Yu Geun-Hyeong (유근형 ; 柳根瀅) (April 5, 1894 – January 20, 1993) was a master Korean ceramist and played a leading role in the revival of

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

celadon ''Celadon'' () is a term for pottery denoting both wares glazed in the jade green celadon color, also known as greenware or "green ware" (the term specialists now tend to use), and a type of transparent glaze, often with small cracks, that was ...

. He first worked at the Hanyang Koryo Ceramics Factory run by the Japanese in Shindang-dong, Seoul. He scoured the Korean Peninsula in his research into kilns used for celadon. During the 1930s he achieved fame both in Korea and Japan by successfully reproducing celadon. He dedicated himself to the restoration of the celadon genre, working first at the Songbuk kiln at the Korea Arts and Culture Research Center at the Kansong Art Museum in 1954, and later at the Korean Formal Arts Research Center in Taebang-dong. Beginning in the 1930s, he nearly single-handedly sought for the revival of traditional Koryo celadon. His name is also written as ''Yu Geun-Hyeong'' or ''Yu Kun-hyong'' or ''Yoo Geun-hyung or Yoo Keun-Hyeong. The studio name is written as Haegang or Hae-Gang.''

Biography

He produced

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises mainl ...

celadon from 1911 to 1945, and devoted his life to researching celadon across the country and resurrecting Goryeo celadon (청자장 ; 磁匠 ; Cheongjajang). The name of his studio was Haegang (해강 ; 海剛), which was located in

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...

outside Seoul. He established the Haegang Research Institute in Shindun-myeon,

Icheon Icheon () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Together with Yeoju, Icheon is known as a center of South Korean ceramic manufacturing and is a UNESCO City of Crafts and Folk Art. Other famous local products include peaches and rice. Loc ...

in 1960, using the many materials he had collected over his decades of research in the field. He was honored by the government as a Living National Treasure as holder of Intangible Cultural Property No.13 of Gyeonggi Province. He founded the Haegang Pottery Art Gallery in 1990 in collaboration with his oldest son and successor, Yu Kwang-Ryeol (also written as Yoo / Yu Kwang-yul / Kwangyul / Gwang-yeol / Gwangyeol) (유광렬 ; 柳光烈). His son serves as the director of the Haegang Ceramics Museum. A film of the artist can b
found here - YouTube
* The museum website can be found here
Haegang Ceramics Museum
*A film illustrating the museum's collection can be found
Haegang Ceramics Museum - YouTube
His work was documented in the film ''

Koryo Celadon ''Koryo Celadon'' is a 1979 South Korean short documentary film directed by Paul Raimondi about Goryeo dynasty pottery. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short. It documents the manufacturing process of celadon vessels ...

'' in 1979, which was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Documentary Short. * The film can be viewed here
Koryo Celadon,1979 - YouTube
His work is held in public collections, including The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (object numbe
1992.232
and The British Museum (object numbe
1992,0623.1-2
His two sons follow in their father's footsteps, devoting their craft to the development of traditional Korean ceramics.

References

* 1894 births 1993 deaths South Korean ceramists South Korean potters 20th-century ceramists {{korea-stub

Biography

Further reading

References