Dansaekhwa: The Meaningful Meaninglessness of Colour in South Korean Monochrome Painting

A minimalistic child of the bold, modernist lover of tradition, Dansaekhwa (단색화) is a meditation, a celebration of the moment and body, and an admiration of South Korea. Translated from Korean as ‘monochrome painting’, it is an abstract union of the creator with the medium and one of the most prominent movements in the history of modern Korean art. Dansaekhwa practice mainly focuses on the process of painting and the act of creation, often considering the visual aspects of the works to be meaningless. However, wouldn’t emphasising the lack of meaning create a meaning in itself? Can there truly be something that carries absolutely no purpose? Omitting the importance of colour in Dansaekhwa’s relationship with human existence, the universe, and Korean national identity would not only strip it of its complex philosophy and innovative character but also diminish the origins of its tremendous impact on the South Korean art scene since the 1970s to this day.

Historical context

Like art of any origin, Korean art has been shaped by the country’s history. Korean abstraction emerged after the end of Japanese occupation in 1945, and most prominently after the Korean War (1950-1953). Although a progressive approach to art has undoubtedly made its presence known in the public eye, the imperial legacy of institutional conservatism was well present and systematically preferred over modern styles. Nevertheless, the active between the 1950s and 60s Informel artists rejected the notion of tradition, considering it a burden and an obstacle in modernising and globalising the Korean society and art scene. This period saw the emergence of modern styles such as constructivism, geometric abstraction and cubism, which artists used as a way of coping with the trauma of violent occupation and horrors of the war. Moreover, many turned to non-traditional art as a means of dealing with the issues of the reorganisation of the government, the strict reign of President Park Chung-Hee and its violent consequences, foreign influences on the country’s politics, as well as the question of national identity and Korea's place in the world. 

In post-war Korea, art became a reflection of the nation's questions of tradition and modernity, the national and the global, the rational and the spiritual. The Korean art scene began to take a stand in the debate, the result of which was Dansaekhwa.

Dansaekhwa - Korean Monochrome Painting

When describing Dansaekhwa, it is important to mention that its form is one of its most discussed aspects. Some call it a style, some a movement, and some a philosophy. This debate is rooted in the fact that Dansaekhwa was never formally organised - there’s no manifesto, no distinctive group or collective that revolved around it, no writings and publications. Inspired by the Japanese Mono-ha movement and American Minimalism, as well as influenced by the variety of philosophies and practices floating within Korean Informel, it began to emerge in the late 1960s and established itself in the nation’s art scene by the 1970s. While the foreign influences cannot be denied, the distinctiveness of this abstract and minimalist style lies in its appreciation of Korean culture, aesthetics, and arts through its unique materiality. Usage of Hanji paper, ink, and hemp fabric not only highlights the innovative character of the works that merge the old with the new, but also points to the deeply co-relative existence of the artist, their national and self-identity and the work. 

Dansaekhwa’s unique characteristics overcome traditional approaches to art in almost every way. One of the most important elements of the ‘monochrome’ works was the priority of the process of creation over the final result of the work. Artists treated the act of art as a performance and meditation. By a spontaneous application of repetitive movements, embracing the physicality of the piece, and unconventional usage of materials, artists engaged with the artwork as a tool for reflection, purification, and accessing the deep-rooted psyche. In Dansaekhwa, the creator and the creation became one, a union of the spiritual with the material. Existentialist exploration of the concepts of nature and universe was also an important part of the ‘monochrome’ practice, considering the artists’ concern with the dive into the co-relating concepts of the primal self and its existence in space and time. 

Now, the colour. 단색 - dansaek - monochromatic. Some believe that Dansaekhwa’s name highlights an aspect of the practice that is not of significance to its philosophy - the colour. However, I argue that its supposed lack of meaning not only creates a meaning in itself, but plays a great part in the artists’ expression of their philosophies and experiences. White, black, blue, and many more, in all their monochromatic representation-lessness, stand as, indeed, a representation of the artists’ search for the purest self, exploration of space and time, as well as concepts of national identity and heritage. 

