Hanok walls may as well be regarded as beautiful abstract paintings given their unique surface divisions which do not conform to established architectural rules. The plastered white walls are bilaterally divided by darker colors of wooden columns and pillars, and small doors and windows are placed within. Depending on the circumstances, details of the styles and shapes of proportional divisions of hanok walls are predominantly decided upon and determined by the individual master builders, which mostly results in neat and tidy walls. For example, walls with wooden lines of pillars and columns may represent the time-honored pride of a white-clad race of Korean people. Contrary to the geometrical coldness of Western abstract paintings, these hanok walls are abstract paintings of realism with a touch of humanity. For modern Western painters such as Piet Mondrian, abstract paintings are an artificial abstraction of a careful calculation and geometry, whereas the abstract designs of hanok walls are none other than life's traces which have been gradually formed over time from the Korean practice of building houses. Cha Jang-sup, born in Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do in 1958, studied history at Kyungpook National University and received B. A., M. A. and Ph. D. He is currently a Professor of History at Kangwon National University at Samcheok, teaching courses on Korean history and the history of Korean arts. He has also served in various academic and university positions, including president of The Society for the Study of Joseon History, director of Research Institute for Gangwon Traditional Culture, director of University Library, and head of University Planning and Development.

Walls of Hanok, the Traditional Korean House

Cha Jang-sup

Youlhwadang Publishers

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Books by Cha Jang-sup

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Walls of Hanok, the Traditional Korean House