par excellence of bravery and military prowess. In Korea, where the Siberian tiger has been at home and uncontested for centuries, this symbol has had a real meaning. In antiquity the tiger was worshipped before Chinese civilization ever entered the country. When it appears in tomb murals or on garden walls, it is to be regarded as a protector against evil. The phoenix represents a sun bird as well as a combination of other fantastic birds. It stands for the second in power in any pair of relationships, sym¡ bolizing, for example, the queen or the empress. The chirin (in Chinese, ch'i-lin), a fabulous one-horned

creature that is part deer, indicates an ausp1c1ous event. Another ancient Chinese mythical animal, the haet'ae (in Chinese, chieh-chai), is supposedly able to tell the innocent from the guilty and to eat fire, and for this reason is used as a symbol on ridgepoles and the fronts of buildings to ward off fire. Other symbols that supposedly possess the ability to protect against fire are the little clay figures called chapsang that are found along the lower roof lines. These prophylactic images also appear outside the gates and on the railing posts of palaces, where they have been placed to scare off fire demons. Another architectural adjunct of charm and picturesqueness is the waterspout or end-tile of a ridgepole in the form of a dragon's head (yongdu), a well-preserved example of which may be seen near the water gate at Suwon.

Among Buddhist symbols extensively used in Korean architecture are the lotus and the Eight Treasures, which comprise a pair of books, rhinoceroshorn cups, a jewel, a lozenge, a painting, a jade

A dragon design decorating the ceiling of a royal pavilion in Kyongbokkung Palace (below}. Shown on the opposite page are the stone haet'ae images on the railings surrounding Kiinjongjon, the main throne hall of Kyongbokkung Palace.

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chime, an artemisia leaf, and a coin. The lotus is an ancient Indian symbol encompassing all existence, blossoming as it does out of primal waters and therefore signifying all phenomena, good as well as bad. Thus the pink lotus, on the one hand, symbolizes fertility and pas~ion while the white lotus, on the other, signifies purity and passionlessness. The Eight Treasures are frequently found on ceramics, mats, chests, and scores of other objects.

The popular symbols of longevity are Taoist rather than Buddhist in origin. They include the crane, the tortoise, the deer, a spray of fungus, the pine, the peach, and sometimes the red ball of the sun. The tortoise has other meanings besides that of longevity, one of these being destructive force. Gunpowder cases, for example, were made in the shape of a tortoise.

The sagunja or "four gentlemen" - the orchid, the plum, the bamboo, and the chrysanthemum-are Confucian symbols of the four qualities of the superior man. The orchid represents refinement associated with disinterested friendship; the plum, courage; the bamboo, integrity; and the chrysanthemum, a productive prime of life. ¡ These two sets of symbols, those for longevity and those denoting the qualities of the superior man, are often found together on screens, brass-bound boxes, trays, and other furnishings. They are also often found painted on the white-plastered inside walls of many upper-class residences. Tortoise-shell designs, in their simplest connotation of long life, are immensely popular in Korea, where they frequently appear on the brick walls of palaces, on pavements, and on a great variety of homely objects.

The sagunja (four gentlemen) are Confucian symbols of the four qualities of a superior man.

A picture of the sun and moon, symbolizing the authority of the king, adorns the throne in Kunjiingjon.

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Several other geometric patterns which also appear on walls, mats, and pavements are the thunder pattern (Greek fret); the weaving pattern, an ancient universal symbol for the making whole of that which is divided; and the symbol that is perhaps the oldest of all-even older than Buddhism in Korea-the swastika. Associated with the king and his palace, this symbol probably denoted the radiation of divine power from the king in all directions and in all seasons.

Among these semimagical geometric symbols must be included several Chinese ideograms representing good fortune, long life, happiness, wealth, and the like. The bat symbolized good fortune because its name, pok, is pronounced the same way as the ideogram for good fortune in Korean. Thus a group of five bats decorating a screen or a chest symbolized five different kinds of good fortune, while a group of three might mean long life, wealth, and many sons.

