L’arte del pennello su carta

La calligrafia coreana

Stretta come è tra la Cina e il Giappone la Corea ha subito il ridimensionamento del riconoscimento del valore della sua arte. Tuttavia l’arte coreana pur nel profondo influsso dell’arte della vicina Cina ha delle caratteristiche di originalità che la rendono unica tra le arti delle civiltà dell’Estremo Oriente.

Anche la calligrafia in Corea si è sviluppata seguendo l’influsso dell’arte calligrafica della Cina ma alcuni calligrafi hanno reinterpretato in chiave del tutto autentica il modello cinese. I caratteri cinesi arrivano in Corea insieme ai testi religiosi del Buddhismo tra 2° e 3° secolo DC. In seguito, nell’età dell’Unificazione Silla (統一新羅, 통일 신라, 676–935) la Corea subisce l’influsso delle arti della Cina Tang (唐朝, 618-907) e nasce la calligrafia artistica di Kim Saeng (711-c. 791) che sviluppa in stile coreano la scrittura clericale lìshū (隸書) del “saggio della calligrafia” (書聖) Wang Xizhi (王羲之, 303-361). La scrittura clericale, nata nel periodo dei Regni Combattenti (戰國時代, 453-221 AC) e in auge nell’età Han (漢朝, 206 AC – 280 DC) tuttora usata nelle scritte di alcune pubblicità, è composta da caratteri dai tratti più larghi che alti e dalla presenza di un tratto più marcato, in genere diagonale. L’altro stile di scrittura, la “scrittura regolare” kǎishū (楷書) è più nuova e caratterizzata dalla regolarità dei tratti. Ha avuto il suo periodo di massima diffusione durante la dinastia Tang ed è tuttora molto diffuso nelle pubblicazioni. Della calligrafia di Kim Saeng rimane l’esempio postumo della stele che racconta la vita del grande maestro Nanggong-daesa proveniente dal tempio Taejasa e attualmente conservata al National Museum of Korea. 

Il secondo grande maestro della calligrafia coreana è il poeta Choe Chiwon (崔致遠, 최치원857 – 10° secolo), nome d’arte Haeun (海雲, 해운, Mare Nuvola). A lui si deve il nome della famosa spiaggia di Busan Haeundae a cui era molto legato. Da un padiglio
ne nei pressi della spiaggia ammirava il mare. Ancora oggi si può vedere una sua iscrizione su una pietra ad Haeundae. 

Lo stile lìshū è predominante anche durante il periodo Koryŏ (高麗國, 고려국, 918–1392) e solo verso il 1350 si ha l’inizio dell’influenza del nuovo stile rotondeggiante del pittore e calligrafo cinese Zhao Mengfu (趙孟頫, 1254–1322). Nell’età successiva della dinastia Chosŏn (1392 – 1910) l’arte calligrafica diventa manierata e formale fino a quando Kim Jeong-hui (金正喜, 김정희, 1786 – 1856) elabora lo stile che si chiama chusa dal suo nome d'arte chusa (秋史, 추사). Grande studioso delle iscrizioni calligrafiche antiche, durante un viaggio in Cina riceve in dono una copia del trattato sull’arte calligrafica Su Zhai Biji (蘇齋筆記). Il suo stile riprende la calligrafia lìshū creando però un suo stile peculiare. I tratti dei caratteri sono pieni, marcati, asimmetrici eppure armonici, primitivi eppure attuali e moderni. Il pennello ha un tratto deciso eppure il foglio è bilanciato tra pieni e vuoti.

In seguito al maggior uso dei caratteri hangul rispetto a quelli hanja, la calligrafia coreana si è sviluppata con nuove forme sottolineando la singolarità degli artisti coreani che hanno sempre saputo reinterpretare con originalità creativa tutti gli influssi che gli sono venuti dalla Cina.

