Van Gogh Reborn!

I went to the Whitney Museum and looked at the displayed works leisurely. 

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Sihyeon and I were not familiar with contemporary art, so there were only a few works that we could understand. 

The important thing is I tried to experience the unknown works at least once. 

Maybe I might be able to understand it a little bit when I see it for the second time. 

But unfortunately, today is the last day I can enjoy the Whitney Biennale since I have to appear on a TV program called ‘Let’s Talk’ tomorrow. 

I visited the Whitney Museum of Art to soothe my regret. 

Ferdinand Gonzalez’s wall clock caught my eyes. 

Now there is a fairly large time difference between the two clocks, so they don’t look similar. 

If this continues, one clock will stop first one day before the other. 

Judging by the subtitle of [Perfect Lovers], I wondered if it was an expression of the fact that they are spending the same time together

Then what will happen when one stops before the other?

I still can’t completely understand the work. 

When I scratched my head, looking at the two clocks, grandpa came close to me, looked at the clocks, and said. 

“Grandpa feels sad when I look at this work.
How does Little Hun feel?” 

“It’s similar.” 

When I answered, grandpa, asked Sihyeon who was standing next to me. 

“What do you think about it Sihyeon?” 

The boy thought about it hard and opened his mouth after a while. 

“I think it’s saying that if two people want to spend time together, they have to put in the effort.” 

It’s an unexpected direction. 

It seems that he was able to see that aspect because he recognized that his recent relationship with his father had arisen from the absence of conversation.

“That’s a possibility.
Relationships work out only when the two people involved put in efforts and try to understand the other.” 

“Yes.”

Grandfather patted Sihyeon’s head. 

Grandpa teaches through experience, not words, that it is up to each person to accept a work.

“Then one more.
Can you call this piece as work of Art?”

If I reject it because it’s a work I’ve never experienced, it’s no different from the jerks who criticized Monet’s [Sunrise]. 

It is not too late to judge after understanding what it is. 

Sihyeon, who kept thinking with his head tilted, asked grandpa. 

“It’s made in a factory, isn’t it?” 

“Yes.” 

“Is it not Art if it’s not made by an Artist?” 

It’s the area I’ve been thinking a lot. 

I looked up dictionaries from various countries. 

In England, Art is called the product of human creativity. 

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According to Korea’s standard dictionary, Art is explained as ‘human activities and works to express the beauty that is the subject of appreciation with special materials, techniques, and styles.’ 

In simple terms, it refers to an ‘activity’ or result that expresses ‘Aesthetics’. 

The controversial part is probably not about ‘Aesthetics’, but about ‘Activity’ or ‘How far that activity is done by the Artist’. 

Aesthetics cannot be the basis for judgment because every person has different aesthetic standards.  

Depending on the point of view, ‘the action of naming two wall clocks side by side’ can be viewed as an “activity” or as a “product.” 

“There is no answer.” 

I listened to the words of grandpa. 

“A clock is an object of time, but those two clocks have different meanings like Little Hun and Little Sihyeon said.” 

It gives meaning. 

“There was a man named Marcel Duchamp about a hundred years ago.
He wanted to discover a new meaning in things around us.” 

Grandpa opened his smartphone and showed me a work called Marcel Duchamp’s [Fountain]. 

It’s a urinal. 

“This.” 

I think I shouldn’t, but as a human being, I feel repulsed. 

“It’s still controversial, so you don’t have to think of it as a work of Art.
Thoughts are free.…….and the answer varies depending upon the one who sees it and how they perceives it,” 

Grandpa looked at us and continued. 

“Duchamp was not the first one to do it, there were Artists who created works that are based on the essence of how the audience looks at it.
Picasso’s attempt to put multiple perspectives on the canvas to give a new meaning based on how the audience looks at it is one such example.” 

The same can be true of people like me who are now called impressionists. 

I tried not to copy things, but to bring out their essence. 

How I perceived a thing. 

“That idea came to Duchamp, and he chose something that was Readymade.” 

Grandpa used the word Ready-made, not Industrial products. 

“Okay, here’s the thing.
Can you think of anything that looks similar, made similar but different?”

What.

What kind of question is this?

Is this some kind of puzzle?

As I was thinking about the meaning behind the question, Sihyeon asked grandpa.

“Is it like a twin?” 

Sihyeon asked as if checking. 

“That’s right.
That’s a great example.
Just because identical twins look alike doesn’t mean they’re the same.” 

Sihyeon, who was praised by grandpa, blushed and lowered his head. 

As grandpa said, twins with the same voice, height, and face cannot be the same.  

Did Marcel Duchamp try to say that people’s interpretation of a thing can be changed by making the urinary, a work of Art.

“It’s different from Ferdinand Gonzalez’s work.” 

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“ Yes, it’s definitely different.” 

Grandpa agreed with my response. 

At least Ferdinand Gonzalez’s wall clock has a point of contact. 

He didn’t give it a title, but the sub-title [Perfect Lovers] can be somewhat interpreted by each and everyone looking at it from their own experience.

Diversity of interpretation is left open, and the process moves freely through each one’s experiences and thoughts, so it is different from giving personal meaning that is difficult to empathize with, like this [Fountain]

[Fountain] may be valuable as part of Art history, but I don’t think of [Fountain] as a good work since I couldn’t understand it without any context.

However, I want to know more about this untitled wall clock. 

The production team of ‘Let’s Talk’ , a broadcast program to promote the Whitney Biennale, had high expectations for today’s broadcast. 

This is because Ko Hun, a genius boy who caused a big sensation, with every work that he released, like [Sunflower], [Guest], [Frost Wheat Field], and [Mask] will be attending the talk show. 

