Van Gogh Reborn!

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I guess I'll have to think about this again.

You punk, what if you get lost?

I fully understand that you are worried about your grandson, but it's too embarrassing to walk around holding hands at the age of thirty-six.

Hold my hand quickly.

Ill just follow you.

Mmmm.

Grandfather scolds me with an expression which did not in the slightest had any scare.

From what I have felt so far, he seems to be strict about educating his grandson, but he loves his grandson so much that he is unable to scold him.

okay. I give up

It's frustrating, but its not like Im going to die. 

I let go of my pride and dignity, took Grandfathers hand  and quietly followed him.

_____________

I felt it the first time I came, but this place seems like a town where quite wealthy people live. 

Overall calm and clean.

There is no household waste or filth in sight.

Suddenly grandfather opened his mouth and said. 

The place we are going today is the WH Art Museum.

I didn't know what it is, so I just nodded my head instead.

You will like it because it has a variety of works from very old to modern times.

old times?

"Yes."

How long has it been?

Its like. over a thousand years old.

Korea seems to have a very long history.

Artworks made a thousand years ago is probably a very basic work of art, but it is a good opportunity to see how art has developed in the East.

Because I am interested in Oriental art as much as modern art.

Maybe I can get to see pictures like the Japanese ukiyo-e art.

Come on, we are here.

I was surprised to hear that we had arrived after not even walking for a long time.

On the right side of the slope, there is a strangely shaped building, and on the left an incomprehensible structure.

It is in the form of stacked balls made of a material that reflects the shape like a mirror.

There seem to be no set rules and I don't understand what they mean.

First of all, it is quite high and my head hurts.

What is that?

I asked while pointing his finger at the sculpture.

"Well. Isnt it like a bunch of leftover grapes?

It definitely looks like a bunch of leftover grapes.

"If so, it would have been better to colour it or put leftover skins next to it.

When I said that, grandfather laughed.

Surely. But maybe it's probably not leftover grapes."

Really?

"Even Grandpa doesn't know what it is. Shall we think about it together?"

I thought that a professor at the best university in the country would know, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

I heard that civet poop looks like that.

Come to think of it, it looks just like rabbit poop.

The story of poop keeps coming up, but no matter how I look at it, nothing else comes to mind.

No matter how hard I try, I can't find any clues.

Nothing is conveyed except for the strange feeling I felt for the first time.

It may be because I do not know what kind of symbol is being enjoyed now. 

After all, there has been a disconnection between time and experience.

"I do not know."

"It's okay. It's natural not to know."

I can't understand my grandfather's words.

Lets call it modern art, no, contemporary art. Contemporary art is not an act for communication in the first place.

I can not understand.

It doesnt make sense.

" Why do you think so.?

The foundation of art is self-expression and communication.

Art is something what we have to draw and what we want to draw in the most unique way. 

What words and language cannot do.

Touching and conveying the senses is the basis of all art activities.

However, it is not an act of communication.

Strangely Grandpa is cheerful and smiling.

Your Grandpa thinks so too.

Behind the smile lies bitterness.

Come on, lets not talk about things that are too difficult and take a tour of the museum.

As we climbed the uphill road, I saw a building I could not have imagined.

I don't know if it's a Korean architecture style or if it's mainstream in 2027, but it seems like it's not a building of this world.

Materials that do not seem to fit at all are exquisitely composed.

The artificial beauty of the exterior made of glass, the naturalness of wood, and the heaviness of the marble columns are harmonized.

This building is an art in itself.

In addition to the paintings of Pablo Picasso and the picture-like description style of grandfather, I once again experienced beauty beyond my common sense.

I slowly entered the building.

You can see everything with one ticket. Museum of Ancient Art, Museum of Modern Art. Also, the Children's Culture Center is holding an exhibition.

Then from the Children's Culture Center."

Lets start with the ancient art museum.

Wouldnt the Childrens Cultural Center be more interesting.?

"it's okay."

I don't know what might be there, but if there is something like a yellow sponge poop, I want to avoid it.

If I saw those again, the hallucinations that I had barely escaped from might come back again.

______________

Ah."

The art gallery was really neat.

It is an appropriate atmosphere to enjoy artworks with soft lighting.

The works on display are amazing, so even the interior atmosphere seems to have been calm.

The first thing I saw was the shoes.

The shoes are made of metal.'

The reflection of light was subtle and elegant. 

It is really nice to have it laid out neatly.

These are gilt-bronze shoes from the Shilla period, and they say they were made about 1,400 years ago."

I couldn't help but be surprised at what grandfather said. 

