New LACMA exhibit showcases Korean ink master Park Dae Sung's paintings

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Korean history and calligraphy are showcased at a new LACMA exhibition featuring artist Park Dae Sung.

"Park Dae Sung is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Korean ink master in Korea who's alive today still," said Victoria Moon, associate curator of Korean art at LACMA.

Eight of his works of art, including massive ink paintings, are now on display.

A self-taught calligrapher, Park was born in 1945. He lost both of his parents and half of his left arm in the conflict that preceded the Korean War. Nature and art became a source of comfort for him.

Many of his works incorporate Korean and Chinese characters. He fuses the traditional and contemporary.

"Park Dae Sung did visit North Korea under controlled circumstances in 1998. This piece being done in 2006, was done from memory," Moon said, referring to his painting of North Korea's Diamond Mountain. "But not only that, this is a view you would never see in reality. This is actually his imagination."

Ten years earlier, Park depicted a snow scape at Bulguksa Temple located in Gyeongju, where he currently lives.

"In order to give it the white of the snow is actually just showing the white hanji, Korean mulberry paper. And so this is all done in reverse technique," Moon said of Park's "Snow at Bulguk Temple" piece.

This style of Korean art requires the artist to work on the ground to prevent the ink from dripping. There is no room for error. Discipline and patience are behind his mastery.

Park considers himself lucky to live in a place characterized by its beauty and history. He is now sharing a piece of it with Los Angeles.

He will be painting at LACMA for the exhibition's inaugural weekend on Sunday, July 17.