KJCKorea
Journal Central

<Gookjeon> or the Korean National Exhibition produced an important artist in Korean contemporary sculpture art. Modern sculpture art started from figuration, then abstraction was introduced, and it further developed into various aspects. Especially in Korean Contemporary Sculpture art history after the ’50s ’60s and ’70s, radical changes in sculpture art is prominently revealed. The characteristics of Korean contemporary sculpture art history can also be seen through the study of Youn Young-ja. Despite various constraints as a female sculptor, Youn Young-ja(1924-2016) led the contemporary Korean sculpture art. Youn Young-ja built her theme around love, motherhood, women, and joy. In Korean contemporary women's art, her early works were centered on the formal figure of a woman, and in the mid-term, established many monuments and statues as a national project. Besides, she attempted to create abstract works on the theme of love and motherhood. In the latter period, a series of works on the theme of motherhood and love, etc., were produced in the form of a semi-abstraction. This aspect is similar to the flow of Korean contemporary sculpture art history. This study analyzed Youn Young-ja’s works with the emphasis on her world of figurative and abstract works for expressing maternity. The researcher aims to analyze the influence and work that broadened the position of women in Korean sculpture art by examining the life and art world of Youn Young-ja. The scope of the study was set to center in the <Gookjeon> and Korean contemporary sculpture art, and referenced materials such as Youn Young-ja's writings, interviews with Seokju Cultural Foundation Representative, newspaper, magazine, etc. Additionally, Youn Young-ja's work was studied based on referring to the associated literature of Youn Young-ja through the flow of Korean sculpture art history.

Youn Young-ja, Figurative and Abstract, Korea contemporaty sculpture, Sculptor