Dongdo Jung
dal 3/2/2008 al 27/2/2008
Segnalato da
3/2/2008
Dongdo Jung
Tenri Cultural Institute, New York
Silence Like Thunder. An exhibition by the calligrapher from Seoul. This show features Jung's abstract pieces that combine contemporary ink painting with freely painted forms rather than concentrating on his traditional calligraphy.
Tenri Cultural Institute, 43A West 13th Street, NYC proudly presents Dongdo Jung:
Silence Like Thunder an exhibition by the premier calligrapher/abstractionist from
Seoul. The show will run from February 4th through February 28th, 2008 with an
opening reception on Friday February 8th, 2008 from 6-8 PM.
This show will feature Jung’s abstract pieces that combine contemporary ink painting
with freely painted forms rather than concentrating on his traditional calligraphy.
Through a reading of Jung’s pieces as fine art we hope to dispel any idea of
calligraphy as merely craft or adjunct to more widely accepted forms of artistic
production. Jung’s calligraphy is not just sign that references the object, but is
also artwork or object that appeals to the senses on a formal level. One example is
Jung’s Heaven, Earth, and Man, 2007 (63x35”, Ink on paper) which is comprised of a
vertical, and horizontal line and the dot. This composition can be related
morphologically to Piet Mondrian’s many canvases based on the grid said by many
scholars to contain Theosophic symbolism.
For Mondrian the horizontal line was a
sign of the earth and vertical stood for man whereas the void symbolized the
heavens. Whereas Jung’s sign for heaven is a horizontal line for Mondrian it is the
void, the first referencing the Daoist canopy of heaven and the latter analogizing
heaven with the void or spirit. Compositionally, both masters make elegant use of
empty space that in Jung’s Daoism is full and empty simultaneously, and in
Mondrian’s is immutable essence. Jung’s composition relies on balance to create
harmony without producing innocuous paintings. His dynamic lines meet but don’t
cross, they’re vertical and horizontal yet not strictly aligned but rather slightly
diagonally oriented. The red area can be read as dot but also as rosebud whose color
echoes that of his signature chop. At the right of this circular red shape appear
calligraphic writings that work as shading when seen from afar. These writings echo
the area directly below in content and design and are not even rows of calligraphy
but rather jagged as if on paper that’s been eaten away by time. This piece is both
delicate in its miniature calligraphic printing but also bold in its strong black
brush-line and focused punctuation.
Jung is a master who has won many honors and prizes, has exhibited nationally and
internationally and his works are part of countless important public and private
collections. He lives and works in Seoul. This show is accompanied by a full color
catalogue with essays by the curator Dr. Thalia Vrachopoulos, Dr. Robert C. Morgan,
and the critic Jonathan Goodman.
Tenri Cultural Institute
43A West 13th Street - New York