Heaven, Earth, Man, Jung Do-Jun

The fundamental components of vowels in the Korean writing system known as Hangul are represented in this work by the dot (Heaven), vertical line (Earth), and horizontal line (Man/Human). Large brushstrokes are layered on top of a rubbing from the Hunminjeongeum (The Proper Sounds for the Instruction of the People). This 15th-century text was composed by King Sejong (reigned 1418–1459) to teach those who were illiterate in Chinese characters (Hanja) to easily read and write Korean.

Artist Jung Do-Jun’s father, Jung Hyun-
Bok (1909–1973), also a renowned calligrapher, began instructing his son in the Chinese classics from an early age. Later Jung apprenticed under Kim Chong-Hyun (1921–2006), widely considered one of the greatest Korean calligraphers of the 20th century.