'Dirt to Grasp and Land to Lie on'
December 4, 2007 - January 6, 2008
Has there ever been realism in this land ? - The realism of Hwang Jae-Hyoung
Chung, Young Mok, Professor, Seoul National University
This is a discussion on the works of artist Hwang, Jae Hyoung. It focuses on the interpretational aspect of "realism," and is particularly intended to clearly reveal my viewpoint on this matter. There are several reasons for this direction of focus. First, it is my judgement that "realism" is the most appropriate categorical characteristic in interpreting Hwang's works. Second, there is a need for analysis of how this word, a common term since the emergence of minjung (people's) art, has been used in terms of significance and characteristics on the horizon of Korean contemporary art, based on a comparison of Hwang's works with those of others known as "realism" artists. And third, judgements that have been made on the basis of Taebaek's geographical distinctions, and on Hwang's personality as an artist, have made him into the "Mine Artist" in people's minds, leaving little room for concrete discussion of his actual works.
Hwang Jae Hyoung, popular on the Internet, is a representative minjung artist who lives in the mining town of Taebaek, together with the people there, and tries to change the world through education. He settled in the mining town for the sake of truthfulness in his work, and actually worked as a miner as well as an artist. He is also an actionist who has observed and shared the people's pain and hardships of downfall. But buried under the weight of such narrative life stories, which have been the focus of people's interest, his works seem to have been treated merely as supportive evidence explaining that weight. His works are of life in the mining village and its surrounding landscapes; each work, however, has its own special story. Even though a painting does not tell the whole story as a novel does, the narrative qualities of a certain scene painted according to the artist's choice may convey an emotion that is stronger and lasts longer than the literary power in the theme or the overall story, because of the formative power of the work. Thus, if issues not directly connected to such formative aspects are put first, we cannot properly experience such emotions and feelings. In other words, in appreciating and understanding fine art, feeling and reacting to the works should definitely precede the life of the artist or stories linked to the paintings.
By no means will this reduce the weight of the artist, in proportion to his works. This activist artist, who entered the mining town of Taebaek in 1983, observed nature and life in the area as it began to deteriorate from the late 1980s, from his perspective as a member of the community. Who could dare talk lightly about the value of his life? Whether it was his influence, or the calling of the times, there were many artists who painted in various ways as they went to and from Taebaek, Sabuk, Gohan and Cheoram, but the works of Hwang Jae-Hyoung were unique. Especially, Hwang's brushwork is more realistic and descriptive than the expressive staccato brush strokes of Oh Chi-Gyun, who has recently been spotlighted for his landscapes of the Sabuk region. I do not see Hwang's density and texture, achieved by mixed media such as soil and coal, as a revelation of expressive effect, but as a manifestation of realism, trying to get closer to the physical reality. This is an important point, which reflects the significance and characteristics of the realism the artist pursues, together with his life of experience.
