| Title | Indivisible: Woman and nature- Kim Mi-jin (Professor at Graduate Schoo… | |
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Indivisible: Woman and nature Kim Mi-jin (Professor at Graduate School of Hongik University / Organization & critics) 1. Prologue
Contemporary art primarily led by the Western world is now going through dissolution in both content and form, and is creating a new concept of art based on the vision of “glocal” by combining with the regional characteristics and values of the Third World. Korean painting in the contemporary art can be interpreted as a big frame of plane genre. However, today’s Korean painting artists are under the particular situation of which they are required to do an experiment of genre with new and diverse techniques, themes and materials while maintaining aesthetic values of unique form and content of tradition.
The Women’s Association of Korean Painting is composed about about 200 artists from 1999 up to date, holding annual seminar and exhibition while concerning on this particularity of Korean painting.
Though each artist demonstrates delicate differences full of multiple sensuous expressions according to the environment in which each one has gone through, most of artists of the Women’s Association of Korean Painting portray uniquely Korean aesthetic awareness and fundamental values based on “women and nature” with which anyone can sympathize. The artists share in common in that their art is chiefly based on nature and they reinterpret the space of the Oriental painting by using colored painting instead of traditional black-and-white ink-and-wash painting or Sumukhwa.
With respect to the area with which female artists of Korean painting sympathize with nature and use as their painting materials, this article will inquire into it through Toegye, who established neo-Confucianism of Korean identity by adding logics of practice of “rationalist school” of neo-Confucianism Zhu Xi, which was the modern universal philosophy of East Asia.
2. Invisible: A poem of Toegye “Palwolsipoyaseohyeondaewol” or “In the evening of August 15, a poem receives the moon”
In the Orient, nature means the status of existing alone and being all by itself. This signifies that nature flows by itself unlike intentional acts of humans. We humans use this term “nature” when we want to emphasize spontaneous problem-solving method due to flow of time and scale of efforts in the manner of education and learning.
Nature in the Western aesthetics is considered the most beautiful art created by God and is treated as the divine world, metaphysics and an object of contemplation Korean art resembling natural beauty is soft and peaceful, and has a
touch of humanity free from pretension, being the shape, color and nature
itself without human smell (Kim Won-ryong). It has aesthetic emotion coming
from life resembling nature (Jeong Yang-mo) and embraces savory, deep and great
flavor (Woohyun Goh Yoo-seop). This is used as conceptual expressions such as
simplicity, purity, artlessness and placidity Toegye opened a new horizon by playing a decisive role in establishing characteristics and direction of Korean Confucianism for the philosophical level of Neo-Confucianism through firm establishment of theories of Neo-Confucianism in the social climate of Joseon. Throughout his lifetime, he followed Zhu Xi (1130-1200) as his guiding standards of life to clarify philosophical grounds of Neo-Confucianism and pursued moral practices.
He analyzed Neo-Confucianism based on conceptual system and closely connected the way of practice through the theory of self-cultivation to illuminate it. Neo-Confucianism of Toegye of Korea was influenced by Neo-Confucianism of Zhu Xi, but is focused more on a more harmonious and balanced life through the relationship between the universe-nature-society and human essence.
Toegye stayed in his hometown most of his time except the period of government service at the Royal Court, but he also tried to move to a quiet and small place and not a place with grand scenery to deepen studies, teach disciples and achieve spiritual development. With freshness of nature, he could purify his mind and shine nature more beautifully with the light of wisdom twinkling from deep inside.
Thus, Toegye was deeply inspired by this natural environment and fond of writing poetry since he was young. As he got older, he manifested a unique and new world harmonized between philosophical vision and poetic vision. During his lifetime, he wrote more than 2,000 poems in Chinese characters. The following article will inquire into natural beauty he expressed by interpreting “Palwolsipoyaseohyeondaewol” or “In the evening of August 15, a poem receives the moon.”
The bright moon is in the sky. A man living in the depth of nature is under the window. Golden waters wind through the clear pond.
By nature, they were not two but one.
Interpreting the poem of Toegye, “the bright moon is in the sky” describes the moment when the full moon of Chuseok shines the world. The crescent moon became the full moon by the law of time of the universe itself. In accordance with the law of rationality, the moon is in the sky and seems to have the perfect form of the full moon.
“A man living in the depth of nature is under the window.” From the expression saying “A man living in the depth of nature,” we can see that this man has been living in nature for a long time and he has an attitude and state of mind completely assimilated with the environment.
“Golden waters wind through the clear pond.”
Waters in the pond under the sky are clear for there is some space to flow. Ripples dance by the wind and swaying boughs and the form of the moon becomes one with the water winding with brightness.
“By nature, they were not two but one.”
This refers to “indivisibility” of which the golden waters reflected by the cohesion of bright moon and waters are not two but only one.
Natural beauty of Toegye is not about the mind of a person who visit the place from outside only to enjoy the landscape. It is about the aesthetic emotional state of a person, who has been creating harmony with nature and fostering mind and body for a long time, expresses the logics of nature, the constantly moving figure of the clean pond and how accurately the person contemplates the ripples. This refers to the state of yin and yang of mind, where there is no division between objects and the person, between inside and outside, having complete wholeness mingled together without separation and shape. For this reason, objects are entirely filled in nature and becomes the base of the world. Without shape and division between inside and outside, mind is filled here embracing the world and receiving all creatures in the body.
Thus, “indivisibility” means oneness of mind, body and nature, and the quintessence of mind coincides with the clean water. According to Toegye, if we make an unceasing effort to keep approaching nature to achieve harmony and we do not stop exercising until mastering mind, we will be able to obtain oneness between mind and rationality in “the natural manner” and we will be free from ills of losing all we obtain.
