Apr 28, 2019
Na Hye-sok’s 123rd Birthday
This Doodle’s Key Themes
Today’s Doodle celebrates the life and work of Na Hye-sok, Korea’s first female painter and a strong advocate of women’s empowerment.
Born in Suwon on this day in 1896, Na grew up in a prominent family who encouraged her independent spirit. During a time when most Korean women were expected to be strictly wives and mothers, she aspired to become an artist and author.
At age 17, she traveled to Japan to study Western oil painting at Tokyo Arts College, where she organized the Association of Korean Women Students. Refusing an offer of marriage arranged by her family, she took a job as a teacher.
After graduation, Na took part in a public protest resulting in her arrest. She fell in love with Kim Woo-young, the lawyer who was hired to defend her, and married him a year later. Afterwards, she continued to pursue her artistic career, and her work was even part of a special government-sponsored exhibition.
Na began to write essays critical of traditional Korean marriage, and she also published the first feminist fiction in Korea. She further shocked Korean society by advocating for women’s rights across a variety of topics widely considered taboo at the time. In the year 2000, the Seoul Arts Center organized a retrospective exhibit of her paintings. Today in Korea, Na is recognized for her art and her bold contributions to women’s empowerment.
Happy 123rd birthday, Na Hye-sok!
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