Chung Sang-Hwa and the colours of limitlessness

Dansaekhwa artists explored their philosophies through engagement with the physicality of the materials they worked with. The process of creation, a physical act of painting within a specific time and space, stood as a singular focus of the artists. In fact, many commented on their complete lack of concern with the colour. However, there is a tendency that can be noticed in many Dansaekhwa works - the notorious use of shades of white. 

White, in its ‘neutrality’ and ‘meaninglessness’, opened a door for Dansaekhwa artists to an unbounded exploration of art in its purest form. White’s relative lack of synonymy to any strong emotion or value allowed the artists to use the paint as simply a tool for meditation. It was material and material only, without any hidden context or assumption, inviting them to explore its physicality and, at the same time, the concept of space and time developed through it. It had the same role as the canvas, brushes, and paint. Moreover, the white colour’s ‘meaninglessness’ also suggests its ‘limitlessness’. A neutral ‘ground zero’, it gave Dansaekhwa artists an abundance of ways for existential exploration of concepts such as the self, spirituality, and the universe without forcing its own voice. 

This use of the white colour can be seen in Chung Sang-Hwa’s (1932-) practice. This renowned Dansaekhwa artist developed his signature method of creation through a unique usage of white kaolin clay and water. First, he applies thick layers of the mixture onto a canvas and lets it dry completely. After he flips the canvas to work on its back and lays it on a straight wooden structure, he follows its linear shape with a pencil, sketching out diagonal and horizontal lines, to follow them with a thin, sharp spatula, breaking the dried clay on the other side of the material. After flipping it around to its initial position, he removes the now broken dried mixture and fills the gaps with acrylic paint, repeating the process until satisfied.

With this technique, in the artist's words, one can “naturally achieve the purpose, feeling, intuition, [...] inspiration”. Such a unique method is a pursuit of harmonious balance between the physical act of creating with his philosophy of existence and the self. This long process of applying, waiting, breaking, removing, and adding, with its finalisation determined by his pure satisfaction, becomes a collaboration of his self-discipline and patience with pleasure and spontaneity. Playful yet sophisticated, engaging yet meditative. 

The concept of infinity, as the artist himself said, is a concept explored through the extensive labour put into his creation. However, this is made available to Chung in white colour. While he did introduce other colours into his work, such as blue, red and black, he expressed that they became a burden. His technique relies on materials, the physicality of which is laid out for him by the neutrality of white. White, a material, a base, a beginning, an infinity, a nothing, allows him to engage with the painting as a performative act, creating a meaning, or a lack of it, on his terms.

In all the space for physicality and action, where is the space for colour? What importance does it hold in the practice that seems so concerned with the process only? Chung’s extensive usage of white in the early days of his Dansaekhwa practice sheds light on its significance. It seems as if for him, the usage of white assisted him with developing his meditative practice of self-discipline and existential exploration of space, time, and himself within it. His continuous preference for the colour indicates its role within the philosophy of Dansaekhwa and its concepts of infinity. For Chung, as well as for many other ‘monochrome’ artists, white and its limitless meaninglessness stood as a portal to the pure self. White allowed for a meditative exploration of time and space, a search for the true self and an appreciation of art in its purest form.

Chung Sang-Hwa, Untitled 84-3-1, 1984, oil on canvas, 99 × 80.5 cm

Image Credit: Philips via Artsy

Park Seo-Bo and the colours of nature 

Alongside the exploration of the existentialist character of art within its space, time and physicality, Dansaekhwa artists connected their philosophy and work with nature. The artists’ process of creation, with its orderly and repetitive manner, was viewed as reminiscent of that of nature and its life cycle - birth, growth, death, decay, repeat. Nature’s simultaneous antonyms - peaceful character and untamed force, abundance and simplicity - fall into the Dansaekhwa philosophy of harmony in the universe, which complies with the Taoist and Buddhist teachings often followed by the artists. Apart from resembling natural movements, rhythms, and structure, Dansaekhwa artists chose their colour palette based on those of the natural world.