Two semipolitical symbols also deserve mention: the plum blossom and the t'aegiik. The stylized plum blossom formed the crest of the Yi household, and the t'aegiik still forms the central design of the Korean Hag. The t'aegiik (in Chinese, t'ae-chi) is made up of two comma-shaped figures representing the principles of yang and yin and indicating the interaction of such opposites as good and evil, light and darkness, and so 0n, as well as symbolizing the creation of the cosmos

The t'aegiik is a symbol of the creation of the cosmos.

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and the reciprocal action of these principles in the phenomena of daily life. In China the yang or male principle is represented by the color black and the yin or female principle by the color red, and the juxtaposition of the two in the t'aegiik symbol signifies continual change, or the world in flux. When the Koreans adopted the symbol for their flag, they used a blue for the yang principle to connote a weaker yang and thereby show respect to China. The comma shape of the yang and yin signifies that one is always changing with respect to the other; therefore a weaker or a stronger member is always possible. Logically one would suppose that the Korean flag should display a larger yin area and a smaller yang area if Korea's weaker status vis-a-vis China is to be shown, but the Koreans chose to use the symbol as it stood. The flag was not created until 1878.

The lines in the corners of the flag represent a further symbolization of the diverse phenomena found in the tangible world. For example, three unbroken lines stand for earth or transitory power; two unbroken lines with a broken line between signify water, whereas the opposite arrangement denotes fire.

Literally hundreds of identifications with the phenomena of life can be read into these trigrams, which are among the most ancient of symbols to be found on the flags of the present-day world. +

ART Posthumous Exhibitions Held for Three Painters

By Kim In-hwan

Posthumous exhibitions displaying the works of three oil painters were held at the National Museum of Contemporary Art on separate occasions during March, April and May of this year. The artists represented were Chin Yang-uk, Lee Rim and Ch'oe Uk-gyong.

The first.exhibition, held March 21 through April 30, featured the works of Chin Yang-uk. Chin, who was in his fifties when he died, was active primarily in the city of Kwangju.

Chin initially approached the world of nature in an impressionist mode. His art underwent transformation after his return from a year's study in the United States. The contours of the objects he portrayed gradually became more obscure and he made a clearly noticeable shift from the figurative world to that of the nonfigurative.

His canvases, which show a twodimensional composition and are fil1° ed with diverse and brilliant colors, are optimistic, vigorous and cheerful.

His main theme centers on natural scenery and his abundant use of color is reminiscent of a symphony.

Chin depicted natural scenes boldly and flawlessly, simplifying his canvas in a suggestive way by employing ellipsis. The method he chose for transcending the world of visible subjects and for presenting natural imag~ suggestively in a moderate manner was to not rely on a strictly geometrical composition, but to employ pliant expression with close contact between colors. In his later years, Chin solidified his position as a color painter by gracing his canvases with a more unique luster.

The art of Lee Rim was featured in the second exhibition in this series sponsored by the National Museum of

Contemporary Art and was held from April 10 to 20. Lee, who was in his sixties when he died, based his artistic activities in the city of Masan.

Lee went to Japan in the 1940s to train in the fine arts and by the end of World War II in 1945, he was fully engaged as an artist. During his initial period, Lee explored the figurative style of painting and his themes were derived mainly from native elements found in:'rural settings. His early works are rich in native flavor and yet they are characterized by his ability to go

Chin Yang-uk. Blue Mountain. 1982. Oil on canvas.

90.9 x 72.7cm.

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Ch'oe Uk-kyong released her imaginings on large canvases. Children's Heaven. 19n. Acrylic on can

beyond the more juvenile and common sentiments . At times he employed a slight degree of distortion in his portrayals which often dealt with human figures. One of his more typical images during this stage was of a Korean woman with a basket or water jar balanced on her head.

During the second half of the 1950s, when the tide of the nonfigurative fine arts movement began to sweep across Korea, Lee, too, became a nonfigurative painter. He partitioned his canvases in such a manner as to create a well-balanced whole. His paintings express a 72

geometrical composition filled with cold colors and rich texture. As a painter, Lee was able to explore both figurative and nonfigurative art extensively in spite of the apparent disparity between the two styles.

