Language
Group of Figures
Goam Lee Ung-no - From Writing to World
These works are by Goam Lee Ung-no (1904-1989), who transformed Korean traditional calligraphy into modern abstract art and became world-renowned.
Goam didn't see letters as simple symbols but as traces of spirit and body. He said, "I don't write letters—letters make me write.“
Look at these abstract character works. Some show black forms on earth-colored backgrounds. You can't read them, but they remind us of ancient stone tablets. Goam broke down Korean and Chinese characters and rebuilt them into new visual language.
See works with intense blue. This symbolizes how writing changes in modern civilization. The repeating shapes represent collective voices.
Other works show forms almost disappearing into faint traces—only ink bleeding and empty space remain. This shows tension between memory and forgetting.
Goam's "Crowd" series looks like writing but reveals countless human silhouettes—people walking, gathering, dispersing. This became important after he joined 1967 Paris protests, capturing people living together despite division and oppression.
Goam created "writing to see" rather than "writing to read"—new visual language delivering powerful energy without being readable. In our digital age, his characters survive more clearly and speak to us.
He combined Eastern spirit with Western forms. Traditional brushwork merged with modern freedom, making his work loved everywhere.
From southern Korea to the world, Goam's art shows how tradition and modernity, writing and humanity can meet and flow together.
Goam didn't see letters as simple symbols but as traces of spirit and body. He said, "I don't write letters—letters make me write.“
Look at these abstract character works. Some show black forms on earth-colored backgrounds. You can't read them, but they remind us of ancient stone tablets. Goam broke down Korean and Chinese characters and rebuilt them into new visual language.
See works with intense blue. This symbolizes how writing changes in modern civilization. The repeating shapes represent collective voices.
Other works show forms almost disappearing into faint traces—only ink bleeding and empty space remain. This shows tension between memory and forgetting.
Goam's "Crowd" series looks like writing but reveals countless human silhouettes—people walking, gathering, dispersing. This became important after he joined 1967 Paris protests, capturing people living together despite division and oppression.
Goam created "writing to see" rather than "writing to read"—new visual language delivering powerful energy without being readable. In our digital age, his characters survive more clearly and speak to us.
He combined Eastern spirit with Western forms. Traditional brushwork merged with modern freedom, making his work loved everywhere.
From southern Korea to the world, Goam's art shows how tradition and modernity, writing and humanity can meet and flow together.