Son, Yein;
(2022)
Seeing Above, Through, and Below the Constructed Skin and Surface within an Expanded Painting Practice.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
This practice-led thesis, Seeing Above, Through, and Below the Constructed Skin and Surface within an Expanded Painting Practice, researches the legacy of the Korean Dansaekhwa movement of abstract monotone painting. Central to my research is the physical analogy between the surface of a painting and bodily skin, its relevant metaphors, and interpretations. In addition to painting’s materiality and ‘skin-like’ tactility, I have considered the symbolic value of ‘skin’ as a medium and painting method. Using psychoanalyst Didier Anzieu’s concept of the ‘Skin-ego’ that defines the ego’s development, I have investigated the metaphor of skin as a thin interface between inner and outer. I have extrapolated this to develop a practice of painting with a specific haptic visual vocabulary based on layering. The following two questions have underpinned this research: how can skin be used as a metaphor and a source of methods for painting? What are the legacies of the Dansaekhwa movement, that are currently under-discussed? My practice methods include exploring ink staining techniques to address forms of materiality and immateriality and testing diverse materials and supports for their degrees of transparency and permeability. These experiments focus on smudging subtle and muted chromatic tones to suggest silence. Through repeated processes of staining and layering, nuanced figurative imagery emerges fused within the surface and layered below the picture plane. Evoking both absence and presence, this imagery draws comparison with Christian iconography, such as the Turin Shroud and Titian’s The Flaying of Marsyas. Repetitive making processes are related to traditional Korean rituals and Christian rites of contemplation. This research aims to make an original contribution to the understanding of Dansaekhwa painting through the metaphor of skin and the concept of the Skin-ego; and enhance sensitivity to the particular qualities of beauty characteristic of Korean abstraction.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Seeing Above, Through, and Below the Constructed Skin and Surface within an Expanded Painting Practice |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2022. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| Keywords: | Dansaekhwa, Skin, Skin-ego, Korean Monotone Painting, Haptic |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of Arts and Humanities UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of Arts and Humanities > The Slade School of Fine Art UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH UCL |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10155560 |
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