The final exhibition in this series featured the paintings of Ch'oe Ukgyong, the only woman among this group, and was held from April 28 to May 17. Ch'oe was only in her forties when she died shortly after returning to Korea to teach at a university in Seoul following years of study and teaching in the United States.

Ch' oe was a born artist who came to be known as a "little giant" in the field. Her art exudes a feeling of enormous strength and the roar of beasts is said to be heard in her paintings.

She once explained her art by saying, "The life of living things breathes in my paintings."

The origin of Ch' oe works was an "encounter with nature." Despite the fact that her paintings are nonfigurative in style and nature is not presented in the way it actually appears, there is a sense of nature living spiritually in her works without being

confined.

The overall tone of Ch' oe art demonstrates the force and rhythm of expressionism . Each of her works is r1ch in expression and emanates her own unique personality. Although she never completely crossed over the boundaries of nonfigurative painting, she did, at times, introduce vague contours in a limited manner.

This resourceful artist explored the full range of her imagination freely.

She projected her imaginings into the world of nature and released them on her canvas. She was exceptionally proficient at gradually breaking through the objectiveness of her subjects in order to allow for the free flow of her imaginative faculty and sense.

Ch'oe was an artist large in scale.

This is not to say that her paintings are large in size; rather, she was an artist in large scale because of her free experimentation in various styles and her search for multilateral methods of delineation for two-dimensional and three-dimensional objects. That this vigorous and active painter died a mysterious death at an early age is a great losยงi to the fine arts world. +

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DANCE Artists Explore Avenues for Popularizing Dance

By Chung Hi-chang

One dance performance followed another in rapid succession during the first half of 1987 as if driven by a gale.

Among these were several conscientious works which were havens of creativity within this storm of artistic activity.

These works, presented by artists who are attempting to redefine the role and structure of dance in modern society, included a performance arranged by Park 11-kyu, the Korean Dance Festival, the Ch'ump'ae Pallim and a presentation of modern Korean dances by 12 choreographers.

While a variety of forms were represented in these presentations, all were focused on finding a new mode of dance expression, one that the artists feel will better suit the modern age. Each of these attempts grew out of the searchings of dancing artists who are dissatisfied with their art as it is generally presented today. All of them, therefore, were seeking the answer to a single question: What should dance be in the modern age?

While this will remain a perennial question, each of these artists tried to clarify his individual position on the role of modern dance and, in so doing, all were taking steps in the long march toward forging a common stance.

The performance arranged by Park 11-kyu, who actively advocates the need for popularizing dance, was presented on April 25 and 26 at the Korean Culture and Arts Foundation auditorium by the Dongrang Dancing Ensemble in celebration of its founding.

The main question Park aimed at answering in this presentation was, "For whom should we dance?" On the premise that men in modern society actually constitute one single mass of

people, he experimented with dances that would appeal to this universal view.

Another problem he addressed in this performance was how to arrange a stage so that it would breathe in unison with the audience, Park tried to unify actors and audience with his rendition of "Our Songs, My Dances" and by extending the range of the stage lighting to include the spectators.

The Korean Dance Festival, held from April 27 to May 1 at the Korean Culture and Arts Foundation auditorium, entailed experimental performances aimed at presenting a new view of traditional Korean dances.

Whereas other performances struggled with the question, "What should art adopt as its object?", works introduced at the dancing festival still shouldered the heavy burden of tradition and grappled with alternate means for understanding this enormous entity.

Performances at the dancing festival which "re-examined tradition with a new vision" included the monk dance, the Ch'oyong dance and Kanggang-suwolle, There are two methods for applying a new vision to traditional dances which have already been established in an almost perfect form. One is to create new dances with new content, purpose and outlook. The other is to create new dances by improving upon movements original to traditional dances or by tenaciously exploring one characteristic movement.

