Korean CalligraphySagunja

National Korean Studies Seminar

Copyright 2014Sung Kim and Mary Connor

Bringing Korea to the K-12 Classrooms

Drawing Sagunja:Korean calligraphyKorea boasts a long tradition in calligraphy,

dating back to the early years of the Three Kingdoms period.

The paper, ink, brush, and ink stone are essential implements of East Asian calligraphy: they are known together as the Four Friends of the Study in Korea.

In addition to these four tools, desk pads and paperweights are also used by calligraphers.

Tools of calligraphy

Ink-stone

ink

brush

papermulberry

How to hold a brush

This is the way to hold the brush to do Korean calligraphy

What is Sagunja?Sagunja is a genre of Korean painting, which centers on four

virtuous plants . Plum (Maehwa), orchid (nahn), chrysanthemum (gukhwa) and bamboo (Daenamoo).

It is a compound word of sa, meaning four, and kunja, meaning gentlemen with high moral standards and intelligence.

As people admired and praised kunja as an ideal model, they wanted to capture its essence in paintings with the four plants, which were believed to possess these characteristics.

Sagunja is still an active way to enrich our lives.

How to draw Sagunja

Sagunja

Plum Orchid Chrysanthemum Bamboo

What represents Sagunja?

Generally, they each represent a season: plum for spring, orchid for summer, chrysanthemum for fall and bamboo for winter.

But usually people learn how to paint the orchid first because it has the simplest shape among the four, followed by bamboo, plum and chrysanthemum.

The preparation for Sagunja also involves the cultivation of the mind as painters would meditate while rubbing the ink on the ink stone and concentrating on what they are about to paint.

How to draw Orchid

Classroom Activity:Drawing Orchid

Classroom Activity:Drawing Orchid

Classroom Activity:Drawing Orchid

Classroom Activity:Korean Calligraphy

References

http://cont132.edunet4u.net/~lt065/http://www.munseong.co.kr/seoyae/

gmain-.htmhttp://210.95.180.8/@art/cyberschool/s43-

10.htmhttp://ipcp.edunet4u.net/~koreannote/

11/11-%EC%82%AC%EA%B5%B0%EC%9E%90.htm