Kim Tschang-yeul's "Waterdrops" (1979) / Courtesy of Gallery Hyundai By Soojin Han Violinist Soojin Han Recently, I encountered the works of two eminent Korean artists, Kim Tschang-yeul and Nam Sang-woon, who both feature water drops as a central theme in their art. While sharing a common theme, their respective interpretations of these simple droplets are strikingly different, each reflecting the artist's unique life experiences and philosophies. For Kim, waterdrops primarily symbolize "cleansing," a process of eradicating the cruelty and sadness in the world from mankind’s memory.
On the other hand, for Nam, the same water drops hold an altogether different meaning — family. Having often observed lotus leaves close up during his childhood, he recalls how droplets would form on the surface of the leaves, and as the number of droplets grew, the leaf would bend, causing the drops to merge and eventually roll off. Nam likens this to a father (the leaf) nurturing his children, who, when the time comes, will "roll off" into the world.
Just as Kim and Nam project their personal experiences and worldviews through their art, classical musicians bring their unique interpretations to the compositions they perform. The sheet music serves as a blueprint, a letter from the composer, but it is the performer’s individual voice and expression that bring the piece to life. This interpretative act is akin to seeing the world in a drop of water, where each note and phrase is colored by t.