Language
The charm of nature is found in leisure : the blossoms of the heart unfold in tranquility.
Cheolnong Lee Ki-woo (1921-1993) was a master who refined traditional script styles into contemporary visual art. He spent his life experimenting with ancient Chinese seal and clerical scripts, expanding calligraphy beyond simple tradition into living visual art.
Look at these works from 1962. "Embrace Governance," "Eternal Joy," "Longevity" use seal script's balance and dignity. "Avoid Virtue Immortals," "Thousand Years of Happiness," "Great Fortune Coming" show how classical phrases can embody both symbolic meaning and visual beauty.
Though the compositions repeat, each character creates different tensions and rhythms through brushwork. The use of empty space never feels monotonous.
Cheolnong studied ancient characters to find future possibilities in writing's origins. His work wasn't simple restoration but breathing modern rhythm into classical forms. Strokes are refined but never rigid—the whole composition works like architecture.
His approach was paradoxical: to create modern innovation, he returned to the most ancient forms. This wasn't just preserving tradition but rediscovering contemporary potential within it.
Notice how characters are arranged on the surface. They show architectural stability with musical rhythm. Empty space isn't just background but actively interacts with characters to create harmony.
The special large work "East and West Open Together" measures 163cm wide. This phrase suggests opening beyond fixed boundaries between center and periphery, civilization and non-civilization—perfectly matching our exhibition theme "Neighbors of Civilization.“
Cheolnong proved that the oldest forms of writing could speak to contemporary concerns. He didn't destroy traditional order but reconstructed visual possibilities within it, showing how ink art can reconnect with community consciousness today.
His work stands at the center of our exhibition's exploration of non-central civilizational consciousness and boundary-crossing artistic language.
Look at these works from 1962. "Embrace Governance," "Eternal Joy," "Longevity" use seal script's balance and dignity. "Avoid Virtue Immortals," "Thousand Years of Happiness," "Great Fortune Coming" show how classical phrases can embody both symbolic meaning and visual beauty.
Though the compositions repeat, each character creates different tensions and rhythms through brushwork. The use of empty space never feels monotonous.
Cheolnong studied ancient characters to find future possibilities in writing's origins. His work wasn't simple restoration but breathing modern rhythm into classical forms. Strokes are refined but never rigid—the whole composition works like architecture.
His approach was paradoxical: to create modern innovation, he returned to the most ancient forms. This wasn't just preserving tradition but rediscovering contemporary potential within it.
Notice how characters are arranged on the surface. They show architectural stability with musical rhythm. Empty space isn't just background but actively interacts with characters to create harmony.
The special large work "East and West Open Together" measures 163cm wide. This phrase suggests opening beyond fixed boundaries between center and periphery, civilization and non-civilization—perfectly matching our exhibition theme "Neighbors of Civilization.“
Cheolnong proved that the oldest forms of writing could speak to contemporary concerns. He didn't destroy traditional order but reconstructed visual possibilities within it, showing how ink art can reconnect with community consciousness today.
His work stands at the center of our exhibition's exploration of non-central civilizational consciousness and boundary-crossing artistic language.