Jang Young-an, The most masterhand in korea

Double Penetration and embossed texting master..."The pottery is a Jewelry that made of earth."

'Tock, To Dock, To Do To Dock, Tock Tock .............'

This sounds like the celadon that comes out of the world after enduring the heat of 1,400 degrees in the kiln. When we look at pottery, we see real gold, which is the sound of real gold drawing. It is said that the sound lasts for almost 40 years.

The potter's passion for making pottery, which is created by enduring the severe heat, is more intense than the flames in the kiln. Without this passion of potters, could a brilliant pottery have been born?

So potters who make the right pottery are not uncommon. Among them, it is never easy to meet the 'creator' who is on the verge of creating the best 'artwork' on the planet. But such a figure exists in the world. Jang Yeong-an is one of the most famous Korean names in Korean ceramics.

Jang, who was recognized as the 'best of our country' by the country in 2018, is unrivaled by his unique technique and delicate handwork.

Jang's unique technique is the double-touch, which further maximizes the beauty of the Shanggam celadon, and the molding of embossed patterns and characters in pottery, which have been patented by the state. There is no question that this technique has raised the dignity of Korean ceramics by one notch.

How did Jang's history, which has been engraved with such brilliant achievements in the Korean ceramics field, come true? Jang made the 'story' at the Suando Art Museum in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, which is said to be the uterus of Korean. 'Suan' is the nickname of Jang, which is a ceramic chamber and the first garden to be introduced to the world.

"The master craftsman is not only good at producing works, but also good at marketing."

Jang's pottery life begins from birth. Because his father was a 'pottery', he naturally began to play by touching the clay from an early age, and this environment became a condition for him to display his talents as a percentage and received great attention from his surroundings as he grew up.

Jang entered the pottery life path in earnest in 1973 when he entered the village of Gama-chon, which was then called the 'origin of celadon production', as soon as he graduated from high school. And for 46 years, he has been walking on a potter's path.

"Even now, I feel myself pure whenever I touch the soil," Jang said. "I can't feel the moment I see the glimmering light of pottery coming out of my kiln, which is covered with mud and shaped, and endured for days in a kiln filled with terrible heat."

His constant effort, passion and reputation for ceramics, which are produced by applying his own unique techniques, are already familiar. Nevertheless, Jang's efforts are not at rest. I always look for new things, think about them, study them, and complete them.

He still sees the beginning and the end of the work himself. In particular, double vision has its difficulty beyond imagination of its difficulty. If the inside and outside are not properly harmonized, they will be nothing more than a lump of earth, so delicate and scientific calculations should be meticulous. So, it takes a lot of patience and perseverance to complete a piece.

'Daehan PyeongSu Tochan Bimun' is embossed with pottery.

His technique, which represents the luxury culture of pottery in Korea, is so subtle that even if it is an old potter, he could not imitate it easily. "It's also an important skill to maintain moisture because we have to sculpt, put in the mourning paint and paint before the soil dries", Jang said. "The appeal of the mourner is that I can make the work as I want". That is, it has its appeal to create various designs for the work" he said.

Jang's skills have been excellent since he was young. So his reputation has been widely known both at home and abroad: the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 Seoul Olympics. And through a famous department store in downtown Seoul, he has become familiar with his high-quality work with the public.

Jang has his own craftsmanship. "We should not simply be satisfied with making a good work. One of the responsibilities of artisans is to make sure that the work he created with his soul is in the person or place that best suits him. That is, marketing is very important, too." As part of the tour, Jang steadily encouraged foreign customers from Japan and Europe through his travel agency to promote Korean beauty to the world.

Another technique 'created' by Jang, pottery embossing and texting methods, as well as obtaining patents for ceramic kilns using LNG, have made the history of ceramics more advanced. It is a pottery version of the 'Daehan PyeongSu Tochan Bimun'.

Summarizing the contents of the inscription, 'Now that the country is right and stable like a mountain, it is as peaceful as a pond and sea, and the fish and mountain animals that live in the water will naturally show themselves and live with vitality. The whole world will live in peace without end, as all the gloomy things will be open and all the mean things will be communicated, brightening up all the folk houses and palaces.’

In other words, the collection of pottery engraved with the words as a phrase to wish the well-being of the nation and the people and to pray for the peace and prosperity of the people is blessed by heaven and full of all things.

Jang, who always seeks such newness, has participated in numerous exhibitions, including the alumni exhibition of Myongji University's Graduate School of Industrial Studies in 1999, the participation of the World Ceramic Exposition in 2001, the exhibition 'Meeting Ceramic Color and Technology' in 2005 and the 'Seven Plaint Leader's Handwriting Exhibition' in 2013.

Be recognized as The most masterhand in korea, 2018

While reviving the aesthetic and color of Goryeo celadon, he introduced a world of works called 'Double Tugak' to create Cheongja Tugak Mugunghwa, Cheongja Bong Hwang Tu-gak, Cheongja Mae Chilbo Tu-gak, Cheongja Cheon-ho, and Gam Moon-ho, and applied for patents for works such as 'tea cup'.

And he became a real ceramic master of this era, winning the 29th Grand Prize of Art and Craft Competition in Korea, the Minister of Culture for Multi-Gongu Design Competition, the Grand Prize for Environmental Culture of Korea, the Grand Prize for Korea's ceramic art and crafts, and the Excellence Award for the Gangjin Cheongja Contest in 2018.

"After learning pottery from my father last year, I have never thought of any other way," Jang said. "I will give my father the honor of being a master."

Jang is always seeking newness even now. "Many potters' complacency is a sign of a backward trend," he said. "Creating works that fit the trend of the times is like continuing a tradition."

He also stressed the need for his own competitiveness. It means that you have to have your own color, which is different from others. Jang's theory is that this will soon be the basis for the formation of a new and a sound ceramic culture.

After becoming a Korean master of pottery, his activities became more busy. This is because he felt a heavier sense of social responsibility, such as nurturing his work in the background as well as producing his own works. He has made every effort to pass on his achievements to posterity.

Jang has something I really want to say to younger students who want to learn ceramics. It's to be funny. They say that easy work can be fun to do first, and then they are motivated to make better works, which makes them more willing to work harder. And what must be remembered is not uniform pottery, but 'make your own new pottery.' If you copy what others make, you will never be the first.

Jang said, "Burning a pottery is by no means a simple task. Therefore, we should always focus on developing new designs and promoting diversity in our works," he emphasized. Jang's touch today is also prudent.