The Art Of Seoye
Celebrate Hangul Day Learning Korean Calligraphy
Today on the eve of Hangul Day, I would like to share my story about my love for the art of Korean Calligraphy. Korean alphabets are beautiful and easy on the eyes. The tradition of artistic writing or Seoye makes it even more glorious for the participants looking at the art.
What is Seoye?
The art of Korean Calligraphy is called Seoye(Korean: 서예; Hanja: 書藝), it is also the tradition of artistic writing. Kim Saeng(8th century) became known as the earliest Korean calligraphic master. Kim Jeong-Hui is considered to be the greatest calligrapher from the Joseon dynasty. Seoye developed and flourished as we know it today.
Types Of Writing:
Before getting started on Seoye make sure to master Hangul (Korean alphabet).
The fonts are still developing and many artists are experimenting with their style of writing but here are the five major types of writing Seoye.
Jeonseo (전서/篆書): It means seal script. It is a regularized script known for its uniformity of thickness, and space of vertical, horizontal, and curved lines. Thus, it is also used for seals and chops.
Choseo (초서/草書): It means cursive or grass script. The efficiency of individual pen strokes is widely popular. Cursive script is sometimes difficult to read.
Haeseo (해서/楷書): This is a block script. Letters are fit into square space, each letter is about the same size proportion.
Haengseo (행서/行書): It is semi-cursive script. These are between a block and cursive script. I prefer this script because it is easy to read and write.
Yeseo (예서/隸書): It is the official script. It is developed from the seal script form(Jeonseo). They are angular in appearance and highly legible. It is easier to read and write compared to the above-mentioned styles.
The Tools Used For Seoye:
The “FOUR FRIENDS” or Munbangsawoo (文房四友) means paper, brush, ink stick, and the inkstone. Hanji or the paper used for Seoye is made from the Korean Mulberry. Animal hairs of the same length are selected and made into straight and sharply pointed tips for the brush. Ink stick is made of soot from burned trees and glue. Inkstone is made from a firm stone that does not get affected water when ground by the ink stick, or jade. In addition, there are other items required for Seoye these are: a yeonjeok, a water container, used for making ink with ink stick, boot tong, a container for holding brushes after being used, munjin, a long and flat paperweight, and pilse, a bowl for washing the brush. After finishing writing the brushes must be thoroughly cleaned. The Seoye brush is extremely soft compared to the brushes used in Chinese and Japanese Calligraphy.
The “Flow State ”:
The “Flow State” is the complete immersion of body and mind in certain activities. Seoye is extremely calming and mindful while in practice. The emotions of the artist are visible in their artwork. The state of mind becomes purely invested in the process. Thus, the art of Seoye is perfectly described with strength, purity, and perpetuity. It is the visual representation of the artists' emotions. It is extremely therapeutic and a great mental exercise, this is the reason why it is also called “the way of the word”.
How I Learn And Make Seoye:
I am extremely new to this art form but I am determined to learn it. I found out about Seoye through the Korean Culture Contest online called K-Community Challenge. Before this challenge, I had no idea about Korean Calligraphy. Now, that I am getting into learning Korean and Korean culture I am integrated by Seoye. I found many tutorial videos, blogs, and anything I can get my hands on to learn at least the basics of Seoye. I found some extremely helpful guides and I started to practice Seoye. I like to experiment with my writing style and using different writing materials. I use anything that can be used as a brush from earbuds to cola pens, even scrub pads and nail polish. I still practice writing with pen and pencil in my notebook. I generally prefer to write lyrics from my favourite Korean songs. It is extremely calming and helps me learn Korean vocabulary while acquiring a new hobby. I have a long road before me to learn Seoye and eventually get good at it but I am happy that I found out about it and slowly practising it. Seoye has helped me calm down and create beautiful Korean art. It has helped me connect with myself better and I have replaced meditation with Seoye every day for 20 mins just me and my Ink with several other things that can help me write.
Here are some of the Seoye I made:
Getting Started Yourself:
I hope you enjoyed reading about Seoye and its Beauty, give it a try yourself as a fun activity. I am sure you’ll enjoy it if you have any add-ons please leave them I’d like to read them.
Happy Hangul Day. 즐거운 한글날. Enjoy!
