K-Art The Key to Our Rich Future

As well as being a talented artist, she also has a big passion for teaching. The Korean artist Professor Jung Jong Mee (Art and Design), recognized for her depiction of women with traditional materials, talked about art, beauty, and a sense of identity and gave Korea University (KU) students advice on being an integrated, creative, and artistic student.

A talented artist from the start, she was always praised for her work from an early age. Her paintings always won her awards from different art contests. When she was a sophomore in college studying art, Professor Jung Jongmee felt as if she was struck by lightning when she painted Sagunja, the Oriental painting of the Four Gracious Plants-plum, orchid, chrysanthemum, and bamboo. That was the start of the famous Oriental artist.

“Art is the conversation between people’s souls,” says Professor Jung. “It triggers the world of one’s subconscious and allows one to express it in the form of shapes and colors.” She is famous for her work with hanji, the traditional Korean paper handmade from mulberry trees, and the portrayal of women.

She took great interest in the women in her life as she grew up in a conservative environment in Daegu. As she watched the lives of her mother, her grandmother, and other women in her life, she felt compassionate towards them. She was sure of the potentials of women and the potentials they would bring in harmony with men. She always felt pity for the understatement of women. “Artists tend to portray what they feel most strongly about,” says Professor Jung. “The most impressive, painful or passionate experience becomes their subject in art. For me, it was women.”

While she was in America working at a paper mill, she made up her mind to depict women in hanji. Out of all the kinds of paper she worked with, the Korean traditional paper, hanji, was the most durable yet soft. She quickly saw the peculiar accordance between the Korean paper and Korean women, whom she thought were very obedient but tough. Her first piece she worked on was called “Mrs. Paper” which was well received by both critics and the general public.

Despite her recognition as one of the great artists of our time, Korean art still remains as a small part in today’s art world. It is less popular among the public, and Western art has been dominating the walls of museums and private collectors. “The problem is that most Koreans think of Oriental art as boring and old-fashioned,” comments Professor Jung. “The reason for that is because the education that the people are provided with from an early age, teaches nothing about how to enjoy art.”

Professor Jung was also sorry for the lack of effort in preserving Korean culture and style. “We benchmarked the U.S. in every aspect of life after the Korean War that ended in 1953. It quickly made our country prosperous but failed to keep the magnificent culture and beauty that we had. Korea was a country with 5,000 years of history, and that country benchmarked a country that had only been around for 200 years. It is pretty obvious what happened to our historical features.”

She stresses that Koreans now have the time to look back and restore what we have been reluctant to conserve. In order for Korean designs to have international competitiveness, they need to have an identity. This identity only derives from traditions and history, which we have. It just needs effort and people’s awareness.

Her time abroad has deepened her concern for Korean art. As she saw and experienced more, she came to realize how valuable traditional Korean art was. It amazed her how exceptional and superior our ancestors’ works were and gave her some time to reflect on how little attention Koreans have for this excellence.

“When I was younger, my only goal was to be an outstanding artist and leave a lasting artwork that many generations of people can appreciate,” Professor Jung says in retrospect. “However, after studying Korean art in depth, I knew that it was just too significant to ignore. I was then avid to pass this knowledge to youngsters and let them be informed of this greatness.”

▲ Photographed by Kwon Byoung Mok

Based on her intense studies and her passion for education, she wrote a book and began to give lectures in Korea. She was scouted by KU where she is now teaching students about the identity and the beauty of Korean Art. She has helped students to have a sense of history and has worked with students to create an artwork with the style and identity of Korea.She is optimistic in what KU students can contribute to society. Even though the School of Art and Design was established less than a decade ago, she has high confidence in the university’s education and its students. “KU gathers superb students. They are maybe a little behind on the practical techniques of art but I believe that if students can learn to refine their techniques and learn to control and use the knowledge and skills that they have, there is no doubt that they will grow to be successful and qualified contributors to art.”

She also encourages students outside her major to be attentive to art. In the future, art and culture are expected to hold more importance in a globalized society. Art is something that can be related to any area or field. “I have had first-hand experience of seeing how much synergy it brought when technology and art converged in a project,” says Professor Jung. That is why she actively supports students who double major or minor in the Division of Art and Design.

“Even if it is not in the form of studying it as a major, I advise students to experience art through any way they can,” adds Professor Jung. It might seem like a waste of time to some busy students to engage in painting or to go to exhibitions. However, Professor Jung assures, “The person who reads one more good book, or hears one more good song, is the one who can bring more to the table.” It is time for students to view art differently and take interest in producing art that will place Korea as a competent presence in the promising future.