'Fragrance of Ink' permeates gallery

International culture came to the University this weekend as the Arthur Ross Gallery kicked off a three-month exhibition of Korean art entitled "The Fragrance of Ink." The art collection, considered the most important of its kind in Korea, is visiting Penn as the last stop of a year-long American tour. It will return to Korea University early next year. "Korea is more known for ceramics than for painting -- that's what makes this exhibit so unusual," Arthur Ross Gallery Director Dilys Winegrad said. The exhibition -- subtitled "Korean Literati Paintings of the Choson Dynasty (1392-1910) from the Korea University Museum" -- continues through January 1998 in the gallery, which is located in the Furness Fine Arts Library. Literati painting is characterized by idealized landscapes, images of bamboo and orchids and scenes of scholarly seclusion, according to Winegrad. The materials used by the painters are identical to those of calligraphers -- paper, silk, brush and ink. "The Fragrance of Ink" is the fourth exhibition in the Arthur Ross Gallery's year-long "Celebration of Asia," which has featured painting, sculpture and ceramics from across the Asian continent. A series of related lectures, concerts and workshops will accompany the exhibit. The lecture series began Saturday afternoon at the University Museum, where Professor Hongnam Kim of Ehwa Women's University in Korea spoke on "The Heritage of Korea's Literati Paintings." Kim described the traditional literati painter as a scholar-artist whose work is distinct from those produced by either artists or academics. "They thought of painting not as an addition to their scholarly talents but as a natural extension to their poetry and calligraphy," Kim said. During her lecture to more than 40 students and scholars, Kim also distinguished Korean painting from that of other Asian countries. "In encountering Korean artwork, people often disapprovingly and condescendingly point out its similarities with Chinese and Japanese work," she said. The day's second talk, "Korea's Written Culture," presented by University of Illinois Professor Jahyun Kim Haboush, explored the education of Korean scholars during the Choson Dynasty. Winegrad added that the exhibit was brought to the University through the combined efforts of alumni of both Penn and the Korean university. Its organizers hope the exhibit will foster friendship, understanding and future cultural and artistic exchanges between Korean and American peoples, she said. Winegrad stressed that the response to the exhibition, even in its first few days, has been overwhelmingly positive. "People are blown away, quite frankly," she said. "You don't have to be knowledgeable in art to realize that this exhibition is very special."