Rediscovering Korea through calligraphy

Iljoong Kim Choong-hyun’s calligraphy on a wooden tablet on the gate of Naesosa Temple on Mount Neungga in Buan, North Jeonbuk Province. The calligraphy reads “Neunggasan Naesosa.” / Courtesy of Baegak Art Space

IlJoong Kim Choong-hyun / Courtesy of Youlhwadang

By Choi Yearn-hong

Calligraphy represents not only where we come from but who we are. It is an essential part of all palace buildings and gates in the long history of Korea and can still be found today.

“Calligraphy Meets Architecture” is an exhibition at the Baegak Art Space in Insa-dong, central Seoul.

In this exhibit, calligraphy and architecture present art and symbols, a partnership that was created many centuries ago. When you visit old temples, you will find famous calligraphy on their front gates that show their names and respective meanings. The South Gate and East Gate in Seoul have their names, Sunginmun and Sungnyemun, which translates to “admiration of love” and “admiration of courtesy,” respectively.

You will also find “hyeonpan,” or signboard, calligraphy hung at the entrance gate of each temple. When you enter the compound of the temple, you will see each building has its name ― for instance, Daewungjeon, the Great Sanctuary for Meditation. Not many people see the calligraphy in front of Seoul National University. Its main entrance has a calligraphy of the late Iljoong Kim Choong-hyun (1921-2006) in Korean. If you have not paid attention to the Han River Bridge calligraphy, I encourage you to do so.

Seoul can be a museum as a whole. You will find Kim’s Hangul calligraphy on a stone on the Han River Bridge. In 1953, after the Korean War, when the bridge was rebuilt, the builder asked then-president Syngman Rhee to recommend a calligrapher. Rhee chose Kim.

Hangeul has its own calligraphy developed by Kim. Before him, calligraphy used only Chinese characters. Hangeul is based on the sounds of words, while Chinese is based on pictograms. In his adolescent days under Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945), Kim discovered the beauty of Hangeul and developed the art of traditional calligraphy.

He was born to a family that rejected Japanese education. His great grandfather, Kim Seok-jin, killed himself out of shame when the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) was annexed by Japan. After liberation, he met Chung In-bo, a scholar and statesman, and showed him a calligraphic manuscript. Chung was surprised to find a young man with such a valuable piece of work. Their relationship helped Kim become a calligrapher using both the Korean and Chinese languages.

Kim eventually established himself as the national calligrapher. You can find his works at the shrine for Admiral Yi Sun-shin on Hansan Island, Hyunchung Temple and many other historical monuments. The calligrapher passed away in

2006

. During his life time, he left calligraphy on many famous buildings, including Gyeongbok Palace.

This month, examples of Kim’s hyeonpan calligraphy, have been assembled and are on exhibition in Insa-dong as part of a memorial event by the Iljoong Memorial Foundation. Iljoong was his pen name.

Calligraphy Meets Architecture is meant to renew the presence of calligraphy in Korean history, because the art of calligraphy is fading under the influence of computers.

This annual exhibit teaches us to find calligraphy in our daily lives. When you pick up Jinro soju in a grocery store or in a bar, you will see a calligraphic rendering of Jinro. When you pass by the main Samsung building, you will see Samsung in Chinese characters. When you pass by the main Hyundai building, you will see Hyundai also in Chinese characters. They are all Kim’s calligraphic works.

When you walk next to Gyeongbok Palace wall, you will see Iljoong’s calligraphy on the Geonchunmun and Yeongchunmun gates. Geonchunmun translates to “gate of welcoming spring in the east of the palace“ and Yeongchunmun is the “gate of welcoming autumn in the west of the palace.”

The exhibition cannot show all the real calligraphy. Only photographs are assembled, but they remind us of the importance of calligraphy in our history.

Calligraphy is a means to find our artistic history. Art is and can be found in our surroundings. More than this, the beauty of Hangeul can be instilled in our minds. You should attempt to tour famous Korean temples and historical places to find calligraphy as Korean art, if you have time.

Years ago, I made a theme tour of Europe in pursuit of paintings in cathedrals. One month was short for that kind of tour. Many famous cathedrals are art galleries of famous paintings and sculptures. I did not know this before that trip.

Korea can be rediscovered in many ways. It is a small country in terms of landmass, but it is an art gallery as a nation.

Choi Yearn-hong is a poet and writer based in Washington.