Floriano Terrano

Il ponte della gru bianca

Viaggio a Tsuruhashi,
la più grande Korea Town del Giappone

E’ tardo pomeriggio quando la metropolitana della linea Sennichimae di Osaka mi porta alla stazione di Tsuruhashi nel quartiere di Ikuno-ku (生野区). Tsuruhashi (鶴橋, “ponte della gru bianca”) non è un quartiere come gli altri: qui c’è la più grande concentrazione di immigrati coreani e di giapponesi di origine coreana di tutto il Giappone. Circa un abitante su quattro qui è coreano zainichi (在日, “non giapponese residente in Giappone”). Poco meno di un milione sono i coreani che vivono attualmente in Giappone tra studenti, lavoratori e coreani naturalizzati giapponesi anche nel nome. I nomi coreani in hanja infatti vengono pronunciati alla giapponese dai coreani di seconda o terza generazione che così si inseriscono pienamente nella società nipponica.

Che Tsuruhashi non sia un quartiere come un altro lo si capisce subito dopo essere scesi dalla metropolitana e all’uscita dalla stazione. Dai vicoli sale il fumo dei ristoranti di yakiniku (焼き肉) carne grigliata in stile coreano che proprio qui a Tsuruhashi hanno creato questo piatto che ora fa pienamente parte della tradizione della cucina giapponese. Questa specialità culinaria è derivata dal bulgogi (불고기) variato negli ingredienti più specificamente giapponesi da parte dei zainichi coreani per renderlo più appetibile al gusto dei clienti giapponesi. 

La strada principale della città coreana inizia con un portale con due taegeuk. Poi ristoranti, negozi di musica coreana dall’arirang al k-pop, negozi di vestiti classici, moderni o di tradizionali hanbok, colori, odori e sapori di ieri e di oggi, il passato e il presente della Corea mischiati insieme. Molti i coreani, moltissimi i giapponesi che passano di banchetto di cibo in banchetto gustando gli infiniti sapori della cucina coreana.

A Tsuruhashi nacque Ko Yong-hui (고영희, 高英姬,1953 –  2004) moglie del defunto leader supremo della Nord Corea Kim Jong-il’ e madre dell’attuale Comandante Supremo Kim Jong-un. Nel 1962 ritornò insieme alla famiglia in Nord Corea con il programma di rimpatrio dei coreani dal Giappone. Ballerina del gruppo di danza Mansudae di Pyongyang (만수대예술단, 萬壽臺藝術團), incontrò Kim Jong-il’ probabilmente nel 1972.  Altra figlia celebre di Tsuruhashi è la cantante e showgirl Wada Akiko (和田 アキ子), il cui vero nome coreano è Kim Bok-Ja (김 복자, 金 福子).

Tra i vicoli di Tsuruhashi la comunità è ancora stretta ai suoi legami di vicinanza. E si sente ancora forte il legame con la vita delle tradizionali città asiatiche fatte di case basse vicine le une alle altre e separate solo da stretti vicoli. Legame che ora nelle grandi città di grattacieli e cemento è sempre più impossibile. I coreani di Tsuruhashi sono ancora legati a tradizioni che in Corea sbiadiscono giorno dopo giorno… forse proprio la loro lontananza dalla Corea le ha tenute ancora in vita.

Mentre il tramonto pian piano scende su Tsuruhashi i vicoli si riempiono di gente e il fumo della carne sulle griglie si mischia alle luci che si accendono. Cala un’altra notte su Tsuruhashi e sulla sua vita chiassosa…una vita che ancora resiste legata alle sue tradizioni. Resiste ancora. Non si sa per quanto.  

Floriano Terrano

Dai robot giapponesi a quelli coreani

Manhwa, l’animazione della Corea

Molti conoscono i manga e gli anime giapponesi, pochi conoscono finora i fumetti coreani manhwa (한국 만화 애니메이션). La parola manhwa deriva proprio dalla pronuncia coreana del giapponese manga (漫画) e in effetti all’inizio l’influenza dei maestri del Sol Levante sui fumettisti coreani è stata notevole. Ora anche in Occidente è ormai famoso il personaggio di Pucca (뿌까), serie animata che narra l’amore della dolce e forte Pucca per l’impassibile ninja Garu tutto preso da meditazione ed esercizi di combattimento. Tuttavia il fumetto e l’animazione nascono in Corea molto prima. Uno dei più significativi esempi di film di animazione è Hong Gildong del 1967 che prende ispirazione dall’omonimo personaggio del Racconto di Hong Gildong (Hong Gil-dong-jeon, 홍길동전, 洪吉童傳), il romanzo scritto in epoca Joseon tra la fine del 16° e l’inizio del 17° secolo da Heo Gyun (허균 許筠, 1569–1618). Hong Gildong è un ladro che ruba ai ricchi per dare ai poveri, una sorta di Robin Hood coreano.

