▲ Folk Painting Artist Yukeong Sohn aka Sochun

Korean folk painting was widely enjoyed by ordinary people during the Joseon dynasty era. The genre contains elements of the styles of the time, decorations and shamanistic images and symbols. For many years, Korean folk painting was received as practical genre of art rather than pure art for repetition of similar images and patterns. But some folk painting artists are trying to break this prejudice with creative ideas and unique styles. 

[Yukeong Sohn]
Korean folk painting artist Yukeong Sohn majored in biology and built her fame as an entrance exam instructor for many years. She worked 12 hours a day like a workaholic to keep her fame and her talent which she believed as her gift. As versatile as she was, she obtained chef's certificates for Korean and Japanese foods and experimented her ability further through vessel operation and scuba diving. This of her curiosity and zeal for many things led her to egg art which eventually led to folk painting.

It was 1999 she started this traditional art genre but it came to a halt when she was pregnant in 2004. Nevertheless, she painted time to time, organized a solo exhibition and carried on her folk painting class for her students at home. The home class became popular and she was able to secure a folk painting class at Masan University. As passionate as she was, she wanted to deepen her art at graduate level and enrolled a course at Hongik University Seoul from which she had to travel from Masan to Seoul on weekly basis.

“As my technique in the genre grew and deepened, I needed to create my own style in order for my works to be unique. Alongside technique, I read books about philosophy extensively in an effort to remove what I've known and to fill up something new and fresh instead" says Sohn.

Some of her representative works include <Flower Rain>, <Ilwol Obongdo> and <I Never Forget Though Flowers Wither>. Material-wise, she used various objects including bark of tree and coffee. 

"Folk painting for me is more than a genre of art. It is a process of healing my inner side and calm myself down. I once was diagnosed with cancer and had to go through painful treatment. During the time, I kept on painting and it was a great comfort. Thinking back now, I thought it might have helped me win the fight against the cancer."

Sohn is the president of the Hanearl Wuri Grim Association and has served as a professor at Daejin University and Masan University. When asked what needs to be done if Korean art should go global, she answered corporate support and pointed out Bumhan Group Chairman Youngsik Jeong who is sponsoring artists alongside making donations to local charities. <PowerKorea>

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