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Welcome to the debut issue of the Korean Art Society Journal. We hope you enjoy it and will share with us your thoughts on how we can improve it. With your help, we will promote appreciation of Korean Art and Culture and share ideas in... more
Welcome to the debut issue of the Korean Art Society Journal. We hope you enjoy it and will share with us your thoughts on how we can improve it. With your help, we will promote appreciation of Korean Art and Culture and share ideas in pursuit of that mission.
My reasons for loving Korean art are its unaffected sincerity, earthy soulfulness, absence of artifice, energetic sense of humor, and effortless reverence for and affinity with nature. These are qualities that are well expressed in the folk art of Korea. Art that is by and for the people and that is not art for art’s sake. It’s the same qualities that draw me to early acoustic blues, tribal art, and any other unfiltered and unfettered expression of humankind’s common yearnings, fears, disappointments, and triumphs. Within the broad realm of Korean folk art, shaman art expresses the deepest desires of the Korean people. The shaman’s art and implements, such as paintings, masks, and costumes are a fundamental part of shaman rituals to protect the home, heal the sick, divine the future, communicate with the deceased, bless and protect the crop, wedding, family, and newborn baby, and provide the people with a sense of well-being and purpose. While the court ordained official theology and commissioned art supportive of it, the commoners, from a life really lived, created and through the centuries have held onto a most syncretic belief system that borrows from Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, ancient animism, and elsewhere, and that engenders a strong connection to nature and its energy. Korean shamanism encourages a healthy defiance against official dogma, and an open-mindedness and sincerity that guides the creators and commissioners of these powerful works of art. That is why these wonderful creations by and for the people speak so directly to persons of all persuasions even today.
So I am pleased to present the debut issue of the Korean Art Society Journal with the theme of Korean Shaman Art. The writers here are respected authorities in this field who bring passion and joy to the subject and a great desire to share their tremendous knowledge and experience with others. I hope you enjoy their writing and get a sense of the spirit of generosity, compassion and respect with which they approach this subject.
Thank you very much for joining us for this issue. Please write to us with your thoughts, ideas, and criticisms at robert@koreanartsociety.org. We will publish a Letters section beginning with the next issue. We look forward to hearing from you. We hope that the Korean Art Society Journal will brighten your day and stimulate your heart and mind.
Robert Turley, Publisher and Korean Art Society President
Style note: Instead of using the adjectives ‘shamanic’ or ‘shamanist’, I prefer to use ‘shaman’ as both an adjective and a noun, in the same way ‘folk’ is used as both noun and adjective, as in ‘folk art’ and ‘shaman art’.
My reasons for loving Korean art are its unaffected sincerity, earthy soulfulness, absence of artifice, energetic sense of humor, and effortless reverence for and affinity with nature. These are qualities that are well expressed in the folk art of Korea. Art that is by and for the people and that is not art for art’s sake. It’s the same qualities that draw me to early acoustic blues, tribal art, and any other unfiltered and unfettered expression of humankind’s common yearnings, fears, disappointments, and triumphs. Within the broad realm of Korean folk art, shaman art expresses the deepest desires of the Korean people. The shaman’s art and implements, such as paintings, masks, and costumes are a fundamental part of shaman rituals to protect the home, heal the sick, divine the future, communicate with the deceased, bless and protect the crop, wedding, family, and newborn baby, and provide the people with a sense of well-being and purpose. While the court ordained official theology and commissioned art supportive of it, the commoners, from a life really lived, created and through the centuries have held onto a most syncretic belief system that borrows from Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, ancient animism, and elsewhere, and that engenders a strong connection to nature and its energy. Korean shamanism encourages a healthy defiance against official dogma, and an open-mindedness and sincerity that guides the creators and commissioners of these powerful works of art. That is why these wonderful creations by and for the people speak so directly to persons of all persuasions even today.
So I am pleased to present the debut issue of the Korean Art Society Journal with the theme of Korean Shaman Art. The writers here are respected authorities in this field who bring passion and joy to the subject and a great desire to share their tremendous knowledge and experience with others. I hope you enjoy their writing and get a sense of the spirit of generosity, compassion and respect with which they approach this subject.
Thank you very much for joining us for this issue. Please write to us with your thoughts, ideas, and criticisms at robert@koreanartsociety.org. We will publish a Letters section beginning with the next issue. We look forward to hearing from you. We hope that the Korean Art Society Journal will brighten your day and stimulate your heart and mind.
