Painter’s Homes

“I think visiting a painter’s home is like meeting the parents of the man you are dating. It’s a chance to think about the origin of creation and widen your understanding of the painter.”

Han Jem-ma, the painter known to the masses for her book, “The woman reading the paintings,” has published two books, “In search of the painters’ houses,” and, “To go over the mountain,” about the lives and paintings of 20 modern artists by region.

In the books, which have the subtitle, “Searching the peninsula’s art storehouse,” Han visits the homes of painters from Chungcheong Province, including Kim Ki-chang, Lee Eung-ro, Jang Uk-jin, and others, and gathered information from surviving family and museums to show a livelier picture of the painters. Why do the homes of the painters have any importance? The explanation of Unbo Kim Ki-chang’s home is answer to this.

“A visit to Unbo’s home erases all need for explanation of his pictures. A look at the traditional Korean-style house surrounded by a graceful wall, the rock before the red pine tree, and the rocks that all look peculiar will let you understand the vigorous and confident Korean emotions in his paintings.”

On the other hand, Jang Uk-jin’s home is very small. Jang does not like very big things. Concerning his small bathroom, he would say, “It’s a president’s bathroom. I’m embarrassed.” This reflects Jang’s paintings, which are so mall it’s hard to apply the cost-per-size pricing system. Han’s own works, which are variations of the paintings she mentioned in this book, will be presented at a private exhibition next February.

Hee-Kyung Kim susanna@donga.com