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작성일 : 17-06-25 14:16
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The Work of Shin Jaedon (written by Anakie West/writer)
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글쓴이 :
관리자
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The Work of Shin Jaedon
Born in South Korea in 1959, Shin Jae-Don came to Australia in 2007, after graduating from RMIT University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts has spent his time between Seoul and Melbourne presenting regular exhibitions in both cities.
The bulk of Shin Jaedon’s work comprises figurative paintings of people seen in real life. As a commentary on the human condition, it can be understood that his paintings are born out of empathy for plight of human kind – the same empathy and concern which motivated his participation in the Korean democracy movements of the 1980s. He is driven by social conscience and compassion for ordinary people who are powerless and never truly free, living their lives patiently and stoically as a mere speck at an infinitesimal point in time within the landscape of the long course of history. This is equally true of the subject matter of his paintings and of socio-political circumstances in Korean national history.
<Contemporary life>
There are three conceptual streams to be found in Shin Jae-Don’s work. The first is the concept of contemporary man in everyday life. This is seen in his paintings of commonly seen characters – from the expressionless faces of anonymous figures to specific characters we find in the world around us such as a temple monk, the landlady of a small local bar, the waitress in a café or a middle-aged woman sun-baking on a balcony. In portraying people pursuing mundane activities, the artist draws our attention to the loneliness and isolation found amidst the hustle and bustle of modern-day existence. The use of bold, vivid, cheerful colours serves to emphasise that isolation and sense of loneliness - the same isolation and loneliness that can be found in any city of the world, be it Seoul, Melbourne, New York or Berlin.
<Recent historical references>
A second stream of Shin’s work delves into socio-political events surrounding the Korean people. He portrays events of both North and South Korea, from the now all but forgotten infiltration of armed North Korean guerrillas into South Korea in the 1960s, the funeral of Kim Jong-Il in December 2011, right up to the sinking of the Sewol Ferry just two years ago. The figures appearing in these scenes represent the characters who played a role in those events. Ultimately these are just ordinary people who were going about their lives until, by virtue of being at a place at a particular time, were swept up in social and political circumstances and became victims of history. By provoking in the viewer a sense of sadness for those affected, the artist’s work in fact serves to remind us of those nameless people who lived their lives in the harshness of history.
Although there is a temptation to categorise these works as political art, in fact, they fall more correctly into the genre of the portrayal of everyday life shaped by the politics which perfuse it. This is because when painting about a political event or issue the focus is not on expressing the artist’s personal political views or even the external socio-political circumstances, but rather on the internal emotional response triggered by the plight of the subjects occasioned by a particular event, since at any time one of us could be affected in the same way.
<Classical historical references>
Over the past few years a third stream has emerged where we find the artist’s attention drawn to Gongjae Yun Du-Seo and Gyeomjae Jeong Seon. Work inspired by these two innovative Choseon dynasty artists differs considerably from the paintings in the first two streams and, based purely on the subject matter, they appear to be unrelated. A closer look at the deeper significance of those paintings however, reveals a common thread.
As pioneers in Korean genre painting and realist landscape painting in the 18th century, Gongjae and Gyeomjae are highly significant figures in Korean art history. Gyeomjae is outstanding for the fact that he did not blithely conform to the idealistic traditions of classical Chinese landscapes but instigated an innovative and realistic style portraying landscapes characteristic of the real Choseon. We can identify with his mountains and rivers and feel they really existed. Gongjae was another innovator in that he pioneered authentic Korean folk genre painting with such works as “Woman Digging Herbs”, “Weaving Straw Shoes” and “Carving wooden utensils”, all depicting peasants at work. Even though he himself was born into the nobility, he was exceptional in painting with a palpable affection for the common people - particularly those involved in manual labour. Each in his own way rejected convention and created a new approach.
Similarly, inspired by the creative essence of these artists, Shin Jaedon turned from convention and by so doing found the philosophy he wanted to be guided by. Gongjae’s genre painting in particular led him to find the vein he wanted to pursue in art. Through the tacit knowledge of Korean traditional art he developed his inner artist and found his roots.
It can be said that, regardless of the subject matter, the prime motivation of the artist is to communicate with society through his art. In considering all three streams, Shin’s work speaks through the past and will continue to speak to those who encounter his work in the future, questioning the direction of our lives and the level of compassion we have for our fellow man.
2016.9.2
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