Ch'ump'ae Pallim, which was aimed at appealing to the general public, was presented from May 8 to 10 at the Mirinae Art Theater. The Ch'ump'ae Pallim divides society into two groups: the rulers and

A Song for Agonies in the Secular World, a ballet piece by Kim Siin-hi, incorporated the techniques of Korean traditiona l dance and Western classical ballet.

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All 12 choreographers were seeking the answer to a single question: What should dance be in the modern age?

Soul of Dance by Yun Duck-gyong expressed an encounter between poetry and dance.

those who are oppres.sed by them. Its purpose is to present dances that will portray the agony of the masses as well as awaken society to its plight.

For example, in the third act, spectators in the front row are asked to hold the poles which will later be hurled at the oppreswrs of laborers.

Seeing this work arouses concern that ideology will insinuate itself into the dancing art and become an es.5ential element of it, and that the art will thus become degraded as a mere means of expressing ideology.

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The presentation of modem Korean dances by 12 choreographers active in the fields of traditional Korean dance, ballet and modem dance was held from May 11 to 13 at the Korean Culture and Arts Foundation auditorium. The significance of this presentation of dances lies in the fact that it assembled in a single performance a variety of dance forms, including traditional, ballet and modem, which have all been rendered separately in the past. That dances belonging to such different genres were performed

together suggests that Korean dancers can overcome the strictures imposed by tradition as seen at the dancing festival. Performances such as the one rendered jointly by these 12 choreographers also helps enable us to see the essence common to all Korean dances. In fact, "With What Should We Wash Our Flesh?" and "Pich'onmu," although laced with the flavor of tradition, were original and were among the most richly performed works introduced at the festival. +

DRAMA Dramas That Challenge Religion

By Han Sang-chul

Religious beliefs and practices were challenged in several plays staged in Seoul during the first half of 1987.

These Korean dramas differed in nature from Western religious dramas presented in the past in that they placed emphasis on re-examining and criticizing religious problems from a social perspective. In so doing, they shared a number of common features.

First, they questioned the traditional role of Christian religion and focused on the social roles churches are asked to play. Second, they aimed their attacks on the secularization and degradation of Korean churches and were, at times, openly blasphemous. Third, almost all of the dramas presented churchmen as objects of abuse and ridicule.

These characteristics stem from the fact that religious dramatists in Korea, lacking the background and tradition of religious drama found in the West, approach religion from a more secular and practical standpoint. In these plays, they viewed the relationship between man's agony and God's providence and salavation as an antagonistic one and, as a result, they emphasized dissatisfaction rather than harmony and peace. Furthermore, a high degree of sensationalism underscored their treatment of religion.

Two examples of this type of sensationalized drama which were well received by audiences are God Has Parted from Man's Land (written by Park Chan-hong and presented by the Sajo Theatrical Company) and God's Daughter (written by Kim Sung-soo and presented by the Kwangdae Theatrical Company).

God Has Parted from Man 's Land opens with a large church cross having been destroyed. In its place, a book entitled God Has Parted from

A scene from The Son of Man, adapted from a best-selling novel by Lee Moon-yul, presented by the Shilhom Theatrical Company under the direction of Ha T'ae-jin.

Man 's Land is found. These two drama concludes with his shouting to events - the destruction of the cross God to part from man's land.

God Has Parted from Man's and the appearance of the book seem to symbolically allude to Christ's Land fire a barrage of attacks aimresurrection. The story focuses on the ed at a number of targets including actions of three main characters: the ¡ the church's inducements to alms, the head clergyman of the church, who luxurious life of the clergy and the is determined to identify the criminal; church's propensity for fetishism. a second clergyman, who has been Clergymen, as the main targets of the called upon to help locate the culprit; attacks, fall victim to the audience's and a doctor who is studying Freud- ridicule.

In this play, God is asked to refrain ian psychoanalysis and denies the existence of God . The criminal from binding men to Him with his eventually presents himself and the dignity apd words and to allow men 75

to establish their freedom and independence from Him. Even though there may be a shadow of truth in this proposition, it does not address the relationship between God and man as a whole. In the. end, the main accomplishment of this drama is to satisfy the low desire of ordinary people to banter God and churchmen.