The resemblance of the painting’s palette to the shades of nature introduced a way of cleansing and healing from the outside world’s artificiality, allowing for a spiritual introspection into the inner, pure self. Park Seo-Bo (1931-2023), a pioneering Korean Informel representative and one of the most prominent Dansaekhwa artists whose work continues to influence generations of contemporary Korean artists to this day, explored this concept in his practice in the digital age of the 21st century.

Park believed that the purpose of art and nature is to heal people. Notably, his series Ecriture, which he has been developing since 1969 till his death in 2023, is a testament to his connection with nature and its everlasting influence on him and his work. In the first stage of the series, taking inspiration from his son’s frustration with learning to write, he drew loop-like shapes across a large white canvas using a pencil, performing repetitive movements as a means of clearing and emptying himself. In the concluding phrases of the series, he worked with manipulation of the combination of Hanji paper and paint, continuing to explore the concepts of meditative cultivation of the self within spiritualization of physical materials. He would apply extensive amounts of the mixture onto a canvas, move it around and scrape it, creating interdimensional linear shapes, all monochrome, at times with some empty space made by flattening out the materials. 

Discontent with the digitalisation and rapid technological progress of the modern world, he introduced the colours of nature in his works as a means of bringing relief to the viewers and helping them to escape the anxieties of the 21st century. “Heal the people. That is the role of art.” Inspired by the red of autumn sun maple trees, greyish blues of the sky merged with the East China Sea, and yellow of rapeseed flowers of Jeju Island blooming in the spring, Park interpreted these awesome sights into his works. By incorporating the glorious shades of the natural world with the rhythmic movements of the universe and translating them into manipulation of Hanji paper and paint, he created a visual reflection of the indescribable feelings he experienced while immersing himself in nature. 

For Park, the colours which he used in his works were a kind of nostalgia, a bridge between himself and nature, and a medicine for the uncertainties of the modern reality of the new age. To bring himself and the viewers closer to nature, he reenacted its shades, movements, rhythms, and order by juxtaposing its rich colours with the unique manipulation of the materials’ physicality. Combining the meditative process of his practice with the healing force of nature expressed through the implementation of its colours, his art was for both himself and the audience. For himself, as an exploration of the purest version of the self, the one whose simplicity of existence relates to that of the natural world. For the audience, as a call back to their roots, a reminder of embracing the starting point and employing it in daily modern life. “[I] use the colours of nature as a tool for healing.” Putting his Dansaekhwa philosophy within the context of the 21st century, Park’s incorporation of the yellows, blues, and pinks of the natural world transformed the canvas into a sanctuary, a refuge for those searching for an escape from the artificiality of the modern reality. 

Park Seo-Bo, Ecriture No. 040710, 2004, Mixed media with Hanji paper on canvas, 130 × 162 cm

Image Credit: Luan & Co via Artsy

Park Seo-Bo, Ecriture No.080206, 2008, Mixed Media with Hanji paper on canvas, 165 x 260 cm

Image Credit: Kukje Gallery

Ha Chong-Hyun and the colours of heritage

At the time of Dansaekhwa’s prominence in the 1960s and 1970s, South Korea was experiencing a very turbulent period as a young country with recently attained independence. The 35-year-long Japanese occupation and the devastating Korean War were still present in the people’s memory as a traumatic mark left on generations to pass and to come. Foreign influence of the Western world, especially the United States, on the country’s military, economy, and culture prompted feelings of confusion, alienation, and lack of independence. The seizure of the government by President Park Chung-Hee (1917-1979) through a military coup and his following reign had a tremendous impact on the economic and industrial development of the country, a period which maintains a famous name of “Miracle on the Han River”. This “miracle”, however, came at the cost of democracy and human rights, with unlivable low wages, extremely long working hours, and no social benefits or insurance, which would soon result in general dissatisfaction with the quality of life and strikes across the nation.