Ma è negli anni ’70 sulla scia dei mecha giapponesi (メカ) trasmessi dalla tv coreana, i fumetti ed anime con robot come protagonisti, che nascono personaggi nuovi dalla penna dei fumettisti coreani. Sotto la grande influenza del giapponese Mazinger Z (マジンガーZ, 1972-74) nasce nel 1976 Robot Taekwon V (로보트 태권 V) molto simile al modello nipponico ma genuinamente coreano nell’uso dell’arte marziale del taekwondo. Il film diretto da Kim Cheong-gi (김청기, 金青基) fu prodotto dal maestro del cinema coreano Yu Hyun-mok (유현목, 兪賢穆, 1925-2009) ed ebbe grande successo non senza qualche critica giapponese di plagio del loro robot animato Mazinger.

Sulla scia del successo di Robot Taekwon V e con il modello delle altre serie dei robot giapponesi, nascono altri film di animazione come Space Gundam V (스페이스 간담브이) del 1983, una serie diretta sempre da Kim Cheong-gi, e Phoenix King (불사조 로보트 피닉스킹, Bulsajo roboteu Pinikseu-King) del 1984, dove ancora forti sono le influenze dell’animazione nipponica. Negli anni seguenti si stabilisce una vera e propria collaborazione tra fumettisti coreani e giapponesi, tanto che sono diverse le serie animate nippo-coreane. La stessa serie di Pucca disegnata da Hwang Dong-hyuk (황동혁) è diretta dal giapponese Takayuki Inagaki e ha la musica composta dal musicista giapponese di anime Kōhei Tanaka (田中 公平).

La collaborazione tra animatori coreani, giapponesi e di Hong Kong ha dato vita nel 2006 alla serie Origami Warriors (摺紙戰士) basata sul fumetto del taiwanese Jhou Sian Zong (周顯宗) e prodotta dalla coreana DongWoo Animation Co. Ltd (동우애니메이션).

Come nelle altre arti anche nel fumetto e nell’animazione gli artisti coreani hanno saputo reinterpretare i modelli delle altre culture dell’Estremo Oriente, in particolare l’animazione giapponese, creando uno stile e una tecnica propriamente coreani.  

Floriano Terrano

Beauty and practicality in hanok, 

Korean traditional house

Culture of a nation is also in the names of the objects of its own tradition and Korea transmits a deep social identity by its language. 
The prefix –han (한, 韓) in fact is linked to all the words that mean Korea or Korean. Han derivates from the name of the three kingdoms Mahan, Jinhan and Byeonhan (Samhan, 삼한, 三韓 ”Three Kingdoms”, final century BC - early centuries AD) and it means "great (one)". Han had been transliterated into Chinese characters 韓, 幹, or 刊 and some scholars consider that han could be related to Mongol word khan which means commander, leader, or ruler. Han doesn’t have any connection with the character 漢, 韓which is pronounced han as well but indicates Chinese Han dynasties. Indeed the name of Korea is Hanguk (한국, 韓國 "country of the Han"), alphabet is hangul (한글, 韓글, "Korean script" or "great script"), the traditional dress is hanbok (한복, 韓服, "Korean clothing"). On the other hand Han River (한강, 漢江), which flows through Seoul, takes its name from Chinese character 漢.

Korean traditional house is hanok (한옥, 韓屋) and it is built according to baesanimsu (배산임수, 背山臨水) which derivates from Chinese feng shui (風水). The optimal position of traditional house is with a mountain in the back and a river in the front. One of the classical parts of Korean house is daecheong (대청, 大廳) front porch for keeping the house cool during hot-humid summers. Daecheong has got a typical arching made by roof tiles called giwa made to screen out the entrance from the sun and from the lasting monsoonal rains. During the frigid Korean winter traditional houses are warmed up by ondol  (온돌 / 구들, 溫突), the wood floor underfloor heating system made by an underlying canalization of the smoke of the fire of a firebox or stove (아궁이, agungi) located to the side of the house. Korean people traditionally sit and sleep on the floor as Japanese people and many other people of Far East. Ondol is a truly genuine Korean creation and it had been the most common heating system for the houses until the 1960s.