This, however, may be the very factor which was appealing to the audience.

God's Daughter presents a disillusioned Catholic nun as its heroine. In rebellion, she steals in order to be arrested by the police and also decides to get pregnant. She does so in order to feel and fulfill the roles of mother, wife and sister of the suffering. She refuses to return to the church because she believes it has taken ill and has failed to save the poor. In the end, her antagonism toward the priest and mother superior who are devoted solely to the honor of the church is not resolved.

The drama tries to present as its theme the idea that all are thieves and

deserve to be imprisoned. This, however, is no more than an expression of the resentment given birth by the passion of youth, and also deserves criticism as a superficial insight.

One play that makes a relatively sincere effort to address the essence of the religious question is The Son of Man (written by Lee Moon-yul, directed by Ha T'ae-jin, and presented by the Silhom Theatrical Company).

The drama is based on the idea that it was not God who created man, but man who created God. The playwright shares some of the same thoughts as Park Chan-hong who wrote God Has Parted from Man's Land.

In The Son of Man, the hero creates a new god - one who leaves man free to follow his own will - to replace the Christian God who demands piety and restraint. Believing in this new god, the hero does not hesitate to commit crimes to save the poor and eventually commits murder.

However, during the course of the play, the hero realizes that the god he

has created cannot be a god of forgiveness and salvation and so he returns to the Christian God. Rather than focusing on problems related to organized religion or the church establishment, The Son of Man explores religion as a means for relieving human suffering and dealing with the problems of everyday life.

Another interesting aspect of this play is that the plot is in many ways similar to that of a mystery story.

In short, religious problems should be settled by the church and should not be dealt with in a state of temporary passion or excitement. Dramas , in dealing with such issues on a secular stage, risk becoming low and childish in nature unless they are presented in a spirit of sincerity and given careful consideration. Dramatic presentations can, by no means, provide an effective method for solving all of the social problems facing the church. +

The Son of Man, directed by Ha T'ae-jin, explores religion as a means for relieving human suffering.

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ART NEWS Hong Shin-ja and Her Troupe Give Municipal Orchestra Modem Dance Performance in Gives Pan- generations New York Concert New York-based Korean dancer Hong Shin-ja and her modern dance company, the Laughing Stones, performed "Matters of Fact" at the Theater La Mama, Etc. in New York from June 10 to 14. ¡ Eleven dancers appeared in this show, the latest creation of the Seoulborn dancer. The New York Times noted in its June 15 review that Ms. Hong, who also choreographed the performance, seemed to have grasped the heart of the matter and successfully expanded upon the powerful, short dances in this piece.

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra presented "a concert for all generations" at the Sejong Cultural Center main hall on May 29 . The concert was designed to appeal to an expanded audience and included a range of selections from differing categorical divisions in music.

The program included "A Concerto for Kayagiim" (Korean 12-stringed zither) by Chong Yun-ju, "An Ensemble for Latin Jazz and Orchestra'_' by Ryu Pong-song and "Fireworks" by Yang In-bok.

Male Dance Company Established Leading folk dancer Chong Chaeman has formed a male dance company comprised primarily of his students specializing in traditional Korean dance. The 16-member company gave its inaugural performance at the National Theater on June 1.

Chong said that his company,

Hong Shin-ja and her modern dance company, the Laughing Stones, performing Matters of Fact.

An inaugural performance by the Chong Chae-man Male Dancers Company.

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named the Chong Chae-man Male Dancers Company, aims at creating a "new Korean dance" through technical mastery of both traditional Korean and modern Western dances.

The inaugural program included a performance of Hullyongmu, or the Dance of Instructions, which was characterized by vigorous movements by the dypamic male dancers.

77

ART NEWS Pae Ryung Gives Exhibition at Jean's Gallery

Quintet Performs at Int'l Folk Festival in Canada

Dance Festival Features Korean and Western Repertoire

San Francisco-based Korean artist Pae Ryung gave an exhibition of prints and paper collages at Jean's Gallery in Seoul from May 14 through 21.

