• A large retrospective exhibition presenting a total of about 100 works by Nosoo Pak including Korean paintings, drawings and unpublished small works

• Organization of a variety of events including a tour to the artist's old home and studio and his interview with a movie director Yi Jun-ik
  

The National Museum of Contemporary Art (represented by Soonhoon BAE) presents an art exhibition, "Nosoo Pak - A Boy Waiting for the Spring" from March 17 (Wed) and April 18 (Sun). It is a large retrospective exhibition aimed to take a comprehensive look at the lifetime achievement of Nosoo Pak (1927-) as an artist who brought a unique aspect to the Korean traditional painting via the use of vivid and transparent colors, bold composition and the aesthetic exploration of empty space. Nosoo Pak won the Presidential Prize at the 1955 National Art Exhibition of Korea (Gukjeon) with a work of Korean color ink painting, and became the first of the postwar generation of the artists who became a "Gukjeon-recommended Artist".

The subtitle of the exhibition is "A Boy Waiting for the Spring". In the Park's paintings, a "boy" appears as a symbolic figure who denies to obey to the existing order and sticks to the noble ideal and a subject for the his empathy as an artist. Similarly, spring for him represents a hope for the future and symbolize the clear, pure world of spirit depicted in the works by Nosoo Pak. The dramatic contrast between white and blue and ample empty space lead viewers to contemplation and feeling the clear energy emerging from the depth like spring.

“My days as a boy have gone forever, but I still feel the throbbing of his heart revived whenever spring returns. My heart beats with expectation for the arrival of spring, and becomes restless with a dream filled with mysterious five colors..." (From a note by the artist)

This exhibition offers a rare opportunity to get access to the Pak's representative works of about 100 including landscapes, the drawings of his early period that help viewers understand his working process and small works which haven't been published so far. Many of the works are attached with postscripts written in Korean, helping viewers better understand the theme of each work. The exhibition also presents video clips depicting the artist's life and achievement, restoration of his studio and the magazine covers capturing his works during the 1970s and 1980s.

It was in the postwar period when Korea was keen in removing the Japanese colonial influence on Korean culture and arts and finding its identity that Nosoo Pak began his career as an artist, producing a range of works based on traditional ink painting characterized by a restrained use of colors and the use of simple lines and shapes. His interest in the Korean traditional painting had finally led to bringing new modern aspects for the traditional Korean painting.

The opening ceremony takes place at 5 o'clock on Marth 16, 2010, at the foyer of National Museum of Art, Deoksu-gung, and the presentation meeting is held seven times at 10:00, 11:00, 12:30, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00 and 17:00 from Monday to Thurday, and eight times one more time at 18:30 between Friday and Sunday.

Other events include the Curator Gallery Talk, tours to the artist's home and studio, special educational shows held for students and teachers, an interview between an art critic Byeonghak Ryu and a film director Junik Yi, concert and writing a Blue letter to Nosoo Pak. For further information, please visit the website of the National Museum of Contemporary Art (www.moca.go.kr) or call (02) 2188-6000 or (02) 2022-0600.