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| The box was made using a technique called najeonchilgi that uses nacre, or mother of pearl, inlaid lacquer. (Esraa Elzeny) |
By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Esraa Elzeny
If you are a fan of all things Korean and want to travel to Korea someday, don't miss the opportunity to buy one of the best and finest Korean souvenirs you'll ever buy. A traditional Korean ornate jewelry box made with nacre, or mother of pearl, is colorful and can be decorated with pearls and shells. These boxes are the best proof of the greatness and luxuriousness of Korean handicrafts. They demonstrate the Korean people's mastery and craftsmanship. The art of seashells is the most distinctive art of Korea. It's very special and unique.
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| Korea.net honorary reporters visit the Ottchil Art Museum in October 2016. (Korea.net DB) |
Some of ottchil tree parts are used in the Korean paint industry. These trees are rare and exist only in some Asian countries, like Korea, China, Japan and Vietnam. So these countries participate in this art with different paint colors. In Korea, black is used for the background, and red in China .
The art of seashells, which began more than 2,000 years ago, and its heritage remains fully preserved thanks to the ottchil coating. It protects wood from bacteria and germs. The ottchil tree is toxic and its paint remains very toxic until it dries and becomes a preservative for the wood and protects against bacteria. Ottchil, a natural Korean lacquer, is made of sap extracted from the lacquer tree. It's remarkably resistant to wind, water, fire, bacteria and heat. Not just free of chemicals and not just biodegradable, ottchil is also aesthetically excellent.
The ottchil coating is very expensive. This is due to the difficulty of extraction and the risks faced by its manufacturers. It's a double-edged sword and must be treated with caution.
I first learned about ottchil wood last year when I was visiting Korea with the Korea.net team. We visited the Ottchil Art Museum (옻칠미술관) in Tongyeong. It was really amazing how many paintings and boxes were made using ottchil. This heritage art has been preserved in all its splendor thanks to the ottchil coating and its restoration was very simple.
This was the first time for me to learn about the details of this craft and to see the art of seashells and painting on wood.
We were able to see the manufacturing process at the museum workshop and here is what one of my fellow honorary reporters wrote about the Tongyeong Ottchil Art Museum.
Last month, the Korean Cultural Center in Cairo hosted the artist Oh Jong-hoon.
At the beginning of the workshop, he introduced himself to his students and he knew about Arabic seashell art. He was very impressed by these Arabic forms of decoration. He displayed some Korean artifacts and explained the history of shell art, which is a heritage item in Korea. He introduced the Korean craft as being a valuable gift for any high-level guest, and showed the differences between shell art in Korea, China and Japan. He added that ancient Koreans regarded the art of seashell art as a gift of nature. The seashell is the gift of the ocean and the wood is the gift of the trees.
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| Oh Jong-hoon, an lacquer artist, teaches Egyptian students how to make crafts using the technique. (Esraa Elzeny) |
There are several museums in Korea, including the Seoul Museum, that display rare pieces dating back more than 2,000 years.
The workshop lasted for a week and during this week, Oh Jong-hoon learned more about Arabic arts. He noted that despite their excellence, Egyptian manufacturers introduced machines to increase production, which has reduced the quality of the art, in contrast to Korea, where the artist need three months to create one piece. It's not as quick, but it's with true mastery.
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| A Egyptian tries to make her own lacquer work of art. (Esraa Elzeny) |
On the final day of the workshop, the Egyptian students started to finish the crafts that would be presented at the cultural center's fair that would be held in October.
The artist made a farewell speech and said that he hopes to visit Egypt again. He encouraged his students to continue to communicate with him and he was impressed by the speed of their learning and love for Korean art. The workshop was attended by Cultural Advisor Park Jae Yang, who paid tribute to the students and who took photos with them.
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| Cutural Advisor Park Jae Yang (center, left), artist Oh Jong-hun (center, right) and students at the workshop pose for a photo after the workshop. (Esraa Elzeny) |
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