Both the windows and the doors are screened with sheets of traditional paper hanji (한지, 韓紙 “Korean paper”) just like shōji (障子) of paper washi (和紙) in Japanese houses. 

Korean traditional houses are extremely adaptable to surroundings’ climatic and landscape characteristics.  For this reason hanok have different shapes in different Korean regions. In the South hanok present a linear  and straight shape to allow a better wind circulation inside and to mitigate the wet heat of summer. In the North hanok have a closed squared shape like Korean character "ㅁ" to arrest the flow of air inside. In this type of hanok all the rooms are joined together. In the central regions hanok has a shape similar to Korean character "ㄱ" and its characteristics are a combination of both Northern and Southern styles.

The house is one of the most important sacred places and like in China and Japan in Korea as well traditional house has its own domestic god that protects the house and the family: the Kitchen God Zao Jun (灶君) originated from Chinese religious culture. 

Perfectly balanced between beauty and practicality, hanok is deeply in harmony with surroundings and with nature of which Korean traditional houses uses the elements like wood, fire, stone and some others. This deep harmony with nature is completely missing in the modern cement buildings, for sure more convenient but finally more banal and uglier.

Floriano Terrano

Television drunks 

Nam June Paik in Italy

Modena dedicates an exhibition to the relationship between Korean artist Nam June Paik (백남준, 白 南 准, 1932-2006) and Italy. 
Galleria Civica di Modena and Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Modena in collaboration with Fondazione Solares in Parma have organized in fact Nam June Paik in Italy at Palazzo Santa Margherita and Palazzina dei Giardini. A selection of the works that Paik made during his stay in Italy or thinking about Italy. A well-beloved country for him, where in 1993 he won the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale.

The quintessential symbol of Italy for Paik is especially Bel canto. For him, a visual artist, music inspires images and pictures inspire music. Visual art realizes his beloved union between sound and image. Although in many images of the video no sound or only a confused noise of the absence of signal can be heard, spectator almost feels the disordered vibration following the unbroken flow of speedy running images on videos. Big, small, old, new, broken or working, televisions and radio come on the canvases of paintings - sculptures made up almost of religious worship - or combine with precious objects of traditional art from the Far East.

The selection of works of the exhibition of Modena offers a complete look and synthesis about the poetics of the Korean master. Oriental Painting, Conductor (1995) is an emblematic work in the matter of the style of Nam June Paik. A carved Indonesian wooden horse becomes the support for an anthropomorphic being formed by a television and a radio. The ancient deliberately contrasts with the modern but finally they tie together. 

The same idea of union between classical art of the Far East and television is in Young Buddha on Duratrans Bed (1989-1992) where some televisions on shape the silhouette of an absurd Buddha in meditation in the lotus position on an ancient Chinese style bed. 

Moreover the contrast or better the oxymoron between television and religion reappears often in the creation of Paik, as Sacred and Profane (1993): a South-Asian-style statue representing a Reclining Buddha in the act of reaching Nirvana - the condition of absolute absence of pain and detachment from earthly punishments - rests on two televisions that form the unique image of a naked woman lying in the same position of the Sacred Buddha. The vision of the body of the beautiful naked woman lying it’s the perfect opposite of any detachment from earthly passions!

Italian cities inspire the combination of canvas and neon: an almost romantic work called Piange nel mio cuore. Come piove sulla città (“It rains in my heart as it rains in the city”, 1990), which is very different for style and material from the other works exposed. 

His love of Italian Opera is at the bottom of Robot 5, Luciano Pavarotti (1995), an anthropomorphic arrangement of some various ages old radio which truly resembles the curve of the chest of Luciano Pavarotti taking a run-up to one of his well-known high notes. 

Otherwise the work Maria Callas (1995) is more graceful and really feminine in shape and it reminds of the famous Greek soprano in her melancholic childish sensitivity. 

Radio, televisions, cables, electric mechanisms assembled by Paik’s hands really look like human beings. Although images which flow on video and make spectators’’ eyes and mind drunk are not only the mirror of our society. It would be very easy and even banal to interpret Nam June Paik’s works as a blast against television society only. Paik uses the video and changes it into a pure art object, without any didactic purpose.

Paik turns things of everyday  usage -  above all television – into artworks nevertheless his works don’t look away from mystery, from metaphysics which are at the base of pure and genuine art. 

