Seeing is not everything. In the movie ‘Chihwaseon’ (2002), you can see Jang Seung-up (1843~1897), who is called a genius artist. Seemingly, paintings in the movie do not have the earmarks of his exploitation. There was a man, who cultivated one’s garden. His name is ‘Kim Sun-doo’. All of the paintings used in the movie came from his hand. The Chung-Ang Herald (CAH) met him in an autumn rain to hear about his artistic world.

When did you first think to be a painter?
When I was young, I came in touch with paintings, because my father was a painter. So, people thought that I was influenced by my father in the nature of things. But I was more influenced about painting from my elder brother more than my father. My brother and I used to wrap textbooks with white paper, so that they would last longer. My brother drew a dragon with a slender-writing brush on the textbook cover. The dragon was a good drawing with great force and described a feeling vividly. I was interested in drawing and painting for the first time in my life. Then I thought, I would give it a try, and I received many praises. After that day, I was in high spirits. I represented my elementary school at the competition of the province, and I took a prize. In the end, I dreamed about becoming a painter when I was a middle school student.

What is the special way of your own to get inspiration?
The process of creation has two ways. There are the main subjects that I want to create, and I seek other themes corresponding with the main subjects. Sometimes, I go into my mind after seeking the themes. Then the main subjects are motivated by them. It is a way to understand each other interactively. To seek themes, I like a little cloudy day better than a blazing sunshine day. If the weather is cloudy, then it is time to have a lively imagination. The front of a landscape is infused with life by being covered with clouds. When we drive along an express highway on a foggy day, we can feel these situations more. So I think my special source to get inspiration is a misty dawn and gloomy day. This is well brought out in one of my works ‘Between Night and Daytime, Between Daytime and Night’.

Subjects in your paintings are familiar to us. What is your impetus for being attracted by things in the world around you?
My hometown is a remote rural area, which is environmentally friendly. I think the soul of an artist is built in his childhood. A landscape of his hometown is full of beauty. There is the sea that lies in front of me. There is the mountain standing behind it. I lived in a place that had a great supply of visual appeal. I thought that man is a part of nature, when nature’s harmony blends naturally. So, nature is reflected in my paintings. When I moved to Seoul, I felt that nature existed on the reverse side of our society more than the front side. Appearances of Seoul were splendid, but the truth of Seoul is in the back streets. It is a true touch of humanity. In result, I draw not only many people of the back streets and a circus troupe rather than politician, but also a rice field, grass and a wild flower rather than rose.

There are various fields of art. What is the salient trait of an Oriental painting among the others?
The most difficult field of painting is an Oriental painting. One of the reasons is the materials used in an Oriental painting. They are very sensitive. They are like getting together with the material of bad character. It can be compared to an oil painting, to a tricycle, and to a car. A tricycle is easy to learn, but it is inconvenient when I want to go a long distance. In contrast, a car is difficult to learn, but it is handy and has multi-functions. Though an oriental painting is complicated, it is convenient and interesting. So to make a drawing needs a license. Also, other art can be entrusted to assistant because an important matter in installation art and media is an idea. But an oriental painting can’t. Drawing the line and completing an art work is due to the painter himself. It is not to be done in a day. So an oriental painting should be placed on a firm ground. A painter is a scholar and a technical expert. Only knowledge can not complete a drawing with just the use of technical skill, and technique only can not complete a drawing without knowledge.

Some people have a great notion that it is hard to appreciate an art work. How can we help to appreciate each work better?
First, if you are really interested in paintings, you’d better try to draw at as many events as you can. Someone does not take his camera with him when he goes on a trip. Instead of a camera, he took a paper and a pencil. When he saw a landscape catching his fancy, he drew a painting as he saw it. It helped to observe the scene in better detail. If you draw as you please, it is an important part of learning to appreciate painting above all things. Also, you have to see a picture with a precious insight more than in the past. If you are concerned about work, you attend lectures, meetings or read books in connection with a work. You can see only as much as you know. Lastly, you should feel comfortable among pictures. There is a saying that ‘Someone who just knows it is worse than someone who likes it, someone who likes it is worse than someone who truly enjoys it.’? Enjoy it!

Do you have any words to the Chung-Ang University students?
When students were in high school, they studying as hard as they could. But they get loose more and more when they enter university. It is the wrong attitude. High school is only a trail game, whereas university is the final. University directly affects the rest of your life, so gain knowledge equipped for leading a life. Devote oneself to self-enrichment. You must have a fresh mind rather than the pursuit of substance. Become a person emitting a sweet fragrance. When you become a person emitting a sweet fragrance, your life becomes a sweet fragrance, too.