Chosun University Professor Kim Seunghwan and Student Draw Attention with 'Western Art and Candlelight'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Professor Kim Seung-hwan of the Department of Cultural Contents, College of Arts and Physical Education at Chosun University has attracted attention by publishing Western Art and Candles, which views and interprets Western art through the theme of candles.

According to Chosun University on the 12th, Professor Kim Seung-hwan majored in aesthetics at Seoul National University and completed his master's and doctoral degrees in art history at the University of Strasbourg in France. Since 2001, he has been teaching Western art history and art theory at the College of Fine Arts at Chosun University.

Professor Kim published the book Western Art and Candles after five years of work. The book aims to provide a diachronic and synchronic overview of Western art history from the Renaissance to contemporary art from the perspective of candles.

Through this process, it not only helps the public understand and appreciate artworks but also examines how the single motif or theme of the "candle" can be interpreted in diverse ways across social, political, economic, scientific, and psychological dimensions of the time.

In particular, the book is significant for introducing somewhat unfamiliar artists to Korean art enthusiasts and students. It draws attention to works by artists such as Gerard van Honthorst and Dirck van Terbruggen of the Utrecht School in the Netherlands, and Gerrit Dou and Godfried Schalcken of the Leiden School.

Additionally, it attempts new interpretations of contemporary artists' works, adding an interesting perspective to the existing understanding of contemporary art.

Professor Kim explained, "This book is a study that examines Western art from the Renaissance to the present through the theme of candles. It is very interesting and beneficial because there is no other book in the West that explores Western art history both diachronically and synchronically on this subject."

He added, "This book is especially meaningful as it is the second achievement from a publishing company started with my students in Gwangju, a cultural city, with the idea of creating a specialized art publishing house."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.