Kim, Soo Chun. “Mugujeonggyeong and the Atypical Structure of 8th Centry Korean Calligraphy.” [in Korean] Process Thought and East Asian Culture: Philosophy and Korean Culture. (May 2004): 41-64. 

Abstract

This paper examines the atypical structure characterizing the calligraphical style of the Mugujeonggyeong, a stone Buddha monument erected in the 8^th century, in the context of a broader exploration of the aesthetic value and meaning of atypicality in calligraphy. In the process of researching the calligraphic style of the Mugujeonggyeong, the question of the monument’s national origins has also been given priority treatment.

The finding presented in this paper can be organized broadly under two headings. First, the calligraphic style of the Mugujeonggyeong, with its structure of spontaneity and idiosyncrasy is clearly connected to an indigenous style with deep Korean roots. This finding could be an important first step in resolving the question of the national origins of the Mugujeonggyeong, which has been a source of friction between China and Korea.

Second, the atypical structure of the monument’s calligraphic style provides a key to understanding the essential qualities of calligraphy itself. This atypicality is expressed in calligraphic terms in the form of a “here and now” quality [of immediacy and spontaneity]. Although this quality was present in traditional Korean calligraphy, which its emphasis on capturing the moment, it began to erode with the passage of time. In the 8^th century when the Mugujeonggyeong was inscribed, characteristically diverse indigenous styles of calligraphy were already styles flowing in from China reached its zenith. Representative of the prevailing calligraphy of the time was the style of the Tang calligrapher Ou-yang Hsun.

To even the most untrained eye, the calligraphy of Ou-yang Hsun possessed a refined and exquisite artistic beauty. Nevertheless, the appearance of such calligraphy [in Korea] gave rise to tendency [among Korean calligraphers] to follow certain calligraphic styles as a kind of orthodoxy. From that time forward, many calligraphers began to lose sight of the significance of immediacy and spontaneity to calligraphy. In this context the calligraphic style of the Mugujeonggyeong raises the question of what is the essence of calligraphy with respects to conceptions of calligraphy in which specific styles are regarded as traditional.