청계 차일수: 득의망상 (得意忘象)
Cheonggea Ilsu Cha: Grasp the Essence, and the Form Fades Away

The Stanford East Asia Library presents an exhibition by the South Korean artist Cheonggea Ilsu Cha from November 18, 2024 to February 20, 2025. Artist Cha has dedicated his 40-year career to the mastery of ‘literati’ painting.  The literati genre combines written word with a painterly interpretation of text, a form of art that has been practiced by the scholarly elite in Korea for over 400 years. His work has been featured at the prestigious Grand Art Exhibition of Korea, and he has held eight solo exhibitions.
A significant number of Korean scholars practiced literati painting during the Joseon Dynasty, which extended from 1392 to 1897. Literati painting reflects the scholar’s observation, understanding and interpretation of a poetic topic. The artist strives for aesthetic discipline; the text must be no longer than what the topic minimally requires. So too must the artist seek simplicity in his visual vocabulary.  The exhibition is inspired by the philosophy of Tŭgŭi mangsang (得意忘象), which emphasizes abandoning artifice in order to seek the true nature of things.  The works at the exhibition employ the use of ink and a constrained palette of color using materials such as traditional Korean paper, scrolls, and fans. The paintings touch on a wide variety of topics, from nature to philosophical reflections to expressions of human emotion. Cha’s work is inspired by the artistic sensibility of his predecessors. Visitors to the museum will find paintings imbued with a classic aesthetic, timeless charm, and a lively wit.
This exhibition of Cha’s Korean literati paintings was curated by Jee-Young Park, Korean Studies Librarian at Stanford East Asia Library; Ji Soo Kim, M.A. in  Museum Studies from San Francisco State University; and Wooju Chong, M. A. in Center for East Asian Studies from Stanford University, in consultation with the East Asia Library Exhibits Committee.