As a member of the modernist group in the postwar period of the 1950s, Pae avidly adopted new trends and styles in artistic creation from abroad before he went to the States.

His art is characterized by shrewd sensitivity based on intellectualism.

P'ungmulnori Madang, a quintet of folk instrumentalists specializing in farmers band music and dance, participated in the 19th International Caravan Festival which was held in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada, from June 18 to July 1.

It was the first time that a Korean musical grollp was invited to perform at the festival. More than 50 countries participated in this year's event.

-The Korean Dance Festival '87 was held at the Munye Theater in Seoul from April 27 through 30, and featured a mixed repertoire of Korean traditional dance, classical ballet and modern Western dance. The annual festival was organized by the Korean Dance Society.

Four Nations Participate in Modem Dance Festival in Seoul The Second International Festival of Korean Dance was held at the Munye Theater in Seoul on May 21 through 25, and featured 11 modern dance pieces presented by individuals and groups from Korea, Japan , Taiwan and the United States.

The foreign works presented at the festival were "The Face" and "The ¡Rock" by Mark Dendy and Company from the U.S. , "The Fox of the Himalayas" by Naomi Fujii from Japan, and "Heaven" by Grace Hsiau from Taiwan. Seven Korean groups also took part in the festival which was sponsored by the Korean Modern Dance Association.

Folk Arts Festival Features "Living National Treasures"

A scene from The Weathercock by Luckv Creative Dance Company.

The theme is the relation between machine civilization and human beings.

Lucky Creative Dance Company Presents "The Weathercock" The Lucky Creative Dance Company performed "The Weathercock," choreographed by Kim Hy6n-ja, at the Munye Theater on June 30 to July 1.

The 60-minute piece, which deals 78

with the loss of humanity in a modern society overly concerned with materialism, was the company's ¡fourth regular presentation. Music for the play was composed by An 11-ung, the stage set was by Lee Ho-jong, and the costumes were designed by Lee Su-dong.

A total of 715 traditional performing artists including 66 "living national treasures" appeared in the 18th semiannual presentation of indigenous Korean folk arts which was given from May 3 through 10 at Norimadang, a lake-side outdoor theater in Chamshil, southeastern Seoul.

The week-long festival, jointly sponsored by the Cultural Property Maintenance Office and the Korean Cultural Property Preservation Association, featured all of the 25 categories designated by the government as "important intangible cultural properti~" in the field of performing

ART NEWS arts for special conservation and transmission to future generations.

The program included masked dance dramas, folk music and dances, village games and plays, and acrobatics. Among the performers were 18 nominees for living national treasures, 114 students and apprentices, and 210 others who have finished the training courses required to be named successors to living national treasures.

The festival is held twice a year, in spring and autumn.

Memorial Hall for the Late Architect Kim Swoo-geun Dedicated The Kim Swoo-geun Memorial Hall was dedicated on the estate of the-Space Group of Korea in P'aju, northwest of Seoul, on June 14. The occasion marked the first anniversary of the death of the versatile architect who was once called Korea's Medicci for his support of artists.

More than 200 personalities representing the academic and arts communities, most of them the late architect's friends, participated in _the thre~-hour-long ceremonies for dedicating a 9 square meter (30p 'yong) hall exhibiting his personal belongings and architectural drawings ¡and for unveiling a stone monument erected at the entrance to his tomb located nearby.

Kim was one of the pioneer architects who led the construction boom which accompanied Korea's economic development from the 1960s, but he also secured a unique position among the nation's intellectual circles for his outstanding role in supporting artists. He died of liver cancer last year at the age of 56.

The Space Group of Korea, founded by the late Kim, serves primarily as an architectural workshop and studio. '_[he group devotes much of its efforts to organizing art exhibitions and performing arts programs as well as producing art-related publications.

