2012년 9월 11일 화요일

文字圖 : The Korean folk letter painting



The Korean Folk Letter Painting (문자도, Munja-do, lit. Character Drawing, also known as 꽃글씨, Ggeotgeulssi, lit. Flower Calligraphy) is a type of Korean Folk painting (Min-Hwa, 민화). The genre originated during the Jeoson dynasty in the 18th and 19th centuries. In Folk Letter painting, Chinese characters are drawn, usually in black, and then richly ornamented with symbols pertaining to the meaning of the calligraphied Chinese characters.

Notice the recurring symbols: Carp for filial piety (Carps lay a great number of eggs and therefore symbolize fertility, a key point of filial piety is to be able to have a large offspring, preferably male, to keep the name and bloodline of your ancestors alive), Dragons for Loyalty (The Dragon is a symbol of the King), Wild Geese for loyalty (Geese, like ducks were supposed to be loyal to their mate even after its death), etc,etc...

It has also been reused in contemporary art. 







RAFAEL LOZANO-HEMMER

He is one of my favorite media artists. His creative works are much more than just fun.

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