The reason why me and my colleagues met in front of the gate was for looking around the exhibitions for the artists who broke the brushes in the their best time.
Deoksu-gung palace was tragic place of Chosun dynasty. In this palace, Chosun dynasty lost the sovereignty by Japan.
Now this palace became the exhibition for the paintings.
The first one I came across was the woman painter Jung chan young.
It was very rare in Korea for woman to be a painter.
The painter was believed as the masculine job at that time.
In my guess, the woman professional painter seemed not common even in Western world.
She was a talented painter, so she was prized as the best of the best painter in Korea.
Especially she was so special concerning the birds.
But suddenly she threw the brush after her son’s death.
Her little son was dead by the some disease, and she never had overcame the sorrow.
She was also the victim of Korean War, her husband went to North Korea.
It seemed that he was pro communist.
He was a botanist. So she drew plants for her husband.
After her husband’s exile, her family must be very difficult.
She was a tragic victim of Korean contemporary history.