By Kayla Lee

To welcome the New Year, the Year of Dragon, a revolutionary master painter Nam Sang-jun, who is now 100 years old, has given the readers of Damwha Media Group a painting of a dragon rising above the overflowing waters, full of dreams and hopes.

The writhing dragon opens its mouth wide and is about to grab the Yeoiju (cintamani), a magical jewel, in front of it. The dragon is the only imaginary animal of the zodiac that is not real, and is said to have a camel's head, deer horns, rabbit eyes, cow ears, snake neck, frog belly, carp scales, hawk claws, and tiger paws.

The dragon was considered a water god with divine powers, a god of rain and clouds, a god of abundance, a royal symbol, a Buddhist symbol, and a protector of law and order. During the Joseon Dynasty, dragons were often placed alongside tigers on both sides of the gates of palaces and government offices to ward off ghosts and disasters at the beginning of the year. The Year of the Blue Dragon is coming up in 2024. 

Hyeokpil is a genre that represents the lifestyle and cultural style of the common people, which is a part of the folk paintings of the Joseon Dynasty. It is also known as the “Munjado” (character map).

Hyeokpil artist Nam Sang-jun was born in 1923, making him 100 years old in Korea. He studied oriental painting from “Seolmo” Kim Seok-ha in 1953-60 and Hyeokpil from “Palsan” Dong Ji-sung in 1961, and has been working as a “Hyeokpil” artist for 62 years. 

▲ A work for the Year of Blue Dragon in 2024 by “Hyeokpil” artist Nam Sang-jun

From 1965 to 1984, he focused on research and development of “Hyeokpil” painting of Chinese, Japanese, and English characters, and in 1977, he worked as a “Hyeokpil” artist in San Francisco, Miami, and New Orleans in the United States. 

In the 2000s, he was invited to tour department stores and festivals across the country and Osaka, Japan. Since 2008, he has been an advisory board member of the Korea Crafts Artists Association, teaching Hyeokpil to students from all over Korea and the world. 

In 2012, he was selected by the Seoul Metropolitan Government as a recipient of the "Vanishing Traditional Culture Support Program" and received support from the Seoul Metropolitan Government for education and exhibition activities. 

In 2023, he was invited to the Seoul Museum of Arts and Crafts, Bukchon Gahoe Folk Painting Museum, Yeongwol Kim Satgat Memorial Hall, and Insadong Village Festival in Seoul, and is working to expand the base through “Hyeokpil” education.