The purpose of this thesis is to clarify the artistic practice of Lim Ro Wol and its implications by examining its relation with contemporary literature and acceptance of expressionism. Lim Ro Wol is regarded as the representative artist of aesthetici...
The purpose of this thesis is to clarify the artistic practice of Lim Ro Wol and its implications by examining its relation with contemporary literature and acceptance of expressionism. Lim Ro Wol is regarded as the representative artist of aestheticism in the 1920s. It is important to note that Lim Ro Wol’s art does not directly reflect contemporary literature and expressionism, but shows appropriation of them. In this thesis, I examine the relation and characteristics of contemporary literature and expressionism with aesthetics of Lim Ro Wol, and examine the characteristics and implications of Lim Ro Wol’s artistic practice.
This thesis starts from the fact that the existing study of Lim Ro Wol only focuses Oscar Wilde's aestheticism. Aesthetics of Lim Ro Wol is not only limited to aesthetics of Oscar Wilde but it also has an organic relationship with contemporary arts of Kandinsky, Baudelaire and Poe and the ideas of Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer and his contemporary literature, 『Chang-jo』 and 『Yeong-dae』. It was in accord with his own understanding of modernity and his sense of times. I examined aesthetics of Lim Ro Wol based on its relation with contemporary literature and its acceptance of expressionism to build a multi level perspective that includes Oscar Wilde’s aestheticism but also transcends it.
The organic relationship of emotion and expression is important for Lim Ro Wol’s aesthetical perspective. Throughout his writings, his interest in the emotions that can be felt only in art and expressions that can evoke them can be perceived. In particular, he appropriates the concept of expressionism of painting represented by Kandinsky in his artistic methodology. He especially focuses on the constructive elements of expressionism and how colors can leave impressions. Appropriating expressionism, he is in accord with Oscar Wilde's aesthetics, and the influence of contemporary literature such as 『Chang-jo』 or 『Yeong-dae』 and contemporary ideas. Lim Ro Wol deviates from the aesthetical understanding of art as imitation of nature, and recognizes artistic emotion and independent expression in modern art. The formation of his own artistic logic and methodology can be typified as follows with his work.
Firstly, Lim Ro Wol suggests new artistic concepts as his artistic logic. 'New Individualism' and 'Idealistic Socialism' are his concepts that stem from the belief in the absoluteness of art. 'New Individualism' and 'Idealistic Socialism' refer to anarchism, which rejects any ideological intervention of society. It was created according to an aesthetic point of view claiming absoluteness to art by forming the logic of absoluteness and autonomy of art. It was not a discourse on social practice.
His second artistic logic is his new concept of artistic genius that is based on feelings and intuitions. Lim Ro Wol’s concept of genius refers to an artist who can perceive feelings that can be felt only in art and has artistic imagination that follows from them. This is similar to the enlightening aspect of Lee Kwang-soo, who advocated the concept of genius in the past, and also to 『Chang-jo』 group that understood genius as an artist. It encompasses all aspects views on genius as an enlightenment and as an artist that were contemporary ideas.
Following this artistic logic based on his aesthetical attitude, Lim Ro Wol forms his literary methodology and practices it by appropriating artistic expressions. First, it is the logic of color that was introduced as a mediator of subjective impression and emotion. This is the aspect of expressing impression and emotion as 'color', drawing from expressionism of painting. The effects of literary colors include 'infinite implicity', 'symbol', 'visual sensation' and 'impressive expression' that he emphasized. His interest in expressionism of painting is reinterpreted through his own methodology.
The second is the form of tragedy that is constructed through the aesthetics of constructivism and the artificial world. Constructivism, the attribute of expressionism, was a concept conceived by Lim Ro Wol as a decorative attribute in literature. It resembles expressionism of painting for its fictitious, exaggerated, and heretical characteristics. Lim Ro Wol’s literary methodology, which is based on the form and structure of constructivism, is appropriated as a unique form of tragic theory that is centered on sorrow and fantasy. Hamlet-like character in his tragedy is a device that makes his readers realize the emotional desire through empathy and pleasure. It is unique, compared to Shakespeare's Hamlet-like characters.
In conclusion, the process of forming the aesthetical point of view of Lim Ro Wol is a result corresponding to comtemporary literature such as 『Chang-jo』 and 『Yeong-dae』 which were born from modernity and expressionist modern art. His artistic concepts do not reach to the establishment of a concrete methodology or an independent aesthetics by the short period of activity and the situation of the time. Therefore, I confirm the aspects of Lim Ro Wol’s attitude and viewpoint to modern art and his efforts.