Jo Dong-shin: How to Read Oriental Paintings for Elementary and Middle School Students

Typically, when we look at paintings, we perceive them solely through feeling. This is a method of appreciation that utilizes the right brain. If we were to view them through language and numbers, it would be a method that utilizes the left brain. Which approach is better? Without a doubt, the method of using both brains is superior. It has been 30 years since the publication of *How to Read Oriental Paintings* by Professor Yong-Jin Cho, the original source material for this book. Immediately after its publication, it was included on the "Recommended Book" lists of various organizations and selected as an "Excellent Book for Youth." The author also found this book enjoyable and beneficial as he encountered the wisdom, aspirations, and ideals of Eastern ancestors embedded within the paintings. I wanted to convey the meaning contained within *How to Read Oriental Paintings* to our youth in an easy-to-understand and accessible manner. As mentioned earlier, I believe this knowledge provides appropriate information and thought processes tailored to the stage of the brain's development into that of an adult. However, the fact that the meaning is composed of Chinese characters may feel unfamiliar. Nevertheless, this is also beneficial for the development of the left brain. Since the shape of Chinese characters is processed by the right brain and the meaning by the left, they are a script that aids in the development of the left brain and facilitates the connection between the two brains. The ‘method of reading Oriental paintings’ (Dokhwabeop) introduced in this illustration is a secret storehouse of left-brain usage embedded in scholar culture, conceived through Chinese characters.

Korean title: 초.중학생을 위한 동양화 읽는 법

Korean author: 조동신

Korean publisher: 집문당

ISBN-13: 9788930317788