A Full moon that classical scholars loved, laid by Chinese trumpet creepers which were stuck into corolla for a person who won the first place in the higher civil service examination.
I mistook that a red figure of the Chinese trumpet creepers was piled up above a full moon rising brightly and floating gently. It may be because I fell into the beauty of the Chinese trumpet creepers. I mistook that the figure was a full moon hidden by a cloud, not seeing the Moon Jar’s shape. Once again, I affirm a modern man’s self-portrait accustomed to intensity through 『A Full Moon Embracing the World』 of a lady painter, Si Suk Ryu. However, my dullness makes me hit upon that this work looking like real Chinese trumpet creepers might be painted with a purpose differently from real Chinese trumpet creeper. From ancient times, the flower, Chinese trumpet creeper was considered precious as a blooming flower in royal palaces. In Chosun dynasty period, it was also called the flower of a royal secret inspector, stuck into a corona given to the person who won the first place in the higher civil service examination. So, its flower language is “honor” or “glory”, and it conveys “good vigor”.
Of various stories concerned with Chinese trumpet creeper, I have a special memory about So Hwa’s story. Long time ago, there had been a beautiful court lady called “So Hwa”. A king heard about the lady, Finally, he called her in and had one night with her. After the day, she waited for the king every day. However, the King didn’t come again. “So Hwa” became exhausted and died, missing the King. It was said that she became the Chinese trumpet creepers on the wall of the palace to see the King. After I heard the sad story about the flower, I felt sorrowful, seeing the falling flowers with buds.
However, the painter, Si Suk Ryu made the flower bloom newly. In her own unique way, she painted the Chinese trumpet creeper considered scholars’ flowers called “Eo Sa Hwa”, connecting with Moon Pot that classical scholars loved. Moon Pot was named because the background color was bright white and its shape resembled a full moon. A light full moon shines more brightly in a pitch-dark night. Its light and shape are inner side of Koreans’ emotion, giving comfortable feeling. So, it is said that classical scholars cherished a Moon Pot and always put it near them.
The painter, Si Suk Ryu says “I had been born in An-dong and had lived there until graduating from high school. I had seen the Chinese trumpet creepers there very frequently. So I felt familiar with the flowers. Since my childhood, I have loved a variety of flowers and I have wanted to paint Korean-style flowers. Above all the Chinese trumpet creepers were seen by me except the well-known orchid flower and Japanese apricot blossom. The feeling different from orchid and Japanese apricot stimulated my motive as a painter.
