“만물은 유전한다”고 말한 사람은 고대 희랍의 철학자 헤라클레이토스(B.C 544-484)였다. 그는 이 세상에 변하지 않는 사물은 하나도 없으며, 그렇기 때문에 우리는 ‘같은’ 강에 두 번 들어갈 수 없다”고 역설하였다. 언어학의 일반의미론에서는 이 말을 받아 가령, “2005년 6월 19일의 영수는 2005년 6월 20일의 영수가 아니다.”라는 유명한 언어적 명제를 낳고 있다. 비록 하루, 아니 1시간이나 1초의 차이가 있어도 생물학적인 측면에서 볼 때 꾸준히 변해가고 있다는 사실을 말해주는 것이다. 

이 ‘흐름’을 뜻하는 ‘플럭서스(Fluxus)’라는 전위 운동이 1960년대의 구미화단에 풍미한 적이 있다. 기존의 구태의연한 미술 개념에 저항하여 일상과 예술의 결합을 시도했던 당시로서는 흭기적인 미술 운동이었다. 조지 마치우나스(George Maciunas)의 주도하에 딕 히긴스(Dick Higgins), 조지 브레히트(George Brecht), 잭슨 맥로(Jackson MacLow) 등이 가담하였고, 한국의 백남준도 이들과 활동을 함께 하는 가운데 오늘날 보는 것처럼 세계적인 작가로 성장하였다. 

그런데 이 “만물은 유전한다”는 명제를 미니멀리즘에 적용하게 되면 매우 입지가 좁아지게 된다. 겉으로 볼 때, 미니멀 회화 작품은 비슷한 것이 너무나 많고, 심지어 어떤 것들은 똑같아 보이기까지 하기 때문이다. 그래서 사람들은 미니멀 작가들이 매너리즘에 빠졌느니, 똑같은 ‘벽지’를 뽑아내느니 하며 비아냥대기까지 하는 것이다. 그러나 앞서 언급한 언어적 명제를 놓고 다시 한번 더 고찰한다면, 이처럼 들어맞는 경우도 없음을 알 수 있다. 그것은 미시적으로 볼 때, 어제 그린 흰색의 작품이 오늘 그린 흰색의 작품과는 분명히 다른 것임을 말해주고 있기 때문이다. 

한국의 단색화 줄기

70년대 초반에 서서히 형성되기 시작하여 지금까지도 면면히 이어지고 있는 한국의 단색화(Dansaekhwa)는 한국 모더니즘 미술의 정수를 보여주는 현대회화 운동의 한 줄기이다. 그것은 하나의 미술운동이었다고 할 만큼, 여러 명의 작가들에 의해 70년대에서 80년대 이르는 특정한 기간동안 한국의 미술계를 풍미하였다. 권영우, 김기린, 박서보, 윤형근, 정상화, 하종현, 윤명로, 서승원, 최명영, 이동엽, 최병소, 허황 등등의 작가들은 한국고유의 문화적 배경과 역사적 전통을 바탕으로 각자 단색조의 독자적인 회화 세계를 구축해 나갔다. 물론 이 전위적 미술 운동에 영향을 미친 요인은 미국의 미니멀리즘이었다. 그러나 문화의 일반적인 역학 관계를 고려할 때, 어떤 한 문화권이 다른 문화권으로부터 영향을 받아 새로운 문화를 흡수하는 것은 매우 자연스러운 현상이다. 보다 중요한 것은 하나의 아류로 머무르지 않고 그것을 극복하여 토착화하느냐 하는 문제인데, 그런 점에서 70년대의 단색화 혹은 단색조 회화는 성공적인 사례로 기억될 것이다. 

90년대에 접어들어 한국의 현대회화에 나타난 특이한 현상 가운데 하나는 후기 단색화적 경향이다. 잠정적으로 이렇게 명명해 본다면, 당시 30대에 해당하는 일군의 작가들로부터 시작하여 현재까지도 지속적으로 전개되고 있는 이 흐름은 아직 대세를 이루고 있지는 못하지만 그래도 뚜렷한 분위기를 형성해 가는 중에 있다. 문범, 김춘수, 이인현, 천광엽, 구영모, 김택상, 남춘모, 박기원, 오이량, 유현미 등등이 그들이며, 이들의 회화적 전통은 지금도 30대와 20대 작가들에 의해 꾸준히 이어지고 있다. 

Abstraction after abstraction 

The famous statement of the Greek philosopher Herakletos, 'Nothing remains the same', can effectively be applied to explain the phenomenon in the world of art. For example, although works of minimal art are said to be almost indistinguishable from one another for their formal resemblances, every each is a different work.

Though it reflects the influence of American minimalism, Dansaekhwa in 1970s of Korean art has been successfully rooted down and localized to be the essence of the art of Korean modernism. It grew out of the uniqueness of Korean cultural tradition and history.

It is natural that one area is culturally influenced by the other and absorb new and higher culture. What is more important is whether it simply mimics other culture or assimilate it to create a new localized culture of its own. In this respect Dansaekhwa in 1970s of Korean art will be recorded as a success.

The tradition of the Dansaekhwa in 1970s of Korean art, which mainly uses monochromic black or white, has been handed down to the following generations of artists since 1980s. And it is still being experimented by the artists in their 20s and 30s.

- Yoon, jin-sup

- 윤진섭(1955- ) 웨스턴시드니대 철학 박사. 월간미술대상 전시기획부문 대상(2002) 수상. 광주비엔날레 큐레이터, 서울국제미디어아트비엔날레 전시총감독 역임. 현 한국미술평론가협회 회장, 호남대 미술학과 교수.