It wouldnt have been easy to process that metal so thinly.

Moreover, the exact same pattern was pierced all over the shoe, so I don't know how the craftsman made it, but God must have been in his hand.

However, it is unfortunate that it is not stored in its perfect form.

What was it like 1,400 years ago?

My heart races when I imagine that soft, old-fashioned exterior comes alive and shines brilliantly.

It's amazing.

what kind of country was Shilla, that can create such elegant works?

What is unusual is that their artworks are related to life.

Do they understand the ornaments.?

Shoes, bowls, fans, etc. have been given an artistic soul like that, so they are definitely cool.

It must have been a nation that knew art.

It's time to change floors and go around a circle.

________________

It is a work called Jeongseons Inwang jesaekdo.

I fell in love.

How the hell did he draw this.?

not charcoal

It's not oil paint either.

The mountain landscape painted with unknown paints is crude yet atmospheric.

An unknown mountain covered in the mist is mysterious.

Who lives in a building that looks like a house at the bottom?

I don't know where this calm and energetic impression comes from.

The mountains and the delicately swept down trees are expressed only with the brush strokes thrown away carelessly.

The person who drew this is very good at using a brush.

He knows how to make an impression most effectively.

Only one paint was used.

It is truly, truly astonishing that so many different expressions are possible by applying different methods of painting by adjusting the concentration of water or applying different strength to the brush.

Paintings of nature like this are called landscape paintings.

Landscape painting.

And it was painted with ink, so it was an ink painting.

ink painting.

Who can understand this mysterious feeling?

My brother Theo should have seen this painting. 

Lautrec, If that friend had seen this painting, he would have pulled out his wallet right away. 

How lucky am I to be able to see this.

A person named Jeong Seon drew this while looking at Mt. Inwang. Until then, he hadn't seen and painted much. The landscape paintings he drew while seeing them in person are called true landscape paintings.

A painting by seeingseeing..

"Ah!"

I made a loud noise without realizing.

Grandfather put his index finger on my mouth. 

He covered my mouth and nodded his head and smiled.

Did you find out anything?

"Yes. I didn't know why it felt so mysterious, but this. The side of the building is looking down from above.

"Hmm?"

And the mountain is looking up from below.

It is a picture with perspective neglected.

The mountain in the back is drawn bigger and more magnificently, and the nearby ones are expressed small.

However, the reason why this painting gives such an immersive feeling even when ignoring perspective is because it takes into account the gaze of the viewer.

When you look at the bottom of the painting, our gaze naturally falls down, and it meshes with the painting drawn from the roof, giving us the feeling of looking down from the air.

Conversely, if you look up to see the top of the painting, you will feel as if you have witnessed a holy mountain.

Paul Gauguin should have seen this painting.'

Knowing that friends personality, his pride would have taken damage when he sees this.

_______________

Professor Ko Sooyeol was surprised by his young grandson's observation, thinking that he would have had a very good teacher who taught him about different compositions and arrangements.

As a young child, he usually knew nothing.

He didn't know how a child who was always curious about anything he saw and asked questions was so wise when it came to painting.

Did Soojin teach you?

His daughter Ko Hae, who resembled him, did not seem to have conveyed this view and knowledge.

Ko Sooyeol felt sorry for Lee Soojin, who was his son-in-law and his student.

Although he had excellent painting skills and abundant knowledge, Lee Soojin had an eye for painting.

The sadness of losing his beloved daughter and son-in-law was incomprehensible.

Ko Sooyeol inhaled his nose and wiped away his tears.

Really? I had no idea. Our Hun is really amazing."

Ko Sooyeol did not want to make a preconceived notion about his grandson Ko Hun.

Surprisingly, Ko Hun was already in the process of establishing a style of painting on his own, and he could analyze the painting from his own perspective.

Sooyeol didn't want to add his opinion for no reason.

So, he suggested asking questions as much as possible to encourage him to think for himself and to think together.

Dont lie. Theres no way that a university professor doesn't know." 

So..whats this paper?

What about the paint?

What does the brush look like?"

But his grandson Ko Hun paid no attention to such things.

He seemed to be longing for knowledge and anxious to know a little more. 

Like a sponge. 

Hahaokay young fellowI will answer, but you have to ask one by one." 

Hun came running towards him, took his hands and with a sparkling eyes he smiled. 

He smiled brightly. 

His grandson's face that he saw after 6 years. 

This was the first time he showed such a bright smile. 

Ko Sooyeol stroked his grandson head, and felt like something was filling up in his old empty heart.