▲ Ryu Gyeong-sook, Director of Chijeong Calligraphy

Calligraphy has been enjoyed and developed in China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam where people use Chinese characters. Ryu Gyeong-sook, Director of Chijeong Calligraphy in Seo District, Incheon, grew up by watching her father writing in calligraphy which made her familiar with the art. One day, she had a chance to meet Jeon Myeong-ok through her acquaintance. The meeting was a turning point for Ryu and she has carried on the art for the next 20 years ever since. Jeon is a widely known calligrapher in the Arab, Germany and China who values more of the harmony between ink and blank. “I met Jeon in 2007 and I felt like I quenched my thirst. The basis of calligraphy is lines and it requires hard training for years and years. What I was impressed about Jeon was that Jeon not only has the skill but also the virtue and I deeply indebted to it” says Ryu. Ryu is an expert of using both the traditional and modern elements under a single line borrowed from poems, the Analects of Confucius and the Bible. The line seems simple but has 3 dimensional effect and vitality. Having written in calligraphy for the last 20 years does not mean one can cease practice. Ryu has kept the principle ‘the more practice the freer you become’ under the motto ‘Seoyeogiin’ meaning ‘hand writing has the same value as the person’s learning, ability and will’ said by a Chinese scholar Yoo Hee-jae. “I haven’t seen my true style yet but still in the process of completing it. But I know the way to reach the goal: searching new from old. Calligraphy is an art where we can have joy of practice and fulfilling.” Ryu herself made humble but in fact she is a well-known calligrapher in Taiwan and Germany and has displayed her works at a number of exhibitions as an invited calligrapher. Ryu’s works in particular attracted a great attention at the 2017 Incheon International Art Fair held by the Incheon Metropolitan City Fine Art Association. She also displayed her work <Passion> at the International Art Fair for Successful PyeongChang 2018. “We Koreans tend to value quantity above quality. The calligraphy industry seems nothing much different from this tendency. Achieving quality calligraphy requires hard training on controlling one’s emotion and personality alongside the skills. If backed up by systematic support, we can spread this beneficial art as well as the beauty of Korean calligraphy to more people.”  

▲ 我(나)

Note: <Power Korea> ‘rewrites’ Korean article into English ‘concisely’.