[KS] Chongmyo- Bae Bien-u (?) Photographs

[Frank M. Tedesco]

>      [Image] 07-15-98 : Photographer Bae Bien-u Dynamically Reveals
>      Dignity of Choson Royal Shrine
> 
>      Hwang Jang-jin Staff reporter
> 
>      Chongmyo, the royal ancestral shrine of the Choson Dynasty
>      (1392-1910), is one of Korea's most precious cultural monuments.
>      This grand architectural beauty and its sacred rites come to life
>      in a photo book published recently by the Samsung Foundation of
>      Culture.
> 
>      The 162-page book includes some 70 photographs by Bae Bien-u, 48,
>      a landscape photographer. He spent over two years taking pictures
>      of the shrine during seasonal changes and of ancestral worship
>      ceremonies, which are reenacted every May.
> 
>      Bae, who teaches photography at the Seoul Institute of Arts, is
>      well known for his landscape photos of seas, country villages and
>      pine trees. Through his photos, he tries to capture the essence
>      of Korean scenery and people. These photos of the Choson shrine
>      are taken with the same attention and care.
> 
>      ``The simple, but magnificent buildings at Chongmyo represent the
>      best of Korean wooden architecture. And the solemn atmosphere of
>      the royal rituals fascinated me when I first saw it a few years
>      ago,'' Bae said.
> 
>      Unesco recognized the historical value of Chongmyo by putting the
>      shrine on its World Cultural List in 1995. Right after that,
>      Samsung planned to publish a photo book to boost awareness of the
>      cultural treasure.
> 
>      Prominent scholars researched ancient architecture and rituals.
>      They made complete drawings of the building arrangements by
>      referring to old documents.
> 
>      The foundation commissioned Bae to photograph the shrine and
>      ceremonies. Bae, skilled in both straight and pictorial styles,
>      took pictures of every corner of the 190,000-sq.-meter compound,
>      using over 1,000 rolls of films.
> 
>      Chongmyo, which was established by the founding monarch of Choson
>      in 1395, comprises two major ritual halls _ Chongjon (Main Hall)
>      and Yongbyogjon (Hall of Eternal Peace) _ and seven auxiliary
>      structures. The two ritual halls hold the spirit tablets of kings
>      while the remaining buildings were used as pavilions and
>      warehouses.
> 
>      Bae captures these images on photos, using various angles, tones
>      and sharp contrasts of light and shadow.
> 
>      ``I don't like my photos to be a dry representation of reality.
>      While photographing Chongmyo, I hoped to recreate images which
>      better present the dignity and history of the shrine,'' the
>      photographer said.
> 
>      In some photos, parts of the subject is fully detailed while
>      other parts are hidden in shadows.
> 
>      A photo of a stone platform in the Chongjon compound shows in
>      minute detail the rough surface of 500-year-old, weathered
>      granite bricks. In a picture of a backyard, the stone wall is
>      veiled in black, sharply contrasting with a bright sky and trees.
>      He also catches a full front view shot of Chongjon, which
>      measures 109 meters wide and 69 meters high.
> 
>      Photos taken for this book were originally scheduled to be
>      finished in a year. But Bae waited one more year to take pictures
>      of snow scenes. ``I will never forget the serene beauty of the
>      ritual halls after snowfall,'' Bae recalled. The pictures taken
>      this January were among the most praised in this book.
> 
>      Born in 1950 in Yosu, South Cholla Province, he majored in
>      graphic design at Hongik University, and learned photography on
>      his own having been inspired by German constructivist
>      photographer Moholy-Nagi and straight photographer Edward Weston.
>      In 1988 he received a research fellowship to study in Bielefeld
>      University in Germany.
> 
>      Since his university years, he has been taking pictures of
>      islands, seas, and dolmens in the nation's southern part. And
>      since 1985 when his second exhibition was held, he has traveled
>      around the country mainly photographing pine trees.
> 
>      ``While going south along the shore, I happened to realize the
>      stark beauty of pine trees. And while studying paintings by Chung
>      Sun (a landscape artist from the Choson period), I came to see
>      these trees as the flesh and blood of the Korean Peninsula,'' Bae
>      said.
> 
>      Bae finds in the long trunk and rough texture of the pine trees,
>      ``the collective spirit of the Korean people,'' which enabled
>      them to survive numerous foreign invasions and suppression.
> 
>      Bae is a leading figure in the new wave of Korean photographers
>      who are combining photography with other mediums. From 1991 to
>      1994, he and other photographers organized a series of
>      exhibitions titled ``Horizontality,'' which caused controversy in
>      Korea's conservative photographic art circle by featuring works
>      by local and foreign avant-garde artists.
> 
>      Bae is also one of the most internationally known Korean
>      photographers. He has participated in group exhibitions and solo
>      shows at many international venues in Germany, Japan, Canada and
>      this year in the United States. He is now preparing for a solo
>      exhibition in Paris to be held in November.
> 
>      ``While some Korean painters are well received in the West,
>      photography has yet to gain recognition. To appeal to foreign
>      viewers, Korean photographers should develop their own aesthetics
>      and not copy Western trends,'' Bae said. He is planning to
>      publish more picture books of Korea's cultural heritage like
>      ``Chongmyo.''
> 
>      Besides Bae's photos, this book also includes explanations on the
>      history, architecture and royal ancestral rituals of Chongmyo by
>      specialists. For foreign readers, it also contains
>      English-language descriptions. For more information, call the
>      Samsung Foundation of Culture at 750-7859
> 
>      [Image]
> 
>            Copyright 1998 Korea Herald. All right reserved.
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> http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/kh0715/m0715c01.html


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