In ancient times all spheres of life including politics, art, and culture were inextricably bound up with transcendental religion. Ancient people’s unconsciousness and thought were governed by myths and rituals. A myth concerns sacred beings whereas... In ancient times all spheres of life including politics, art, and culture were inextricably bound up with transcendental religion. Ancient people’s unconsciousness and thought were governed by myths and rituals. A myth concerns sacred beings whereas a ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures and words to represent myth. Such myths and rituals had a profound cultural influence on a specific stage of human evolution. We are able to infer the nature of ancient people’s lives, worldview, and view of religion from records and artifacts documenting rituals and religious actions of the past. I have thus realized that the source of traditional Korean culture can be discovered in rituals and believe that this needs to be more deeply studied and clearly investigated. Since ancient times, the seminal subject matter of myths and rituals was “heaven.” The flow of heavenly thought and heaven worship is examined in this thesis. In ancient times, rituals for heaven were identified with political power, and all things in an agricultural community were associated with rituals. Rites for heaven were periodically carried out for centuries. It is inferred that the flower with its ritualistic symbolism in traditional Korean culture pertains to heaven as it was often employed in Korean myths and shamanism. The belief that flower-and-bird paintings were auspicious and brought good fortune derived from this. Lastly, the ritualistic source and symbolism of images and motifs such as flowers, birds and stars is traced mainly to funeral culture for which comparatively more relevant materials and relics are left. This study tries to extract the historical and cultural symbolism and connotations of flower, bird, and star motifs found in traditional Korean culture. As a result, it elucidates that rituals for heaven making use of motifs such as the flower, bird and star have special connotations and associations and feature prominently in Korean culture. Flowers in flower-and-bird paintings and stars in constellation paintings are known to be representations of ritualistic prayer. I draw on these symbolic motifs in my own works. I have depicted flowers, birds, and stars in ink and color on , lending them their own meaning. An analysis has been carried out to more clearly grasp the hallmarks of my work anchored in the theoretical studies mentioned above. Works I did from 2008, when I first used flower, bird, and star motifs in my pieces, to 2015 are taken as objects of research. Such motifs are represented with multiple symbols in my works. In terms of theme, the connotations of flowers, birds, and stars and depictions of these motifs are considered from multiple angles. I investigate the symbolic meaning of the chrysanthemum and its formative similarity with folding screen peony painting, creation and extinction, transcendental symbols, and rites of passage. In brief, the common theme of my chrysanthemum paintings between 2008 and 2012 and paintings of flowers and bottles between 2013 and 2015 is the link between earth and heaven. Flowers, birds, and stars are combined into one image in my early paintings and portrayed as if floating in the air. Chrysanthemums are an auspicious symbol standing for longevity and widely used in shamanistic rituals and ceremonies. This flower is employed to represent the peace and happiness of the people around me. Vertically erected flowers and innumerable star patterns in my flower and bottle paintings may be associated with verticality of the tree of life and an ascending spirit in an ancient rite for heaven. My flower and bottle painting bears a formative similarity with folding screen peony painting, a court painting genre of the Joseon Dynasty. This intimates that my work has a ritualistic character. In this way I intend to convey not only the beauty of flowers, birds, and stars but also ritualistic, religious meanings. My works also embody the Korean people’s view of life and death and an Eastern view of nature, further clarifying their meaning. I also project my emotion and thoughts into these motifs to represent a rite of passage. This reflects how I learned and grew up while troubled by others. That is, my work is marked by the character of a coming-of-age novel. Thus, my paintings feature fresh sprouts shooting up from the crevices of a chrysanthemum and the tears flowing down with burnt marks. I try to pray for the peace and happiness of people around me and represent my concern for human existence and growth with paintings reminiscent of a rite of passage by adopting subject matter with transcendental and ritualistic meanings in traditional Korean culture. In terms of technique and expression I tried to represent such theme and meaning. I made methodological forays into a more accurate analysis by dividing elements of my work into image and expression, and an action of burning and its mark. In terms of image, I modified or merged images of flowers, birds, and stars to reveal transcendence. This modification or integration discloses divine existence in the mythical worldview of the past. I tried to encapsulate my ritualistic prayers to heaven in my work. I at times intentionally destroy their form while distorting or deforming them by burning these motifs. That’s why I perceive humans as feeble beings with insatiable desire hypocrisy, and contradiction, not as their moral, ideal connotations. I intentionally damage or erase those images by burning them. I also stress lines with stone powdered pigments on silk or intentionally create empty holes by burning completed painting. This is to provoke an immediate reaction of viewers. This is also can be maximized by repetitive painting over time. Fire’s ambiguous symbolism, scars, and my pity toward my surrounding persons can be represented such an action of burning and traces as its result. My works such as Sublime, Lost Heaven, Beautiful Days, and others were produced using this theme and methodological approach. A longing for a transcendental state and ritualistic wishes are represented in Sublime while my concerns about human nature are portrayed in Lost Heaven. Universal value and love gradually forgotten are addressed in Beautiful Days. Fire was actively used in Lost Heaven and Beautiful Days, works produced after 2013. This is to stress that all living things have their own value and meaning as flowers still appear beautify despite burn marks. This was intended to shed light on rituals and transcendental motifs in traditional Korean culture and was concluded with an analysis of my own work. I establish theoretical validity and a basis for my work through the process of studying and analyzing it in a historical context. This also served as a momentum to solidify my identity as a Korean-style painting major as well as to examine my position in the Korean contemporary art scene and the features of my work. I consider this thesis to be conducive to setting a direction for my work and its improvement.
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