Amid the economic, political, and social crisis, questions of identity - self, cultural, and national - began to emerge. Decades of violent occupation, followed by a civil war and oppressive politics, caused many to search for their roots, their origins, the culture that, once nearly lost, had the power to rebuild the nation and its strength. South Korean artists of different mediums, philosophies, and movements began to explore this notion in their practice (see Minjung cultural and art movement). And while considering Dansaekhwa a direct rebellion against the then political system is an overreach, its connection to Korean national identity, history, and cultural heritage can undoubtedly be viewed as a reflection of the anxieties of 20th-century Korea. In this modern conversation on the significance of tradition and nation, colour played a significant role. 

For Ha Chong-Hyun (1935-), the palette used in his works references elements of the Korean landscape, the one that survived decades of violence, but also holds a memory of thousands of years of rich culture. His work has had an enormous impact on the development of South Korean modern and abstract art during the time of Informel, while his revolutionary approach to art established him as one of the founders of Dansaekhwa. Embodying the ‘monochrome’ philosophy of meditative practice and exploration of the relationship between the body and the mind, material and the spiritual, Ha’s art experiments with its materiality, dimensionality, and presence. Notably, in his famous series Conjunctions (1974-), he employs his signature method of pushing thick layers of oil paint through the front and back of the hemp fabric canvas, creating an absorbing play between the materials and the creator. 

Ha Chong-Hyun employed colour as the purest, even subconscious form of reference, shapeless, abstract, yet known and unmistakable, bringing himself and the audience back to the comfort of what they know and have for their whole lives. The shades used in his practice reached not only for the thousands of years worth of the country’s legacy, but also the memory and appreciation of daily life in South Korea. Apart from blue and black that mimic rooftop tiles common in Korean residential architecture, or earthy tones of the natural landscape of the peninsula, Ha Chong-Hyun often used shades of beige and white in his works. Looking back on the past, he used these colours to resemble those of the traditional Korean arts, such as ceramics, one of Korea's most cherished traditional forms of art. While the practice reaches as far as the 8th Century BCE, moon jars from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) remain an iconic signature of Korean culture. These simple yet celebrated jars were made by putting two clay bowls together, maintaining their simplicity in production and purpose, but also in colour. The name came from the white glaze used for firing, which made the product resemble a full moon. Ha’s usage of white is a reference to these items, and, at the same time, a nod to Korean history and tradition. The moon jar-white used in Ha’s pieces can be looked at as a mirror for the artist and his Korean audience. It was an appreciation of the past. The resemblance of the shade to an object so distinctive to the nation was a reach for the precious richness of its culture that was once abused and almost lost to a foreign violence. At the same time, it was an employment of the Dansaekhwa concept of the self as a means of reclaiming the national consciousness. The white of the moon jars brought not only the comfort of the home, a kind of feeling that can only be found in one’s origins, but also a pride of one’s nation that, though faced with aggression and greed, stood tall and proud. Colour helped Ha deal with the reality of 1970s Korea by reminding him of the preciousness of his origins - the nation that raised him, the culture that taught him, and the heritage that shaped him. 

Ha Chong-Hyun, Conjunction 74-26, 1974, Oil on hemp fabric,108.9 x 222.9 cm

Image Credit: Gift of Eva and Glenn Dubin via MoMA.org

Can there be something truly meaningless? Colour proves - no. Even the implication of the meaninglessness carries a meaning in itself. In the search for the purest self, coexistence with nature, and reclaiming of national identity, Dansaekhwa artists chose their palettes subconsciously yet with purpose, proving the significance of colour in our perception of ourselves, cultural heritage, and space within the universe. 

