[Book Sip] Fascinating Stories Behind Masterpieces Like 'Sehando' and 'Mona Lisa'

Chusa Kim Jeong-hui's 'Sehando' is recognized as the finest literati painting of the Joseon Dynasty. But is 'Sehando' really a well-painted artwork?

The author of The Birth of Masterpieces explains that 'Sehando' gained public love and rose to the ranks of masterpieces because of the stories it carries. The painting was taken to Japan during the Japanese colonial period and later found around 1944-1945 by the passionate collector Son Jae-hyung. Subsequently, Son Jae-hyung pawned 'Sehando' to raise funds for a parliamentary election, and the 10th owner, Song Chang-geun, donated it unconditionally to the state (National Museum of Korea). These stories attracted public attention and increased the painting's value.

American artist Marcel Duchamp submitted a factory-made urinal titled 'Fountain' to the 'Independents' exhibition held by the Society of Independent Artists at New York's Grand Central Gallery in April 1917. The Society's jury refused to exhibit the piece after deliberation, but the controversy led to 'Fountain' being recognized as a masterpiece that opened a new chapter in art. Leonardo da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa' also became famous after suffering the humiliation of being stolen from the Louvre Museum.

The Birth of Masterpieces tells the stories behind why artworks we call masterpieces today became masterpieces. The mentioned masterpieces include Van Gogh's 'Portrait of Dr. Gachet,' the Admiral Yi Sun-sin statue in Gwanghwamun Square, Jeong Yak-yong's exile calligraphy, Na Hye-sok's 'Self-Portrait,' Jonathan Borofsky's installation 'Hammering Man' in front of the Heungkuk Life Insurance building on Saemunan-ro, Gwanghwamun, Johannes Vermeer's 'Girl with a Pearl Earring,' and Silla face-patterned roof tiles.

The largest and most magnificent building in UNESCO World Heritage Changdeokgung Palace is Injeongjeon, the main hall. (Omitted) Chandeliers were hung in Injeongjeon in the spring of 1909 during the reign of Emperor Sunjong. (Omitted) Several pavilions of Changdeokgung began to change their appearance around 1908 and 1909. By that time, Joseon (the Korean Empire) had mostly lost its status as a sovereign nation, and the palace had lost its meaning. Japan freely tampered with Joseon's palaces. Injeongjeon moved away from being a ceremonial space and, along with Heejeongdang and Daejojeon, became a place for meeting outsiders and dining. (Omitted) The most prominent feature in such reception rooms was the splendid chandeliers. (pp. 59?65, Was the Night at Changdeokgung Beautiful 100 Years Ago?)

In April 2018, Korea's largest stone Buddha, the Stone Maitreya Bodhisattva of Gwancheoksa Temple, was elevated from Treasure to National Treasure status. However, this Buddha has a unique history. It was designated as a Treasure during the Japanese colonial period, became a National Treasure after liberation, was downgraded to Treasure in 1963, and then elevated again to National Treasure in 2018 after 55 years. People commonly called this Buddha 'Eunjin Maitreya.' (p. 97, Rough and Ugly, Therefore More Charming)

During the Japanese colonial period, the Government-General of Korea surveyed, classified, and cataloged cultural heritage and promulgated the 'Preservation Order for Treasures, Historic Sites, Scenic Sites, and Natural Monuments of Joseon' in 1933, starting to designate treasures and historic sites from 1934. (Omitted) Japan designated only Japanese cultural heritage as National Treasures and labeled Korean cultural heritage as Treasures, as part of colonial policy asserting that a colonized Joseon could not have National Treasures. (Omitted) The Stone Maitreya Bodhisattva of Gwancheoksa Temple, i.e., Eunjin Maitreya, was designated Treasure No. 346 in 1940 after review upon Gwancheoksa's application. (Omitted) After liberation, in 1955, the Korean government changed all treasures designated by Japan to National Treasures. (Omitted) This was not a precise reevaluation but a blanket upgrade of all treasures to National Treasures. (Omitted) A proper National Treasure designation and management system was only established with the enactment of the Cultural Heritage Protection Act in 1962. (Omitted) At that time, Eunjin Maitreya was downgraded from National Treasure to Treasure. (Omitted) Eunjin Maitreya was elevated again from Treasure to National Treasure in April 2018. (pp. 100?104, Rough and Ugly, Therefore More Charming)

In the 1880s, Van Gogh painted several pictures of old shoes. Among them, the 1886 work 'Old Shoes' later sparked debates about the meaning of art's existence. Participants in the debate included German existential philosopher Martin Heidegger, American art historian Meyer Schapiro, and French deconstructionist philosopher Jacques Derrida.

Heidegger was the first to focus on Van Gogh's shoes. In his 1935 book The Origin of the Work of Art, he offered a philosophical interpretation of Van Gogh's shoe painting: "The owner of these shoes is a farmer or a farmer's wife. Van Gogh revealed the hard life of rural people, their connection to the earth, and the ontological truth embedded therein through the tool of shoes. The shoes themselves are not important; what matters is that the painting reveals the meaning of the shoes' existence. That is art." Through this discussion, Heidegger expressed his theory of art: "Artworks do not relate to beauty but reveal the meaning of the being (the shoes). Art is a way of realizing truth, not beauty." He derived the meaning of art's existence through Van Gogh's shoe painting.

More than 30 years later, in 1968, art historian Meyer Schapiro rebutted: "The shoes in the painting are not those of a farmer. They are the shoes Van Gogh wore while living in Paris. The shoes symbolize Van Gogh's own life journey, his struggles, frustrations, and passion as an artist. Ultimately, the shoe painting is a portrait and a self-portrait of Van Gogh." Ten years later, in 1978, Derrida, true to his deconstructionist stance, presented a third perspective. Derrida argued that it is impossible to determine whose shoes they are: "Discussions or interpretations about the owner are meaningless. Art always brings diverse interpretations and generates various thoughts; that is art." (pp. 237?239, The Meaning of Labor Realized through Art)

Geumgangjeondo depicts the entire view of Mount Geumgang. (Omitted) It captures all 12,000 peaks of Mount Geumgang from above in a circular composition. The artist divided the earth mountains and rock mountains left and right to form an S-shaped Taeguk (yin-yang) pattern. Sharp and strong rock mountains are placed on the right, and soft and gentle earth mountains on the left. (Omitted) This creates a fusion within a round border. It is none other than the unity of yin and yang. Jeong Seon, who was well-versed in the Book of Changes, incorporated yin-yang theory to philosophically reinterpret Mount Geumgang. Earth mountains represent yin, and rock mountains represent yang. Yin and yang meet to form one world and create one life. The principle of Taeguk is realized in Mount Geumgang. (pp. 301?302, Why Does the World Keep Calling Upon Gyeomjae Jeong Seon?)

The Birth of Masterpieces | Written by Lee Kwang-pyo | Hyunamsa | 344 pages | 23,000 KRW