According to the own survey conducted by ‘Let’s Talk’ , he was ranked second in popularity next to Henry Marceau. 

The interview with Henry Marceau got postponed after he got hospitalized after the signing event.

Thus Ko Hun became the first guest to appear in ‘Let’s Talk’. 

Host Woojin stared at the camera. 

“Hello, viewers of NewTube, Premium, JH Cinema.
This is Woojin.” 

The number of viewers gathered through the three OTT platforms reached 170,000. 

It was a very satisfying start for the production team of ‘Let’s Talk’. 

“Let me introduce our guest today.
It’s Ko Hun, a painter who conveys happiness through his many works.” 

The camera moved along with the host’s introduction. 

Ko Hun walked in looking around. 

The set, filled with objects he had never seen before, was a good stimulus for him. 

Ko Hun observed the shape and color of the stage that was made like a stage with lights, microphones, and cameras. 

“Hahaha.
I guess it’s fascinating.
Is this your first time on a live show?” 

“Yes.
What’s that?” 

“It’s lighting.
It’s needed to make my skin look good.” 

Ko Hun nodded in wonder. 

“Why are there so many cameras?”

 Woojin got flustered. 

She faced a number of people, including arrogant pop stars, sensitive movie stars, and a straightforward scholar, but it was the first time experiencing a character like Ko Hun. 

“First of all, please say hello to the viewers.” 

“Where do I look?” 

“Look at the red-lighted camera.” 

“I can’t see because it’s too bright.” 

“Hey?” 

Veteran host Woojin yelled at the production team. 

“Our Hun says his eyes hurt! Hurry up and turn off the lights!” 

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Viewers were delighted by the host’s remarks.  

Awww~The baby is so cute

This kid is so interesting on set. 

Even if he’s a prodigy, he’s only 10 years old, so there’s nothing you can do about it.  

Geniuses don’t know anything other than their field. 

Isn’t this really a liberal arts show? 

When the lighting was adjusted appropriately, Ko Hun got up from his seat and bowed to the lighting director. 

“Thank you.” 

The embarrassed lighting director took off his hat and received a greeting from Ko Hun. 

“No, first to the viewers.” 

Woojin pointed to the camera in a hurry. 

The set was already grinning. 

Ko Hun couldn’t understand Woojin’s bewilderment in a good mood, but he accepted her request. 

“Hello, I’m Ko Hun.
I’m 11 years old.” 

“11 years old, is it because of the way you count your age in Korea?” 

“Yes.” 

Ko Hun asked after staring at Woojin. 

“Are you Korean?” 

“…Yes.” 

“Nice to meet you.
You speak English well.” 

“I can speak some German, too.” 

“How did you get here? Did you originally work in the US?” 

What is this? Why are we watching the interview of the host?

Why is he curious about so many things?

Hun is the host of this show.

Wow, this show is crazy

The viewers were having fun. 

Ko Sooyeol and Bang Taeho, who came to the set with Ko Hun, sighed. 

“Wait.
Hun, I’ll be asking the questions here.” 

“I’m curious about you, too.
Didn’t you call me to talk to you?”

“That’s true.” 

Woojin recalled one of the most difficult people she had ever faced. 

Berliner Philharmoniker, who was updating the history of classical music in real-time, was always heartbroken, so it was burdensome to interview him. 

Because of that, She didn’t want to deal with picky people. 

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But the friendly boy in front of her was even more difficult to proceed with. 

Woojin, who thought it would be difficult to broadcast as it is, put her arms on the table with her arms folded. 

She tilted her upper body slightly and made eye contact with Ko Hun. 

“There are 170,000 people watching right now.”

“That many?” 

“Yes.
So, shouldn’t we show something cool? That way, you’ll be invited to other shows and earn money.” 

“Okay.” 

Ko Hun was convinced by Woojin’s words. 

Viewers who logged on to know about Artist Ko Hun were bewildered by the two’s skits. 

What are you teaching him? Get rid of the host

She’s doing that to be funny.
Are you serious?

Hahahahah…it’s crazy fun

“Okay.
Then let’s start with something very easy.” 

Ko Hun nodded. 

Host Woojin put the script down and brought out a question that could be answered briefly. 

It started with the question of his age, and also brought up questions that were requested by fans due to the lack of basic information compared to what is known. 

“When is your birthday?” 

This time, Ko Hun got flustered. 

He didn’t know what to answer because he hadn’t thought about when his birthday was. 

Woojin, who could not have imagined that he would not know his birthday, tilted her head to induce an answer. 

Ko Hun answered honestly. 

“I don’t know.
I don’t remember.” 

Confused, Woojin checked the chat window with the PD (Program Director). 

There were a lot of comments asking her to apologize immediately to the child who lost his memory in the accident. 

“No.
I’m sorry.
I’m terribly sorry.
I didn’t mean to.” 

Woojin, who apologized to Ko Hun repeatedly, looked at the response in the chat window. 

There were comments asking her to resign. 

There were even calls asking to cut the host and some were saying her to die. 

Woojin, who thought her image would go down, snapped. 

“ Hey….You told me to ask this! I thought you were curious! Look! Look at this script! What is the audience most curious about Ko Hun? Birthday! Favorite food! Hobby! How did you start drawing?” 

“Hun, it’s really not my fault.
I’m sorry.
I’m so sorry.” 

When Woo-jin complained of injustice and was at a loss, the chatroom was filled with laughter. 

“It’s alright.
It’s alright.
I’m sure they’re all joking.
No one would have asked you to die seriously.” 

Ko Hun took Woojin’s hand and comforted her.

(To be Continued)