In his work called senza titolo / untitled (1990) we see the projected image of a burning candle on the screen of a dark television shot by a camera. Yesterday as today, in the modern or old times, the mystery by which we are enclosed is still the same. As long as we know how to hear from that mystery, as long as we know how to grasp it by outlining, giving a hint of it. No matter if with old or new artistic material. Nam June Paik is actually the master of mystery’s portrayal, although of the mystery glimpsed in the screen of a broken television.

(Nam June Paik in Italy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtpiIHBWpf4)

Floriano Terrano

In the abyss of passion

The housemaid (1960) by Kim Ki-young

Korean cinema achieved resounding success in the West lately. Directors like Lee Chang-dong  (이창동, 李滄東), Park Chan-wook (박찬욱, 朴贊郁) and above all Kim Ki-duk (김기덕, 金基德) have been awarded in many film festivals. 

Especially Kim Ki-duk is maybe the most famous Korean director in the world even though he is not well appreciated just in Korea since his style is very different from Koean sensitivity and sometimes it follows the eccentricities often empty of Western contemporary cinema up to exasperation.

Nevertheless in the past we can find a great master of Korean cinema almost unknown, a profound innovator: Kim Ki-young (김기영, 金綺泳, 1922-1998).  His interest in cinema and drama started during his stay in Japan before Second World war and he devoted himself to cinema since early 50's. 

His masterpiece is The housemaid (하녀, 下女, Hanyeo, 1960) inspired by a real occurrence which happened in Korea and written in newspapers. Dong-shik (Kim Jin-kyu, 김진규, 金振奎, 1922-1998) is a piano master who lives a quite life together with his wife (Ju Jeung-ryu, 주증녀, 侏曾女, 1926 - 1980) and their two children (the son is the famous actor Ahn Sung-ki, 안성기, 安聖基, at that time 8 years old). When the pregnant wife feels faint, one of his piano student (Um Aing-ran, 엄앵란, 嚴鶯蘭) introduces a young housemaid to him (Lee Eun-shim, 이은심) to help his family do housework. From then on nothing will be the same and the presence of housemaid will pierce inch by inch the heart of family deeply like a frightful blade. The young housemaid acts in a disquieting way: she grabs rats with her bare hands, eavesdrops all the speeches and springs up from every angle of the apartment altering rhythms and affections of family. She seduces the piano master and she becomes pregnant. When his wife discovers that fact, she persuades the housemaid to have an abortion by falling down from the flight of stairs. 

Little by little breaks apart one by one and all the relatives fall into the abyss where the housemaid herself pushes them. Finally the housemaid leads the piano master to ingest  rat poison and kill himself. The end is like another movie in the movie: we discover that the piano master imagined all the happening after reading an incident on newspaper and exhorts the spectators to be careful since the same event of the film could occur to everybody.

Highlights of movie are all focused on the housemaid: while she makes the dead mouse dangle hung down by its tail from her hand in the kitchen; the housemaid’s passionate play of eyes during the courting of the piano master; she while eavesdrops the familiar discussion from the terrace of her room in the rain; her act of seduction by putting her bare feet on the shoes of the piano master; while she makes drink the glass of water to master’s son who suspects it has been poisoned. In this movie innovative fact is the very mobile camera.

Kim Ki-young outlines the female personages of movie highlighting different characters and psyches: the faithful wife who suffers the adultery of her husband and she worries about the good reputation of her family, the young pupil in love with her master and above all the housemaid - real protagonist of the movie – personage of devil woman who dismembers little by little all the prearranged order of the family which is the bearing pillar of society in a nation profoundly Confucian like Korea. The house where the event takes place becomes the grip by which are clutched all the family members with no way of escape. The male is the unaware victim of  the cruel female trick. The excellent interpretation of housemaid by Lee Eun-shim and her leer made the film almost “real” for the spectators at that time, so much that during the show Korean audience yelled angrily at the big screen “kill the bitch!” against the housemaid. Lee Eun-shim will never be casted again in Korea: because of her admirable interpretation of housemaid, all the spectators hated her look itself since they connected her and the housemaid. That’s why Korean directors will never choose her again.

