????? ????: ????? ??? ??? (The Concept of Abstraction in New Realism Group: New Interpretation on Geometric Abstractio n from Its Own Point of View)

? ??? ????(1947-1953)?? ??? ????? ?? ????? ??? ?????? ???? ?????, ?????? ??? ?? ??? ???? ???? ???? ??? ?????? ????? ? ????. ????? ?????? ??? ????? ??? ????? ¡®???¡¯? ???? ??????? ?????. ????? 1948? ???? ???? ??? ??????? 3??? ????? ???? ??? ? ????? ??? ????. ??? ????? ?????? ???? ?????? ?? ?????? ???? ???? ???? ???? ??? ?? ?? ??? ??? ??? ????? ?????? ? ? ??. ??? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ????? ????? ??? ? ?? ??? ????? ????? ??? ????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???? ???????? ????.
???? ?????? ??? ???? ??? ???? ??? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ????? ???? ? ???. ?????? 1930-1940?? ?? ???? ??? ??? ???? ???? ¡¶????????¡·(1937-44)? ???? ??? ?????. ? ??? ?????? ??? ????? ??? ???? ???? ?? ??? ?? ???? ??? ??? ???. ?? ?? ??? ????? ??? ????? ????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ?? ??? ?????. ??? ??? ??? ???? ???? ???? ???? ??? ???? ???? ???? ???.
?????? ??? ????? ???? ?? ???? ? ?? ?? ???? ??? ¡®???¡¯? ??? ????? ?? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ¡®??-??¡¯ ??(1931-36)? ¡¶???? ?? ???¡·? ? ? ??. ????? ???? ???? ?? ??? ???¡¶???? ?? ???¡·? ??-?? ??? ??? ????? ??? ?? ???? ????. ? ???? ????? ¡®???? ??¡¯? ?? ????? ???? ??? ??? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ????. ???? ??? ?????? ????? ??? ???? ????? ??? ??? ??? ????? ???? ?? ??? ???? ??? ????? ?? ?? ????? ??? ?? ???????? ??? ? ?? ?????.
??? ????? ??? ??? ????? ????? ?? ??? ??? ???? ??? ???? ??? ???? ????? ??? ?? ??? ???? ?????? ????? ???? ???? ??? ???? ??? ???? ???????? ????? ???. ? ??? ???? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ????? ???? ????? ????? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ??? ??? ??? ?????. ?? ?? ??? ????? ???? ??? ?? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ?? ??? ???? ???? ????.
???? ???? ??? ?? ??? ??? ?? ????, ??? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ??? ????? ????? ???? ??? ??? ?? ????. ?? ??? ??? ????? ????? ?? ??? ???? ??? ????? ???? ????? ???? ??? ????? ??? ????? ??? ??????? ??? ??. ??? ??? ?? ??? ???? ??? ????? ???? ??? ??? ???? ?? ?? ?????? ¡®??¡¯? ????? ? ? ??. ?? ? ??? ???? ??? ?? ???? ???? ??? ???? ?? ?? ????? ??? ??? ???? ???.

This study is an attempt to search the concept of abstraction shared among the founders of ¡®New Realism Group¡¯(1947-1953) in the view of new interpretation on the western geometric abstraction in order to clarify that their abstract works are conceived in terms of their own perspectives. The New Realism Group was a small art group which formed by the abstract artists including Kim Whanki, Yoo YoungKuk and Lee KyuSang. After its first show in 1948, the group has survived in holding the third one in Busan,a refuge during the Korean war period in 1953. However, it is interesting that the group kept a foot in both abstract and figurative tendencies, by degrees three additional members, Chang WookJin, Baek YoungSu and Lee JoongSup, joined in addition to the three original members. That would imply that the members tried to explore and do experiment with form of art in searching for a new art for a new society.
The founders were concerned with essential properties of reality and had the opinion that art should be cut off from social demand. Their attitudes towards art were based on notions of abstraction they have acquired. From 1930s to the early 1940s, they studied in Japan and participated in the avant-garde group, ¡®The Association of Free Artists¡¯(1937-44). At this time,their concept of abstraction was influenced by the western geometric abstraction movement, which formed to dedicate to preservation of the autonomy of art in the face of growing totalitarianism. They identified geometric abstraction in its various forms with freedom from political constraint and the concept of geometric abstraction with the pursuit of autonomy or independence. Therefore, they shared with the attitudes and understandings of abstraction which put emphasis on individual expression in terms of the autonomy of art.
To understand their concept of abstraction, it can be said that two important western abstract groups were related the New Realism Group. The first one, the association ¡®Abstraction-Cr¨¦ation¡¯(1931-36) was formed in Paris, which intended to merge the variety of aesthetic theory and practice on abstraction into non-figuative art. The other is ¡¶Le Salon des R¨¦alit¨¦s Nouvelles¡·, officially a successor to the association ¡®Abstraction-Cr¨¦ation¡¯,which held the international exhibitions showing geometric abstraction in post-war when the New Realism Group was formed and held its first show at the same time. ¡®Abstract¡¯ took a new name: R¨¦alit¨¦s Nouvelles by title of the association. This term of R¨¦alit¨¦s Nouvelles, the new realism, was in common word in the Abstract camps. It became the base of art¡¯s autonomy.
Indeed, their concept of abstraction represented ¡®New Realism¡¯ was linked to these concepts of geometric abstraction. And also they had two of formalistic characteristics which were a preoccupation with form and a stress on art¡¯s autonomy from other concerns of social life. These characteristics are seen by modernists in abstract art movement.
While diversified understandings of a new national art led to the sharp ideological conflict, but the way to express these understandings was lacked.
At this time the founders attempted to embody abstract art from practice of the avant-garde linked with actual life. Indeed, merging tradition and nature newly realized as experiential modernities into form of abstraction they suggested a new interpretation on abstraction differing from the western geometric abstraction.
However Kim Whanki and Yoo YoungKuk¡¯s the abstract works were different from those under a strong influence of the western geometric abstraction in 1930s and the early 1940s. But they still refused the representation of realism and social role of art, and did experiment with the study of form independent from political constraint. At the same time, they rejected the purity of abstraction and regarded tradition and nature as new painterly modernity. Therefore, their new interpretation on abstraction is deserved to value as the practice from the Korean modernist¡¯s own point of view.
Indeed, it demonstrates various different aspects of Korean modern art not limited within linear modernism which sticks to the purity of abstraction.