Lines flow easily from image to word to print in Korean artist Lee Chul Soo’s artwork.
Chul Soo’s woodblock prints are now available for viewing in an exhibit called “Visual Poetry” in the Hege Library Art Gallery. The prints blend images and poetry into works like A Cup of Tea, whose accompanying poem reads, “The bitter tea got cold in the cup alone there. So, too, the soul.”
Terry Hammond, Director and Curator of the Art Gallery, saw Chul Soo’s work on exhibit in Seattle and decided she wanted to bring it to Guilford.
“We had gotten a grant from the Freeman Foundation to promote Asian arts for the next three years,” Hammond said.
“[I was impressed by] how he combined poetry and visual images into one thing, and the fact that he’s living an old-fashioned lifestyle,” said Hammond. “He makes his prints by hand in a traditional manner. I loved the work.”
Chul Soo lives on a small rice farm near Seoul and grows his own food.
Professor of Art Roy Nydorf said, “I’m very struck by how spare the show is, how different [it is] from the bombardment of information we get.”
People at the exhibit’s opening reception on Jan. 15 had similar reactions to Chul Soo’s work.
“It’s about the best show I’ve ever seen,” said sophomore Alex King. “It’s so simple, and the poetry and the life the guy leads is really amazing.”
Sophomore Connie Carringer said, “[The prints] evoke very peaceful emotion, and it’s very serene artwork.”
Members of the local community also attended the reception.
“Very powerful,” said local community member Diana Clark. “Wonderful movement of the figures in his early works. The poetry is simple and beautiful.”
As simple as Chul Soo’s work is, the process of woodblock printing is involved.
The artist draws or paints an image on a block of wood. Then he uses knives and gouges to cut away all white areas around the lines and shapes. He inks the images with a roller or brush, lays down paper on the work, and burnishes it from the back. If a work contains multiple colors, the artist needs a different block for each color.
“Poetry in printing is not immediate, but you build up to it,” said Nydorf. “Lee Chul Soo goes through the trouble because it is an ancient tradition in the Orient, a tradition he loves.”
“I tried to, in planning all exhibits at Guilford, focus on works of different cultures or techniques,” said Hammond. “[This exhibit complements] Roy Nydorf’s printmaking class and Jack Zerbe’s East Asian theatre class. People make connections when informed.”
Chul Soo’s work will be on exhibit until Feb. 29. Other related events are scheduled, including Korean musician Jin Hi Kim will perform in the Art Gallery on Feb. 11 from 12 – 1 p.m.