A Great Introduction to Korean Calligraphy: Beyond Line
Books on Korean calligraphy in English are few and far between. There are how-to books on writing hangul. And when it comes to Korean Art, there’s some information available including books on portrait painting and folk painting.
But calligraphy has somehow not seen the light of an English-speaking day. It’s been in the shadows of Chinese and Japanese calligraphy. So when I saw this book Beyond Line: The Art of Korean Writing (by Stephen Little et al. published in 2019) – I had to buy it IMMEDIATELY. And I’m not disappointed.
BEYOND LINE: The Art of Korean Writing
Actually, this is a catalogue of an exhibition that LACMA (USA) held in partnership with Hyundai Motor Company. And in the foreword it states that this catalogue is the first published overview of Korean calligraphy in any Western language.
The book includes essays from curators and academics (starting with an overview of Korean writing by the exhibition curator) which give us the big picture of Korean calligraphy through history as well as pointing out noteworthy calligraphers and work.
And one great point about the book is that it’s cram-packed with large pictures. We are taken through time from rubbings of early Buddhist steles to work by contemporary calligraphy artists.
Needless to say, most of the calligraphy examples are in hanmun, Chinese characters. That’s partly because hangul calligraphy has had a much shorter history and also it hasn’t enjoyed the same prestige. In fact, at times it’s even struggled to be considered Art at all!
Anyway, there’s lots to learn in this book.
I found out that Kim Saeng (711-?) is considered to be the first master of Korean calligraphy. And there’s a chapter on Kim Jeonghui (1786-1856), the most renowned calligrapher from the Joseon period.
Still, there are a few examples of hangul calligraphy in the book. I particularly like the work of famous hangul calligrapher Kim Choong Hyeon (1921-2006).
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Read more about Kim Choong Hyeon and hangul styles.
Scholars and Calligraphy
Through history, calligraphy was not considered to be a profession. Rather it was a sign of education, status, and power, as well as a way of self-expression for aristocrats.
And since literacy was the most important factor in determining status, many in the upper classes became skilled at calligraphy. So it’s not surprising that there are lots of examples of work by well-known historical figures as well as members of Royalty.
The Sketchbook of King Hyojong
In particular, the pages from the calligraphic sketchbook of King Hyojong (below) caught my attention.
I love having a nose through private sketchbooks, rather than just seeing the finished, polished work. And as a big fan of Joseon genre artist Sin Yun Bok, the calligraphy pages from his painting album drew my attention.
From the world of politics, the first president of modern Korea, Syngman Rhee (1875-1965), gets a mention. And there’s a piece by Sin Saimdang: one of the few, perhaps only, females in the collection. A letter written in hangul by King Jeongjo as a child is also very endearing.
Most of the examples are from the Joseon period.
As a Royal Department for Calligraphy was established in the Joseon period (1392-1910), calligraphy was able to develop.
The court calligraphers – sajagwan – were highly skilled at writing official documents and copying works in neat clerical print (haeseo) script to make them more legible. But the calligraphers themselves apparently remained mostly nameless and unknown.
FUN FACT:
The writing officials used different styles of calligraphy for different types of correspondence!
So for instance, requests to the government were in clear, print script (haeseo). On the other hand, government decisions were in the more expressive cursive style (choseo).
Cursive was also chosen to write documents that the government wanted to keep SECRET – as cursive is harder to read and only the well-trained and highly educated could read it! sneaky!
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Scholars were expected to create their own poetry too.
In his essay, Lee Dongkook (Director and Chief Curator at the Seoul Calligraphy Museum at the Seoul Art Centre) discusses calligraphy in the 20th century and considers calligraphy’s place in society in the 21st century.
He notes that due to colonisation and westernisation, calligraphy went from being considered the highest form of art to no longer being considered ‘Art’ at all!
And he laments the lack of creativity in calligraphy these days. Because in the past, calligraphers would express themselves by composing poetry and writing it in their own style. But nowadays calligraphy has become an exercise in simply copying classic poetry in the teacher’s style.
This is so true. As a calligraphy student I work through books by famous calligraphers copying their writing styles. And even for competitions and exhibitions, students simply copy poems written by others. (But in fairness I’d struggle if I had to write my own poem in Chinese characters though!)
The curator writes that calligraphy has to find a new place in today’s society. And since we live in a keyboard and a computer age, new calligraphy styles must emerge that reflect the times. We’ll have to wait and see how that develops!
This book is a starting point to find out more.
To sum up, this is not a textbook that explains anything technical about the art of calligraphy itself. And if the reader doesn’t know what the 5 main styles of calligraphy are before they start, they won’t be much wiser after reading this.
Also, we are told that Korean calligraphy was strongly influenced by Chinese calligraphers, but developed its own identity. But I couldn’t tell you exactly how it is different. (apart from the use of hangul, of course) I suppose it’s a case of studying individual calligraphers more closely. And this book is just an overview.
Still, for anyone interested in books on Korean calligraphy, it’s a great place to start. There’s also a helpful glossary and bibliography included.
From a practical point of view, this is a very large hardback book and weighs over 2 kg. (So not the sort of book you can pop in your handbag and read on the train.) But with lots of large, clear photographs to peruse at leisure along with lots of short, informative chapters, it’s a book that I will refer to again and again.
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The Calligraphy of Buddhist Monk Great Master Samyeong