Thus, “indivisibility” means oneness of mind, body and nature, and the quintessence of mind coincides with the clean water. According to Toegye, if we make an unceasing effort to keep approaching nature to achieve harmony and we do not stop exercising until mastering mind, we will be able to obtain oneness between mind and rationality in “the natural manner” and we will be free from ills of losing all we obtain
The way the person under the window observes nature in this poem is equivalent to the person’s mind. Dots, lines created by water and the surrounding environment or the visible form of the atypical moon make the images flow like the art of time in video media to embrace the contemplative attitude of the artist. The person under the window symbolizes modesty only with this attitude. It is inevitable that the artist should be expressed in the modest and humble manner since he observes nature, which is changing in silence with nonchalance, and he discovers new senses from nature at every moment in the course of observation.
The artist with happy mind, after experiencing mysterious changes from observing logics of nature called “rationality” at every can immerse himself in the work with a good state of mind void of human greed and this state can be faithfully expressed in the work.
For instance, a potter who made the “moon jar” of Joseon, which is considered the best art of Korea, is a person who never failed to make constant observation and cultivate his inner side to achieve harmony among the character of the earth, logics of the heaven and his emotions as “a man living in the depth of nature.” For this reason, we can say that he is a person who reached a certain level of mastering the law of oneness leading to removal of unnecessary ideas, union of mind and tranquilization of mind. Classical scholars aiming at completion of character with calm and unified mind were absorbed in study of “courtesy” to cultivate their mind. On the other hand, artists not only carried out numerous and ceaseless observations and work but also trained themselves to achieve oneness of soil, kiln and control of fire, even accepting the possibility of which the air some other elements in the kiln unite the work (coincidence). For this reason, pottery is evaluated as the best artwork with the most natural beauty.
The poem of Toegye displays natural beauty with aesthetic values formed when all creatures including humans achieve oneness of sameness between inside and outside and the logic becomes one like nature. This poem shows how much the expression of Korean art symbolizing natural beauty can be diverse and positive encompassing naturalness, simplicity, purity, artlessness, placidity, plainness, refinement, elegance, cheerfulness and audacity. Toegye mentions that rationality can change and influence moral autonomy of humans. This is different from natural beauty of nonchalance of Yanagi Muneyoshi produced by artless technique, planless plan, indifference and resignation. It is distant from “inactive nature” of Taoism of China or natural beauty of Zhu Xi prioritizing only “rationality” without being bounded to materials.
3. Epilogue: Indivisible: Woman and nature Indisputably enough, the works of female artists of Korean painting express fundamental identity. Unlike men, women have psychology and body based on flexibility and magnanimity of pregnancy, childcare and child raising. In the history and myths, such maternal characteristics are known to have homogeneity with the earth of Gaia or “spontaneous” nature. Women, by nature, have this structure of indivisibility with nature, which has this open structure in senses and body to adapt and conform to changes of nature in the spontaneous manner. Nonetheless, it is impossible to create “indivisible” works if artists fail to pay attention to this process and keep practicing their senses and techniques.
For female artists going through the processes of pregnancy and child raising for real and not as a feminist language, it is challenging to keep carrying out art activities before male artists unless they experience what Toegye says, “we make an unceasing effort and do not stop exercising until mastering mind.” The work finally obtains its vital force when the artist makes success in getting familiar with the material features adjusting, training and emptying the interconnected relationship with brushes, paper and ink stick until achieving the level of completeness of life and death. Images of the work of artists create empathy with nature and manifest subtle and delicate colors and repetitive structure and form while embracing and accepting the relationship with the surrounding creatures with symbolism and representation in the soft and flexible manner. These works might seem to have fragile or minor energy compared with the form and structure of the media of time with splendid and spectacular scale. Since female artists already have this base for accepting these open senses, they are required to avoid distracting thoughts and constantly focus on in-depth observation of changes of nature full of vitality while widely opening mind, body and five senses like explorers of the backwoods to carry out works with more acute and delicate attitudes. The artworks inseparable from nature that are created by this method will be able to evoke communication allowing interpretation in the non-material “spontaneous” character ready to receive new audience any time and will be evaluated as the best artworks all the time. I do expect that members of the Women’s Association of Korean Painting will carry out their works connecting the world with open senses in the active manner.
1) This text was extracted from my paper “Toegye and Korea’s natural image” published in June of 2016 in No. 28 of “Movie Culture” and it was edited & adapted.
References
Geum Jang-tae (1998), Life and philosophy of Toegye, Publisher of Seoul National University
Kang He-book (2014), Understanding of mind and rationality of Toegye, Kyungin Publishing
Hong Won-sik (2006), “Perspectives of foreign scholars regarding ‘originality’ of Toegye Studies, Today’s Oriental Thought, 16, Yemoon Institute For East-Asian Philosoph
Han Hyeong-jo, Kwon Oh-young, Choi Jin-deok, Lee Chang-il, Lee Dong-hee (2009), Mind training manaual of Simgyeong (Heart Sutra) Neo-Confucianism, The Academy of Korean Studies
Lee Young-chan (2001), “Search for possibilities of theory composition of Confucian sociology through paradigm of law of existence of Neo-Confucianism,” thesis collection (I) of Sociology Forum Part I of Korean Sociological Association
Lee Jong-ho (2007), “Acceptance of natural beauty and Sansu Aesthetics of Toegye Yi Hwang,” Toegye Studes and Confucian culture, Vol. 41, No. Toegye Research Institute of Kyungpook National University
Kim Tae-hwan (2010), “Perception theory of Toegye and emotional momentum of cognition of natural beauty,” Mind Culture Research, Vol. 33, No. 1, The Academy of Korean Studies
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