Chong Hae-jik, an advisor to the group, told the saddened par-

ticipants at the memorial ceremonies that the group will carry on its endeavor to nurture culture and the arts in respect of the will of its founder.

Following the memorial rites, vir'tuoso folk singer Mme. Kim So-hi sang 1n traditional p'ansori style a memorial poem by Ku Sang, which was also inscribed on the just unveiled tomb stele. A quartet of traditional folk percussionists, named Samulnori, also joined the outdoor performance of Korean music and dance.

Prior to the opening of the memorial hall, a month-long art exhibition was held beginning June 13 at the Space Group of Korea building in W onso-dong near the Secret Garden, downtown Seoul, in memory of the late Kim. The exhibition featured works by 39 invited painters as well as pictures of Kim's architectural designs.

Lee Man-bang

Composer Lee Man-bang to Participate in World Music Days '87 Composer Lee Man-bang will participate in World Music Days '87, which is scheduled to be held in the three West German cities of Bonn, Koeln and Frankfurt from October 21 through November 1, under the sponsorship of the International Society for Contemporary Music.

Lee, a professor at Sookmyung

Women's University, will present a chamber ensemble piece in three ¡ movements entitled "Reflections." He said that he drew his inspiration for the piece from Korean traditional architecture.

Another Korean delegate to the international festival of contemporary music is composer Park Yong-hi who resides in West Germany.

This year's festival will be the 61st annual event sponsored by ISCM which is now affiliated w ith UNESCO and has 132 member countries around the world. The first festival was held in Salzburg in 1922, and consisted primarily of chamber music. Beginning in 1926, the festival expanded its scope to include a wide range of contemporary music.

Symposium Mulls Culture for the Middle Class A two-day symposium sponsored by the Korean Arts Critics Association featured a discussion of culture for Korea's rapidly expanding middle class. The symposium was held on May 30-31 at the KAL Hotel at Sogwip' o, a coastal resort town in southern Cheju-do.

Sessions focused mainly on the distinction between pure culture and mass culture and their differing roles.

Participants largely agreed that the value of mass culture, as a form of culture for the ever-expanding middle class, needs to be reconsidered in view of its increasing influence on society in general.

Drama critic Kim Mun-hwan, while discussing highbrow and lowbrow theater, insisted that the socalled drama for the masses which caters to their unique psychology and circumstances must be accepted a legitimate form of drama instead of being subject to pressure or denial for pol!tical reasons.

"When this popular form of drama is oppressed," said Kim, a professor at Seoul National University, "the socalled high-class theater faces the danger of fossilization or resorting to escapism."

Lee II ~ art critic and professor at

as

79

ART NEWS Hongik University, noted that, owing to the advanced copying skills today, -the concept of pure art and the function of fine art itself have to be reestablished. "Art pieces have changed from objects of worship to objects of appreciation for the general populace," Lee said.

Music critic Lee Kang-suk criticized the rampant commercialism which he said is exploiting popular music these days. In light of the basic reason for existence of the arts, Lee asserted, it is impossible to draw a clear line between the pure arts and popular arts.

Regarding movies, the most urgent¡ concern was seen to be a need to enhance general artistic standards. "It is quite ironical," film critic Ho Hyonch'an said, "that people often ask if cinema can still be considered a form of the arts when the Korean film industry has made little effort to elevate it to artistic dimensions so far ."

Dongrang Group Joins Int'l Juvenile Drama Festival in Australia The Dongrang Youth Drama Company performed The Wandering Stars, a musical depicting the problems of urban juveniles based on a script by Yun Dae-song, in Sidney and Adelaide, Australia, from April 4 to 25.

The company presented eight performances of the drama in its original Korean version in the two Australian cities at the invitation of the World Juvenile Drama Association. It also participated in the association's ninth general convention and festival .

A company spokesman said that many of the Australian youths who attended the shows appeared to understand the musical's message in spite of the language barrier. Many Koreans living in Australia also attended the performances there.

The Wandering Stars has attracted more than 100,000 spectators in Seoul and various other cities across Korea since it premiered at the National Theater in May 1985.

