My journey into Minhwa (민화), Korean traditional art, began a few years ago, as I was learning and discovering intricate aspects of Korean culture. Although I have been engaged with Asian art for many years, primarily through my interest in Japanese culture, having discovered Minhwa was very enlightening.

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How can I link this to neuroaesthetics? 

Simple! Since neuroaesthetics is concerned with the effects art has on our brain function, mood and overall mental health, thus physical health, I found Korean traditional art to have a particularly intersting effect for me. I discovered changes in my mood, agreeableness level, optimism and general positive affect as I became exposed to elements of minhwa. 

I attribute it to the beautiful patterns combined with vivid colors that create some form of excitement when gazed upon. There is a sense of joy and perpetual hope that I get when I see paintings and patters of various traditional elements used in Korean culture. 

I will illustrate some examples below from Instagram accounts of Minhwa artists that I follow.

 

Following my growing interest in Minhwa I noticed a change in my spirituality levels and higher awareness. I have always been an intuitive person but through repeated exposure to art, my own creativity flourished as I became inspired to open a small window into my own heart through my art. 

I also developed an interest in certain types of oracle cards. I am not promoting divination by any means as I am not an expert but there is something magical about the art used for some of these oracle cards meant to create positivity by allowing us to take a moment to meditate and find a hidden corner inside our souls. 

One of my friends put it quite well when she said that "it's good to have a little magic in our lives". 

Today everything is so sterile, mathematical and needs to have an explanation but, at times, I think it's good to not fully understand everything. Afterall, we emit energy and waves and there are things that happen that don't always make sense. That is the beauty of life. 

This is also the beauty of art. 

Many times, the artists themselves, can't explain their art. I speak for myself when I say that when I paint I don't always have a final image in my mind. I go with the flow or I make mistakes that turns into something better. 

I think all these changes that occured in my own creative levels and mood are a form of neuroaesthetics that I didn't realize at first, but came to fully understand upon learning about this very new field of research. 

Here are some beautiful images of Minhwa with their respective artists:

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#minhwa #koreanart #민화 #예술 #한국예술

#neuroaesthetics

#art