Robert Turley, Publisher and Korean Art Society President
Style note: Instead of using the adjectives ‘shamanic’ or ‘shamanist’, I prefer to use ‘shaman’ as both an adjective and a noun, in the same way ‘folk’ is used as both noun and adjective, as in ‘folk art’ and ‘shaman art’.
Research Interests:
On January 30, 2010, in a memorial service at the Samshin-Hoegwan Teaching Center (former Emille Museum) and the tomb of Dr. Zo Zayong (1925 – 2000) in Korea’s Sogni-san National Park, the Korean art world marked the tenth anniversary of... more
On January 30, 2010, in a memorial service at the Samshin-Hoegwan Teaching Center (former Emille Museum) and the tomb of Dr. Zo Zayong (1925 – 2000) in Korea’s Sogni-san National Park, the Korean art world marked the tenth anniversary of the passing of one of the most important yet largely unsung figures in Korean art history. So many people are unknowingly indebted to this great pioneer of Korean folk art appreciation and champion of Korean folk culture, that we thought it necessary to create this special tribute issue of the Korean Art Society Journal.
All over the world, for the last few decades we have seen a growing appreciation of indigenous culture and folk art. Many governments now spend large sums of money to preserve fast-disappearing heritage. There have been leaders with an unusual depth of understanding who have pioneered these movements of greater appreciation. But it is difficult to think of an example of one person alone who did so much and could make an almost sole claim to creating appreciation of his country’s folk art and culture like Zo Zayong.
Before there was Zo Zayong, there was virtually no appreciation of or scholarship on Korean folk art. No auction houses and dealers were selling anonymous Korean folk tiger paintings and other Korean folk art for thousands of dollars. These beautiful works of art were sold for almost nothing, or just thrown in the trash. There were very few serious collections of Korean folk art. Many scholars and curators were dismissive of it, and many Koreans were embarrassed by it.
You will learn in these pages, from the people who knew Zo Zayong, why he is deserving of so much credit and praise. He was a man who gave up a lucrative career as a renowned architect to pursue his financially unrewarding, but spiritually rewarding mission of promoting Korean folk art and culture to everyone, rich and poor, educated and uneducated, Korean and non-Korean.
We hope you will not only learn more about him, but more importantly will be inspired to pursue your own selfless cause in the spirit of Zo Zayong.
Thank you for joining us for another issue of the Korean Art Society Journal. We appreciate the great response we received to our debut issue, and we’re happy to see that you’re still here with us helping us in our mission to promote appreciation of Korean Art and Culture. As always, we hope the Korean Art Society Journal will brighten your day and stimulate your heart and mind.
Robert Turley, Publisher and Korean Art Society President
All over the world, for the last few decades we have seen a growing appreciation of indigenous culture and folk art. Many governments now spend large sums of money to preserve fast-disappearing heritage. There have been leaders with an unusual depth of understanding who have pioneered these movements of greater appreciation. But it is difficult to think of an example of one person alone who did so much and could make an almost sole claim to creating appreciation of his country’s folk art and culture like Zo Zayong.
Before there was Zo Zayong, there was virtually no appreciation of or scholarship on Korean folk art. No auction houses and dealers were selling anonymous Korean folk tiger paintings and other Korean folk art for thousands of dollars. These beautiful works of art were sold for almost nothing, or just thrown in the trash. There were very few serious collections of Korean folk art. Many scholars and curators were dismissive of it, and many Koreans were embarrassed by it.
You will learn in these pages, from the people who knew Zo Zayong, why he is deserving of so much credit and praise. He was a man who gave up a lucrative career as a renowned architect to pursue his financially unrewarding, but spiritually rewarding mission of promoting Korean folk art and culture to everyone, rich and poor, educated and uneducated, Korean and non-Korean.
We hope you will not only learn more about him, but more importantly will be inspired to pursue your own selfless cause in the spirit of Zo Zayong.
Thank you for joining us for another issue of the Korean Art Society Journal. We appreciate the great response we received to our debut issue, and we’re happy to see that you’re still here with us helping us in our mission to promote appreciation of Korean Art and Culture. As always, we hope the Korean Art Society Journal will brighten your day and stimulate your heart and mind.
Robert Turley, Publisher and Korean Art Society President