During the Korea Week, which was held in Rome from 20 to 26 October 2022, thanks toKorean Cultural Institute in collaboration with the Ghana Art Center, an art exhibition entitled “The Era of Korean Art: The EternalThis is a traveling exhibition in various countries around the world; after Rome, it will be the turn of the United States.
The exhibition at the Korean Cultural Institute in Rome hosted around fifteen paintings by the famous Korean painter Park Dae-sung, called in art “Sosan”, i.e. small mountain.
The painter is one of the greatest interpreters of traditional Korean painting and, for the first time, he has exhibited his works in Italy.
In fact, at the prestigious Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Korea Center at Harvard University andHood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College other solo exhibitions by the artist are on display.
Let's find out more about the author, who is Sosan?
It was born in 1945, when Korea finally became independent from Japanese domination. His life is not at all easy: during the Korean War he lost his mother at the age of three, the following year his father and even his left arm to the partisans. Yet, despite his impairment, at five years old Sosan picked up brushes and, on his own, learned the art of traditional Korean painting, characterized by ink and water (Sumuk). In 1979 with the work “Sunglim”, watercolor and ink depicting a foggy field, wins first prize at Joongang Fine Art Prize and rises to prominence.
The artist, in addition to using a traditional Korean painting technique, adds modern and personal touches that give his works great luster. Famous are the “Sansuhwa”, i.e. landscapes composed in harmony with waters and mountains.
The paintings exhibited at the Korean Cultural Institute represent the masterpieces of the master Sosan, splendid landscapes act as a counterpoint to still lifes.
Without a doubt, it is the landscapes that attract the visitor's attention, with the large size of the canvas covering the walls. Korean nature stands out and is depicted in its true essence.
Spread towards the end of the Joseon dynasty (19th century), theJinkyung art it is a landscape painting that sees the Korean naturalistic panorama as its subject. Unlike the works of artists of the time, based on imaginary views, this current is based on real representations of the Korean landscape, thus painting the true essence of things. Sosan, however, does not paint specific panoramas that actually exist, but selects some elements of the reality in front of him, combining them in an original and personal way within his work. In Jinkyung art, therefore, reality becomes a tool for rediscovering ideals and nostalgia for the past.
During the inauguration, in Rome on 20 October, theKorean Ambassador, the Director of the Korean Cultural Institute and the Curator of the “Gana Art Center” exhibition. The ambassador explained that Korean culture is not just K-pop and K-drama, but still hides many precious jewels, such as the paintings of the master Sosan. In the era ofHallyu, master Sosan, representative of the Korean painting organization, aims to spread the beauty of Korean painting, made of bold and delicate lines that stand out in these wonderful landscapes that capture the true essence of Korea. The master has carved out a space for himself in the artistic panorama of his country, cultivating a unique pictorial style and carrying on the tradition of water and ink painting. In the 2000s Sosan arrived at “Sin seo Hwa il Chae”, the union of painting and calligraphy, giving maximum expression to his painting.
Fabiana Andreozzi
Credit Photo Fabiana Andreozzi