Cheonan Museum of Art: Year-End Free Exhibition - Asking the Way, Creating the Way

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Cheonan Museum of Art

Year-End Free Exhibition

Asking the Way, Creating the Way

710 Yongwon-ri, Seongnam-myeon, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do

When the weather turns chilly, we bundle up in thicker clothes, and the maple leaves that once beautifully colored the streets have all fallen, leaving only bare branches, a sense of loneliness creeps in. It's often described as feeling 'melancholy.' In this season, a great free exhibition is being held in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do: <Asking the Way, Creating the Way> at the Cheonan Museum of Art. In front of the museum, 'Cheonan Art Park' is 조성되어 있어, allowing you to fully enjoy the seasonal scenery where autumn and winter coexist.

▲ Connect in Cheonan <Asking the Way, Creating the Way> Exhibition

This exhibition is part of the 'Connect in Cheonan' project, which re-examines the creative activities of artists in the Cheonan region, highlighting the artistic worlds of Moon Woo-sik (Western painter and industrial designer) and In Young-sun (calligrapher), two artists who have brought fame to Cheonan in Korean contemporary art.

▲ Cheonan Museum of Art Floor Guide

The Cheonan Museum of Art is open from Tuesday to Sunday (10:00 - 18:00), with the last admission at 5:30 PM. It is closed every Monday. The <Asking the Way, Creating the Way> exhibition is free to view from November 11th (Tue) to December 21st (Sun) in 2025, making it a recommended year-end exhibition for 2025.

▲ Cheonan Museum of Art Exhibition Hall 1

In Exhibition Hall 1, you can encounter the works of calligrapher In Young-sun (1946-2020). In Young-sun studied the styles of renowned masters and calligraphers representing the Korean modern calligraphy scene. He also created his own unique artistic world by reinterpreting ancient Chinese bronze inscriptions (金文) in a modern way. He is a representative artist of the Cheonan region who embodied the aesthetics of 'unity of poetry, calligraphy, and painting (詩書畫一致),' transcending the boundaries between calligraphy and painting, language and emotion.

▲ Exhibition Hall 1 Interior

In Young-sun held a brush for over 50 years, and this exhibition introduces his artistic world by dividing it into two periods: before 1995 and after 1996.

▲ In Young-sun <Sujin> 1978, Ink on Korean Paper

In the early works group <Thirst and Pursuit of Truth: Establishing the Law> before 1995, you can see the period when In Young-sun laid the foundation for his artistic world through academic exploration and inner training. Detailed explanations of the works are provided next to the titles, allowing even those unfamiliar with calligraphy to fully understand and appreciate the meaning of the Chinese characters.

▲ In Young-sun <Poem of Li Bai> 1989, Ink on Korean Paper

This work was exhibited at the <Exhibition of Contemporary Art> held at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in 1989. It is a phrase from the third piece of "Hard Road to Travel (行路難)" by Li Bai (李白), a poet of the Tang Dynasty: "Rather enjoy a cup of wine while alive, what use is a thousand years of fame after death?" The character for 'wine (酒)' is represented in the form of a modern wine bottle, and the sentiment of the poem is visually expressed with red ink.

▲ In Young-sun <New Dream Journey to Peach Blossom Land> 2002, Ink on Korean Paper

In the works group <Freedom and Self-Entertainment: Transcending the Law> after 1996, works that combine writing, painting, stories, and emotions to expand calligraphy into a 'comprehensive art' continue. <New Dream Journey to Peach Blossom Land> is a landscape painting drawn by In Young-sun at the age of 57, reinterpreting An Gyeon's "Dream Journey to Peach Blossom Land" of the Joseon Dynasty in a modern way and containing longing for utopia.

▲ In Young-sun <The Best Goodness is Like Water> 2004, Ink on Korean Paper

Another work, <The Best Goodness is Like Water>, is a phrase that appears in Lao Tzu's "Tao Te Ching," expressing the ideal attitude towards life that humans should pursue through the virtues of water. Water benefits all things without contention and stays in the lowest place, symbolizing 'humility' and 'the value of inclusiveness.' The phrase written together in the work, "Only after the weather gets cold do we know that pine and cypress trees wither late," signifies the nature and virtue that are revealed only in difficult times.

▲ In Young-sun <Jangtaesan Mangtaejo Mountain Panorama> 2007, Ink and Color on Paper

The foothills of Jangtaesan Mountain are where In Young-sun has lived for many years, and the above work captures the scenery of Cheonan Taejo Mountain from that spot. In the later part of his life, he used small scenes of everyday life as his main material, through which you can feel that the artist's calligraphy goes beyond simple visual art to encompass life, memories, philosophy, and relationships.

