“THERE ARE TWO SIDES OF ME. ONE OF THEM IS DEDICATED TO RELIGIOUS AND MEDITATION, AND ANOTHER IS POSSESSED WITH THE DESIRE TO CREATE.” － PARK SEO-BO. As a pioneer of Korean modern art, Park Seo-bo uses abstract expressionism as a foundation to promote Korean art, becoming an iconic East Asian modern artist. He draws on eastern philosophy while integrating the traditional Korean material, “hanji”, into his artwork, setting a milestone in the evolution of abstract art. His works are collected by some of the most mentionable art museums like Guggenheim Museum and Tate Modern. Ecriture No. 110218 is one of the works from Park’s most famous and iconic Ecriture series. The series has been evolving alongside Park’s art style for decades since 1967. Park’s initial idea was to imitate children’s sketches in textbooks. He discovered that he could release himself from the most intense consciousness to reach a status similar to meditation and spiritual cleansing by doing one thing repeatedly. Based on the transition of time, space and the artist’s attitude, Park’s early works of the Ecriture series avoided the use of intense colors, mainly relying on black, white and grey as the main tones. This describes Park’s attitudes on authoritarian government, nationalism and traditional culture. The story behind the red Ecriture series begins when Park attended his own grand opening exhibition in Japan. He was inspired by the booming life of nature after seeing the flame red autumn maple leaves on the mountains during his trip. Ecriture No. 110218 is one of the works from the series created in 2011. The art represents the unforgettable gorgeous scenes and eternal feelings of the artist. The color red in the series is created with handmade hanji, which is dyed multiple times in the process. The texture of each piece of hanji can absorb the dye at different speeds and levels. After three months of dyeing, the artist finally uses the paper to put them on the canvas layer by layer. The red hanji looks like individual leaves on the tree branches, flaming under the blue sky. The exquisite and complex creating process reveals the extraordinary patience and determination of the artist. Park Seo-bo started a new technique in the 1980s. He soaked shredded paper in paint and used them across his canvas. Unlike traditional oil paint, the elasticity of paper preserves the paint from cracking over the long term. Park used hanji in all his artworks in the late 80s. He used his hands and tools to create repetitive patterns across the dyed paper. Along with changes in his daily life and city landscapes, Park’s inner mood moved on with time after entering the 21th century. He started to add brighter colors to his Ecriture series, which had been mostly monotone with black, while and grey. The hanji on canvas creates a sunken and cambered surface that creates a sense of motion as the viewer’s visual perspective moves. The item Ecriture No. 110218 is the most iconic masterpiece recently created by Park. Park Seo-bo started a new technique in the 1980s. He soaked shredded paper in paint and used them across his canvas. Unlike traditional oil paint, the elasticity of paper preserves the paint from cracking over the long term. Park used hanji in all his artworks in the late 80s. He used his hands and tools to create repetitive patterns across the dyed paper. Along with changes in his daily life and city landscapes, Park’s inner mood moved on with time after entering the 21th century. He started to add brighter colors to his Ecriture series, which had been mostly monotone with black, while and grey. The hanji on canvas creates a sunken and cambered surface that creates a sense of motion as the viewer’s visual perspective moves. The item Ecriture No. 110218 is the most iconic masterpiece recently created by Park. Western abstract art thrived in Asia from the 1940s to 1950s. After graduating from Hongik University with a degree in oil painting, Park Seo-bo started to promote the Art Informel movement in South Korea as a prominent member of the Korean Modern Artists Association. In 1961, Park received a scholarship from UNESCO to further study abstract art in Europe. However, the post-Korean-war era rooted Park to the basic spirit of creating art without specific intention, while focusing on the pure connection between the spirit and realworld objects. As Art Informel developed into the 1970s, the new generation of Korean artists Park inspired is known as “Dansaekjo”. Korean artists during that period of time were very meticulous on painting materials. They transformed the spirit of Korean culture to art with minimalistic images, and trained themselves through repetition. Park stated that “minimalism or conceptualization is the result of western binary thinking. Dansaekjo is more like a spiritual journey. Creating is a tool for self-discipline, and artworks are just the leftovers of the process”. Empty one’s own mind and build tolerance to others with paintings. The concept of no desire and intentionless builds as time moves on, which corresponds the eastern Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi philosophy. Human is a part of nature, and there is no need to overpower or exclude different values. Park Seo-bo was born in 1931 in Yecheon county of Gyeongbuk province in South Korea. He witnessed Japanese colonization, the Korean Civil War and post-war dictatorship in his younger age. Despite living a impoverished life during his early years, Park retained his passion for art and an understanding behind the meaning of self-cultivation. With modern art, he inherited thousands years of wisdom. In a recent interview, Park stated that people nowadays live under huge pressure. After the popularization of the internet, an information crisis was sparked along with the non-stop flood images and infos of the 21st century. He was not sure if he was ready for the great change before he found out how technology could actually connect different eras and cultures. Viewers may browse his artworks and feel a sense of comfort and joy. Much like the natural, inclusive, and durable qualities of hanji, a sense of tranquility is able to heal the wounds caused by trauma.