The work you are now looking at is a letter personally written by Jeong Yak-yong (Dasan), one of the leading Silhak scholars and philosophers of the late Joseon period.

Dasan actively exchanged letters with Kim Jeong-hui, better known as Chusa. His sons, Jeong Hak-yeon and Jeong Hak-yu, also corresponded frequently with Chusa. The piece before you is one such letter.

Dasan’s calligraphy is neither ornate nor exaggerated.
It is a plain, unembellished style, marked by order and restraint. From the tip of his brush, one can sense both the character of a true Silhak scholar and the quiet depth of his inner life.

In each carefully pressed stroke, we feel the warmth of human experience.
For Jeong Yak-yong, ink and brush were not merely artistic tools.

In the isolation of exile, they became a language—
a way to perceive the world, to preserve himself,
and to connect civilization, ethics, and family.

The theme of this exhibition is “Neighbors of Civilization.”
The Letters of Dasan embody the record of a man, cast out from the center of society,
who walked with nature and began to inscribe a new vision of civilization.

The poised brushstrokes seem to quietly ask us:
“What does civilization mean to you?”