As you appreciate each character in the calligraphy works, the artist's soul and breath are conveyed intact. The melancholy feeling I had when I came to the museum was calmly settled, and I felt healed as I reflected on the principles of nature and the meaning contained in Eastern thought.

▲ Exhibition Hall 2 Interior

Going up one floor from Exhibition Hall 1, you will reach Exhibition Hall 2 of the Cheonan Museum of Art. Here, you can see the works of Moon Woo-sik, a Western painter and industrial designer, divided into three sections by year. (1950s~60s / 1960s~70s / After 1990s)

▲ Moon Woo-sik <Self-Portrait> 1955, 1968, 2000

Painter Moon Woo-sik (1932–2010) graduated from the Department of Painting at Hongik University and participated in important exhibitions that led Korean modern art. From the 1960s, he also worked as a designer while serving as a professor in the Department of Design at Hongik University. This was a time when the concept of 'modern design' was beginning to take root in Korea. The artist is evaluated as an artist who was active in both fields during the time when Korean modern art and modern design were born.

▲ Moon Woo-sik <Road to Church> 1957, Oil on Canvas

The artist's early works (1950s) show the characteristics of Korean modernism painting with the theme of the reality of post-war cities and individual life. In particular, <Road to Church> is considered a representative work that interprets the post-war urban landscape in a unique formative language. The work shows the surrounding residential areas arranged in layers below the red Myeongdong Cathedral.

▲ Moon Woo-sik <Me and a Girl> 1957, Oil on Canvas

A young couple is standing slightly awkwardly, but their arms are firmly touching each other. 〈Me and a Girl〉 is a work painted by the artist when he was dating his wife, Jo Jung-soon, and contains the anxieties of the times and the inner emotions of a young artist in its rough shapes and textures. It is one of the artist's early experimental works in search of a new formative sense and shows a characteristic of Korean modernism painting.

▲ Moon Woo-sik <Style> 1972, Watercolor on Paper

In the 1960s, the artist expanded his activities to industrial design as a whole, including newspaper cuts, magazine covers, and posters, as well as painting. This period was the beginning of Korean graphic design, and the artist's work is significant in that it presented 'the possibility of a new Korean graphic design that combines artistry and practicality.'

▲ Moon Woo-sik <Seoul> 1965, Watercolor on Paper

The original artwork for the tourism poster <Seoul>, which was exhibited at the <Korea Industrial Artists Association Exhibition> in 1965, artistically reconstructs the scenery of Korea's capital. The work shows the daily life of Seoul, including Gyeongbokgung Palace's Hyangwonjeong Pavilion, Bugak Skyway, Palgakjeong Pavilion, Walkerhill Hilltop, and the Han River. This work is evaluated as an example of showing the aesthetics of Korean graphic design in the 1960s as a national promotional material and the result of artistic experimentation.

▲ Moon Woo-sik <Yeopo-ri Ferry> 1992, Watercolor on Paper

In the 1990s, Moon Woo-sik's canvas turned to watercolors again. After completing his long educational activities and visual design work, he quietly captured everyday landscapes and life's emotions through the delicate and transparent texture of watercolors. His later paintings can be said to be the 'language of peace' that an artist who led the changes in visual culture ultimately reached after passing through the turbulent period of industrialization. A calm and peaceful atmosphere was conveyed in the watercolor landscape.

▲ Cheonan Art Park

After finishing the exhibition, I slowly walked through 'Cheonan Art Park' in front of the museum. On the road to the beginning of winter, the lingering impression of today's exhibition feels long.

In Young-sun, a calligrapher who crosses calligraphy and painting, and Moon Woo-sik, an artist who encompasses industrial design and painting. Although they are two artists who have worked in different fields, they are pioneers of the era who silently pioneered 'their own path' and completed their own unique artistic world. In a season where you feel melancholy, why not walk along the path left by the two artists and end the year with a more comfortable mind?

Cheonan Museum of Art

○ Address: 185 Jonghaphyuyangji-ro, Seongnam-myeon, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do

○ Hours: Tuesday - Sunday (10:00 - 18:00), Last admission (17:30), Closed every Monday

○ Parking: Cheonan Arts Center Parking Lot 2 (103 parking spaces)

○ Public Transportation: Cheonan City Bus No. 405, No. 815

Source :https://blog.naver.com/sinmunman/224092791289

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