Art and Language

The Art of Language

Letter drawing is one the oldest art forms, and every language has it's own unique style of written communication.  Like the art of calligraphy, words become beautiful handwritten objects, and there are many styles used in the creative process.  

As I started to use more lettering in my art projects I became interested in other languages and their writing styles and symbols. For example, I would see a lot of  Japanese symbols in American art; the symbols are artistically beautiful when hand drawn. 

I have also learned that in many cultures there is special meaning to the names given to children at birth.  I found this especially true for the Korean culture.  

As I talked with my students during our ESL sessions, they would explain to me the deeper meaning of their names.  After awhile, when I would see their name in Korean I could also get the images that reflected the meanings associated with them. For instance, the name Mikyeong makes me think about "having good luck."

Korean Letters in Art

I soon became very interested in learning the Korean language because of the lettering of "Hungul" - 한글 - (Korean alphabet).  Every time I saw their words in their native language I wanted to know their meanings.  And as I learned some of the words, I started to "see art." 

So, as my first project I decided to learn the word for "Artist."  Yesulga.  Next I had the help of my students who explained how the Korean alphabet [ hungul] is designed and combined. And then I practiced drawing the letters.

As I continued to learn the Hungul alphabet, I was amazed at how I could make the connections to the English letter....

As I continued to practice simple words, I noticed the visual patterns they created.  Because I am a visual learner, this made it easy for me to remember the words.  But what made it "FUN" was to learn the art that it creates!

"The Korean letters are written in syllabic blocks with the alphabetic letters arranged in two dimensions." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangul )

My Hungul Hobby

Having a hobby is very beneficial in many ways, and different hobbies have different benefits. For me, doing art as a hobby is very relaxing and creative; learning Hungul and writing the symbols is like creating pictures. Also, creating art through practicing the Hungul letters has helped me learn a little about a new language.

Sharing my Korean words with my students is fun and very rewarding.  They are very patient with me and they know that I am experiencing an appreciation of their culture.

This is one of the great things about doing art as a hobby: It is an opportunity to enjoy new experiences through a hobby, and to share those experiences with others.

by Phyllis