Yeoubi

Abstract

My concept of poetic abstraction combines Sijo (a distinctive Korean poem format), the Korean traditional color schemes of Oh Bang Saeg and Oh Gan Saeg, and the concept of Han (the Korean interpretation of a historically particular, innate bittersweet sorrow emotion). To better understand the definition of Han and also new interpretations of Han in modern Korean society, it is necessary to look into Korean history. The idea of Han was developed from a long history of invasions into Korea from surrounding countries. The current manifestation of Han in Korean people has changed to reflect individual struggles rather than nationwide problems. I tried to embody Han on canvas with the color white to represent yeo back ui mi, the beauty of blank and negative space. My paintings are based on the Korean folktale metaphor, Yeoubi, which is a phenomenon in nature usually called ‘sun showers’ in English. The subject matter of ‘rain’ is indicative of the influence the various rain phenomena of Hawaiʻi has had on my artwork.