(1929–2012)

Four thousand years of rules and traditions bind the art of oriental calligraphy. In my view, it is unrealistic to expect this ancient form to be understood and appreciated by many people today. Oriental calligraphy, therefore, must develop in new directions. The artist should search for ways to harmonize this art with the life and philosophy of our time.
-- Hanong Sun Wuk Kim

This leads directly to the question of how non-Orientals can appreciate Oriental calligraphy. For the reader of Oriental languages, a fine sheet can offer Beauty, as well as Intellectual and Spiritual enrichment; the same work set before a Westerner proffers an intellectual content that is unknownalbe. Its beauty may still be enjoyed, and spiritual values may aries through reflection, but the intended content does not come into play. However, Westerners are trained to find significance in the undefined. The tradition of non-objective abstraction, from Kandinsky and Mondrian, to Pollock and Twombly, has allowed Westerners to perceive abstract notations as objects of meditation. The same qualities one admires in pure abstraction can be found in calligraphy, and particularly in Hanong's modern variety. Both are records of performances that seek to register their makers' emotional states through gestures and colors. Indeed, Hanong's recent works bring even readers of calligraphy into the realm of abstraction.
--Jason Edward Kaufman, Art Historian.