Basics of Korean Traditional Painting Demonstrated

On the last day of the painting class, Louis (or Myung Chan Kim as he would be known at home) was videotaped for his professor explaining the philosophy and technique of traditional Korean painting. As an exchange student, this was a requirement for Louis.

He demonstrated to the students how to use a huge bamboo brush as a gradient. He could paint watercolor of all values in one stroke. He explained some of the traditional subject matter, and how Korean painting imitates Chinese. He dipped his brush into both paint and ink for each stroke. He explained the meaning of a single line of paint or pencil and how it should have strength and weakness, thickness and speed every time.

Louis is a very respectful and talented art student but also a very animated speaker. We had a fun time while he differentiated for us traditional and contemporary art techniques of his home country. It was a very appropriate ending to our own exploration of traditional Western painting.

(Photos by Shayna Hasty)