Jung Kwang Mad Monk 1935 2002 (1 results)

Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. 135 pp. : chiefly illustrations, some in color ; numerous photographs ; 35 cm. ; OCLC: 11766799 ; LC: ND2073.6.Z8 ; a rare collection of action photographs, ceramics and calligraphic paintings and lithographs executed by Jung Kwang, the Mad Monk ; " The present volume is an attempt to present a partial retrospective of his paintings including the latest work which has expanded into the use of lithographs.In 1980-81, he took an extended trip, his first to the U.S. and Europe, giving demonstrations of his painting style."--preface ; "Jung Kwang, the painter, has his artistic roots firmly placed within a style of art that was nourished by the monastic communities of East Asia. Using only the brush and ink, monks made their art using rapid and yet disciplined brush strokes. The paintings only took seconds to complete; they could not be retouched or corrected; each was finished when the brush left the paper. As might be imagined, this style was particularly favored by the Zen schools. The paintings were used as a test for the state of enlightenment of the painter.Jung Kwang began to separate his art from this traditional school and with that separation came many questions about the value of his work. The controversies of his art continue to the present.Having introduced all sorts of new subjects into his paintings: bulls, guardian figures, roosters, fish, and, more shocking, penises on all the animals and even coming out of the head of Dharma, it is little wonder that the traditionalists were horrified."--Introduction ; Jung Kwang's reputation as "The Mad Monk" is here fully represented by the use of color, non-traditional brushes and pens, even to the shocking photographs of him using his penis as th e brush on a series of paintings! ; he was ordained a monk in the Chongye Buddhist Order at Tong-do Monastery near Pusan in 1962 and practiced meditation under direction of Master Kuha, and was later a member of the Chongye National Council as its art consultant, but was then expelled in 1983, presumably for his movement away from traditional forms ; nonetheless, there are many who would consider the paintings in this book enlightened visual Zen koans of a sublime nature ; SIGNED presentation by Jung Kwang from 1986 on the front ep ; folio, bound in color pictorial stiff paper wrappers ; some wear, but otherwise VG. Very scarce, with only 25 copies known held by libraries worldwide. [This online listing contains text in Chinese and Korean fonts]. Inscribed by Author(s). Book.