The character of devilish and cruel woman who uses sex to subvert the family order will be the main theme of further movies of Korean director: Insect Woman (충녀, Chungnyeo, 1972) and Iodo (이어도, Iodo, 1977). However no one film will be as successful, meaningful and outstanding as The housemaid. In 2010 director Im Sang-soo (임상수, 林常樹) shot a remake of The housemaid with Jeon Do-yeon (전도연, 全度妍) playing the part of housemaid. Nevertheless this movie has not the same dark atmosphere of the masterpiece by Kim Ki-young.

The work of Kim Ki-young is deeply original and the only director who can be compared to Kim Ki-young is the Japanese director Imamura Shōhei (今村 昌平, 1926 – 2006) who in his movies brings up very similar subjects with the woman as the utmost protagonist of male’s dreams and above all nightmares.

(The Housemaid re-release trailer  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm7zZcvnw04)

Floriano Terrano

Same subject, dissimilar paintbrushes

Different views in landscape pantings of Joseon Korea

Korea is in a position of prominence in Far Eastern landscape art. Many painters of Joseon Korea (1392 - 1910) draw inspiration from the scenery of mountains and torrents of Chinese painting shan shui (山水, “mountain-water”). 

Korean painters always interpreted the style of main painters of Sky-blue Empire in a new and different way. Mountains are the real protagonists of Far Eastern landscape painting, both those unapproachable and twisted drawn in Northern School of Chinese painting (北宗画) works and those smoky and just sketched mountains drawn in Southern School or literati painting (南宗画 or 文人画) pictures. In any case true or imaginative landscapes depict always the inner outlook of painter who represents and  reproduces nature by his brush.

In Joseon Korea three painters stand out from the mists of time. They are different for epoch, style and conception of art:  Ahn Gyeon, Jeong Seon e Yi Inmun.

We know very little about Ahn Gyeon (안견, 安堅). He lived in first half of fifteen century and he took part in dohwaseo (도화서, 圖畫署), the group of Joseon court painters. His most important work is the scroll painting Mongyu dowondo (몽유도원도, 夢遊桃源圖 “Dream Journey to the Peach Blossom Land”) for prince Anpyeong in 1447 and currently stored at Nara in Japan in Tenri University building. The painting represents the dream of prince inspired by fairy journey to land of happiness by described by Chinese poet Tao Yuanming also known as Tao Qian (陶淵明, 365 – 427) in his work Peach Blossom Spring (桃花源記) written in 421. This never-never land is represented by Ahn Gyeon as an oasis made of flowering trees in a landscape of very steep mountains. The contrast between harsh mountains and lawn conveys to viewer the wish to reach The Peach Blossom Land which appears marvellously delighted compared with sharp peaks of inhospitable surrounding rises. Although under the influence of Northern School and above all of Chinese painter Guo Xi (郭熙, 1020 – 1090 ca.), Ahn Gyeon style is innovative and original as well as genuinely Korean for the skill of conveying directly his message to viewer.

We know a little more about Jeong Seon (정선, 鄭敾, 1676 – 1759), as knows as his pen name Gyeomjae (겸재, 謙齋 “humble study”). He painted Geumgang jeondo (금강전도, 金剛全圖, “General View of Mt. Geumgansan”, dated 1734), one of the masterpieces of Korean painting which depicts Mount Kumgang (금강산, 金剛山 “Diamond Mountain”) now in North Korea. Geumgang jeondo is National Treasure of Korea 217th and it is displayed in Ho Am Art Museum held by Samsung at Yongin (호암미술관). The pictorial language of Jeong Seon is deeply revolutionary: he quits Chinese masters’ painting models  and he chooses the native landscapes of his Korea. Mount Kumgang is depicted with an innovative and almost expressionistic technique: sharp bare peaks and overgrown roundish smooth mountains are put side by side. The resulting contrast among lines is smoothed over with a admirable chiaroscuro made by the skilful brush. After this painting, many Korean painters depicted Mount Kumgang. Jeong Seon is the initiator of jingyeong sansuhwa style which literally means “true-view landscape painting”. Anyway, as always in Far East painting, the real landscapes are portrayed by artist’s eye and sensitiveness and consequently they almost become the representation of his climate and worldview. In the upper right corner we can read the title of the painting, a poem, and his pen name Gyeomjae. The verses can be translated: “Even if you visit the mountain yourself and walk on every nook and cranny of it, how can your delight be compared with what you feel upon viewing this picture from your bedside?”.
Streams and Mountains Without End (강산무진도, 江山無盡圖, Gangsan mujindo), the most famous painting of Yi Inmun (이인문, 李寅文, 1745-1821), is a painted silk scroll divided into four parts and held at National Museum of Korea which depicts a landscape of mountains and rivers. Steep and rocky peaks together with ravines and plains where solitary pavilions can be discerned, as far as river’s inlets where fishing boats rest. Unlike Jeong Seon, who always depicts existent landscapes, Yi Inmun paints imaginary sceneries. Style of Yi Inmun and of Jeong Seon are dissimilar: the brushstroke of Yi Inmun is atmospheric and shaded while Jeong Seon’s brushstroke is bolder and more marked.

