A staff reporter had a chance to meet People’s Artist Sin Pong Hwa, PhD, who is credited with pioneering Korean jewel painting, at the fine art exhibition for aged artists which opened on April 9 in celebration of the 113th birth anniversary of President Kim Il Sung .

Birth of Korean Jewel Painting

It was in the mid-1980s that Sin began to study powdered stone painting as he worked at the Korean painting production unit of the Mansudae Art Studio after he graduated from the faculty of Korean painting of Pyongyang University of Fine Arts in August 1980.

While engaging in the motivational work by means of visual aids at the construction site of the Sangwon Cement Complex, Sin came across coloured stone powder for coating the exterior of buildings.

“It looked as elaborate and beautiful as mixed colours on the palette. I thought I could possibly draw a picture with it. Since then I mused on it and came to produce some pictures,” said Sin. But he did not yet believe it could ever evolve into an artistic genre.

In August 1988, Comrade Kim Jong Il on his visit to the Sangwon Cement Complex took time to watch Sin’s works and appreciated them saying they are so vivid and they are a new genre. Later, he named it “Korean jewel painting” and ensured that a production unit was added to the Mansudae Art Studio for it, and gave guidance to the creative work on several occasions.

Sin Pong Hwa had worked as the first head of the production unit for three decades.

Mystery of Korean Jewel Painting

Korean jewel painting, an artistic genre, uses powdered natural stone as pigments. Special tools are applied to depiction.

The fine and delicate depiction of jewel painting, such as harmonious arrangement of bright, soft and elegant colours, three-dimensional vividness and ornamental effects by mixed materials, evokes unusual emotional charms. It can cover landscape, figure and any other objects of description, no matter what sizes and forms they are in.

“Korean jewel painting does not fade even with the passage of a long time, and it can express every possible natural colour. It is strong in national identity as it is based on both the vivid and simple style of Korean painting and the elaborate and delicate manner of folk craftsmanship. It assumes an air of formative art,” said Sin.

Sin’s masterpiece is “Dove Dance” (1989).

It depicts a woman dancing lively in dove-looking white clothing. The figure is so lifelike and elegant that the painting impressively highlights the content of the work that is symbolic of the ardent desire and aspiration of the world progressives to oppose all social evils and build a new independent world.

His other works include “The Snow Is Falling,” “Wisteria Flowers and a Puppy,” “Mt Chon in the Morning,” “Sobaek Stream in Winter” and “Mangyongdae in Spring.”

Sin has drawn over a hundred pieces, dozens of which are preserved to be national permanent collection.

He wrote several books such as “Korean Jewel Painting,” which give a systematic explanation of Korean jewel painting with scientific and ideological details.

Korean jewel painting came into prominence the world over.

It made its foreign debut at an international inventions exhibition in Beijing, China, in October 1988, in which “Tiger,” “Cranes by the Lakeside” and “Cats” stole the show. A diploma and gold medal were awarded to the new artistic technique based on unaltered materials.

Sin, leading delegations, travelled around dozens of countries including Germany, Russia and Poland to publicize the development of the Korean fine arts.

Korean jewel paintings were honoured at different international events. They received diplomas and commemorative medals at an international stone show in Kielce, Poland, in April 2003, and a diploma at the 20th international art festival in St Petersburg, Russia, in June 2012.

“To Mr Sin Pong Hwa. The prominence of the world culture owes some to you,” reads the diploma of the 20th international art festival which was signed by the curator of the Hermitage Museum, a Russian parliamentarian and the chairman of the festival organizing committee.

Yang Ryon Hui