80

Lee Ae-ju Stages Exorcism Dance Folk dancer Lee Ae-ju gave a weeklong presentation of an exorcism dance in traditional shamanistic style at the Yonu Theater in Hyehwa-dong, downtown Seoul, from June 9.

Entitled "An Improvisational Dance-Facing the Wind," Ms. Lee's latest creation consists of four scenes; "The Seed," "The Water," "The Fire" and "The Flower."

Lee explained that her dance symbolizes the desire for a good life in conflict with the various trials, contradictions and pressures faced in modern society, which she compares to the evil spirits feared and detested in the folk belief of shamanism.

Lee, a noted dancer and choreographer, currently teaches at her alma m-ater, Seoul National University. She has been an active participant in the popular movement of employing shamanistic dance forms as a means of social criticism since the early 1970s.

Folk dancer Lee Ae-ju performed An Improvisational Dance-Facing the Wind.

ART NEWS Chosun Ilbo Holds Annual Concert of Korean Traditional Music

National Drama Company Stages Ibsen Play

Two Opera Companies Inaugurated in Seoul

The sixth annual concert of Korean traditional music sponsored by the Chosun Ilbo, a leading Seoul daily, was presented at the Sejong Cultural Center main hall on May 8 and 9.

The program featured popular pieces including a selection of p 'ansori (narrative folk music) songs, a kayagiim (12-stringed zither) ensemble, a taegiim (transverse bamboo flute) ensemble, a percussion quartet and a chamber ensemble entitled Sonyurak (The Pleasure of Boating).

For the past three years, the second part of the annual concert has been devoted to musicals adapted from traditional p'ansori. This year's concert featured a scene from Ch'unhyang-jon , a famous ancient romantic narrative.

The National Drama Company presented Henrik Ibsen's The Wild Duck under the direction of Lee Hae-rang at the National Theater small hall from June 21 through 25.

Most of the company's leading actors and actresses, including Kim Dong-won, Chang Min-ho, Paek Song-hi and Son Suk, appeared in the 1884 social satire written by the Norwegian pioneer of the modern theater.

Ibsen's play was chosen as the second in a series of the world's best plays, following Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya which was staged last December. Maxim Gorky, George B. Shaw, August Strindberg and Oscar Wilde are among the writers in the company's list for future productions.

Two new opera companies were recently formed in Seoul-the Asia Opera Company, consisting of leading vocalists from eight Asian countries, and the Modern (Hy6ndae) Opera Company, geared toward staging creative works by Korean composers.

The Asia Opera Company was established on April 2 with Korean tenor Shin ln-ch'61 as its director.

Countries represented in this new

Park No-su Presents Exhibition of Oriental Brush Paintings

scope of his interest over the past decades has largely been confined to rocks , old pine trees, old men, boys and birds. He depicts these motifs in a simplified and refined manner and presents them against highly sensitive, lyrical backgrounds.

Most of his paintings are characterized by simple composition in which he often creates a twodimensional effect. Furthermore, the colors he uses are extremely vivid and fresh.

Leading Oriental brush painter Park No-su presented some 70 paintings in his first one-man exhibition given in six years at the Paegak Gallery in downtown Seoul from May 28 through June 3.

Park, whose sobriquet is Namj6ng, or the Blue Rake, is unusually particular in choosing motifs and the

Asian musical venture, which was first conceived by singers who participated in the "Asian Vocalists' Night" at the Sejong Cultural Center last May, are Japan, . Taiwan, Hongkong, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Korea and Australia.

The company plans to put on Verdi's La Traviata next May in celebration of the Seoul Olympics.

The Modern Opera Company, led

by Kim Chin-won, has also selected an opera by Verdi, Rigoletto, for its inaugural performance scheduled for this November. The company's main thrust, however, will be performing original Korean operas.

With a view toward promoting a series of projects including vocal music competitions, performing tours to provincial areas and organizing a chorus, the Modern Opera Company has secured a support committee of some 150 members and has completed auditions for recruiting members.

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