Resources

Aluigi, Chiara. "Korean Dansaekhwa Masters: Lee Ufan, Park Seo Bo, Lee Bae and Ha Chong Hyun." LVH Art. Accessed April 15, 2025. https://www.lvhart.co/journal/korean-dansaekhwa-masters-lee-ufan-park-seo-bo-lee-bae-and-ha-chong-hyun 

artdrunk. "Behind the Scenes of Chung Sang-Hwa's Studio and Painting Process." YouTube video, 1:08. Published August 1, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zexn_iWnSKY

Artsy Editorial. "Amid Renewed Interest in Korean Dansaekhwa Art, Ha Chong-Hyun Continues to Experiment." Artsy, November 16, 2015. https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-amid-renewed-interest-in-korean-dansaekhwa-art-ha-chong-hyun-continues-to-experiment

BBC Culture. "The Ancient Symbol That Defines Korea." BBC Culture, May 10, 2023. https://www.bbc.co.uk/culture/article/20230510-the-ancient-symbol-that-defines-korea

Choi, Ji-won. "91-Year-Old Chung Sang-hwa's Paintings Are Products of 'Foolishly Endless' Repetition." The Korea Times, March 5, 2025. https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2025/03/398_354379.html

Christie’s. "From Kim Whan-Ki to Dansaekhwa: Korean Abstract Artists to Know." Christie’s, January 31, 2019. https://www.christies.com/en/stories/5-korean-abstract-artists-to-know-about-68a3e88f4b2548a1a97f5fe05aa35b4e

Hencz, Adam. "Dansaekhwa: Exploring the Korean Art of Monochrome Painting." Artland Magazine, November 11, 2021. https://magazine.artland.com/dansaekhwa-korean-art-monochrome-painting/

Horlyck, Charlotte. Korean Art from the 19th Century to the Present. London: Reaktion Books, 2017.​

HG Masters. "Park Seo-Bo: Disciple of Nature." ArtAsiaPacific, November 1, 2021. https://artasiapacific.com/issue/park-seo-bo-disciple-of-nature?locale=en

Kim, Hamin. "What You Don’t See: Meditating on Korean Monochrome Painting." The Art Institute of Chicago, August 15, 2023. https://www.artic.edu/articles/1048/what-you-don-t-see-meditating-on-korean-monochrome-painting

Kim, Youngna. Modern and Contemporary Art in Korea: Tradition, Modernity, and Identity. Korean Culture Series. Elizabeth, NJ: Hollym, 2005.​

Lim, Kate. "Language of Dansaekhwa: Thinking in Material." In Fracturing Conceptual Art: The Asian Turn, edited by Kate Lim, Fréllgen, Minemura Toshiaki, David Thomas, Charles Merewether, and Xia Kejun, 72-110. Seoul: Art Platform Asia, 2016.​

Morley, Simon. "Korean Dansaekhwa Monochrome Painting." Notes from the Edge, December 24, 2019. https://www.simonmorley-blog.com/blog-1/0yb0mxa5j6d099lyv2rz8oajnbijfy

Park, Jaeyong. "The Performative Abstraction of Dansaekhwa." Frieze, October 10, 2024. https://www.frieze.com/article/frieze-masters-magazine-2024-abstract-worlds-dansaekhwa

Park, Yuna. “Chung Sang-hwa's enduring art on show at Gallery Hyundai.” Korea Herald, June 27, 2023. https://www.koreaherald.com/article/3156835

Park, Yuna. “MMCA celebrates Chung Sang-hwa’s 60-year art career.” Korea Herald, May 24, 2021. https://www.koreaherald.com/article/2620765

PARKSEOBO FOUNDATION. “PARK SEO-BO: Art and Life.” YouTube video, 20:33. Published June 15, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUIFwX2TV7M

Tate. "Dansaekhwa: The Korean Monochrome Movement." Tate. Accessed April 15, 2025. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/d/dansaekhwa-korean-monochrome-movement

Woosong Gallery. "Ha Chong-Hyun." Woosong Gallery. Accessed April 15, 2025. https://www.woosongallery.com/exhibitions/17-ha-chong-hyun/

Yoon Jin Sup, Joan Kee, Sam Bardaouil, and Till Fellrath. "Skin & Surface." Frieze, February 20, 2015. https://www.frieze.com/article/skin-surface

Images

https://www.artsy.net/artwork/chung-sang-hwa-untitled-84-3-1

https://www.artsy.net/artwork/park-seo-bo-ecriture-no-040710 

https://m.kukjegallery.com/artist/181#works181-2

https://www.moma.org/collection/works/191856