Interview with the author of 'The History of Art Philosophy'

“Art is philosophy. Korean arts are empty with no message”

"The History of Art Philosophy," a three-book series, gives an overwhelming impression as each volume is the width of a brick. The author, honorary Professor Lee Gwang-rae (68) of Kangwon National University, started writing this series in 2007. Lee spent seven years finishing the series. He would wake up at 4 a.m. every morning and record on the calendar how many pages he wrote each day.

During a phone interview with Dong-A, Lee explained how he started writing the series by saying, "Art is a visualized version of philosophy. There are so many artists in Korea, but none of them is internationally recognized. This is because they lack philosophy.

Q. You are a philosophy expert and author of "Michel Foucault" (1989) and "The History of French Philosophy" (1993). How did you become interested in the arts?

"When I was a philosophy student at Korea University, I was already so interested in arts that I would search for art photo books in second-hand bookstores. Studying French philosophy made me more interested in the arts. You see, all well-known philosophers of the 20th century are art philosophers: Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, Gilles Deleuze, Jean-Frangois Lyotard∙∙∙. They all wrote at least one or two books on the arts.

Q. How is your book different from other art books?

"Many art books focus on the chronological order of different works and artists. However, I wanted to emphasize that the history of the arts is not just a record of timelines but also a record of places. I attempted to combine the arts with various fields such as the contemporary politics, economy, science, and religion."

Q. Your art review starts from the Renaissance, not from ancient or medieval times. Why is that?

"The foundation of my writing was based on the question; when did artists start expressing philosophical struggles. The pre-Renaissance arts were made to satisfy the powerful; they are excellent in technique but not in philosophy. Most well-known post-Renaissance arts are results of philosophical reflections. That is why Korean arts are not recognized. There are many works with outstanding techniques but without a story or a message.

Q. What was the most difficult part when you were writing?

The most difficult task was to get pictures of the arts that I wanted to put in the books. Initially I was planning to insert pictures of 1,500 pieces, but I had to give up more than half of it due to copyright issues. Because of that, I had many troubles with the publisher. Even with the reduced number, the publisher still had to pay 50 million won for the copyright.

Q. Are you writing another book at the moment?

"Of course, I always prepare what to write in 10 to 20 years. When I write, I finish the contents list first and start writing according to my monthly plan. I have been writing a three-book series on interaction between arts and literature for four years. The series is scheduled to be published in May. I also want to write a book on Korean arts. My wife told me I was obsessed with writing."

구가인기자 comedy9@donga.com