However it’s nevertheless true that descriptive effect is similar: nature, great protagonist of landscape painting, is always depicted with astonished and moved eyes, never in a purely expositive way. Both real and imaginary landscapes in Korean and Far East painting portray always the profound mystery hiding in every place of nature.

(Ho-Am Art Museum, http://hoam.samsungfoundation.org/

National Museum of Korea http://www.museum.go.kr/main/index/index001.jsp)

Floriano Terrano

The prince and the heroine:

Hodong and Nakrang

Korea, 32 AD: the peninsula is divided in Three Kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. King Daemusin (대해주류왕, 大解朱留王, ”Great Holy Warrior King”, 18-44) of Northern Goguryeo Kingdom, after resisted back

the Chinese invasion attempt, sent his sixteen years old son prince Hodong (호동왕자) to conquer the Chinese commandery (郡, jùn) Lelang and its capital city Nakrang-guyok (樂浪, 락랑) which is at the present time a district of Pyongyang. Nevertheless Nakrang’s resistance is very strong also because of the help of magic drum Ja Myung Go (자명고, 自鳴鼓) which wakes up the city and encourages soldiers to defence. All these occurrences are reported in Samguk Sagi (삼국사기, 三國史記, “History of the Three Kingdoms”) completed in 1145 by Kim Busik (김부식, 金富軾).

While the war is in a stalemate, a sudden and burning passion is born between young prince Hodong and the beautiful princess of Nakrang (낙랑공주). Prince Hodong, advised by his father king Daemusin, asks Nakrang to tear the drum Ja Myung Go and she, driven by loves’s boldness, obeys her lover and the city falls into enemy’s hands. And so the king of Nakrang Choiree orders the killing of her daughter because of her betrayal. Betrayal against her homeland and father but not against her beloved Hodong who is victorious in the battle but who is in very truth a big loser.

This story is up till now well-known in Korea, above all for the female spirit of Nakrang, so much faithful to Hodong as to betray her own father and homeland. Even if this legend is known as “Prince Hodong’s tale”, actually the real main character is the strong and fearless Nakrang. Quite the opposite, Hodong seems to place his love and Nakrang herself after his father Daemusin and prince Hodong obeys his father’s lust for conquest.

Recently the TV drama ”Princess Ja Myung” (자명고, Ja Myung Go) broadcasted in 2009 by SBS has been dedicated to princess Nakrang’s story with actors Jung Ryeo-won (정려원, 鄭麗媛) in princess’ Nakrang role and Jung Kyung Ho (정경호) in Hodong’s role.

Ballet “Prince Hodong” by Korea National Ballet (대한민국 국립발레단) has been inspired by the story reported in Samguk Sagi as well. The ballet was originally created in 1988 by Sung-nam Lim (임성남), first artistic director of Korean National Ballet. “Prince Hodong” is an internationally successful staging which blends together Western and Far Eastern theatrical traditions. In this performance we can see some parts of classical ballet and lots of references to Korean traditional dances. For example the dance of Nakrang together with her ladies-in-waiting is like a piece of salpuri (살풀이) and the scene in which the princess is wrapped in a written handscroll reminds of buchaechum (부채춤), the traditional Korean fan dance.

Nakrang continues to be a symbol also for present-day Korean woman, who is passionate and forceful even if now she is more a businesswoman than a romantic lover.

(자명고, Ja Myung Go, SBS drama music performed by Baek Ji Young, 백지영 www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEO9LLeeUAI)

Floriano Terrano