Art, being someone's flower

The Flower by Chun-soo Kim

Before I called her name,
She was nothing
More than a gesture.

When I called her name,
She came to me
And became a flower.

Like I called her name,
Will someone please call my name
That suits my light and fragrance?
Into, long to come to her
And become her flower.

We all long to be something.
You, to me, and I, to you,
Long to become a gaze that won’t be forgotten.

 * Translated by Dr. Chae-Pyoung (J.P) Song.

Blue flower, 2019 by Myungja Anna Koh

​The poem above is the work of Kim Chun-soo, a famous poet who gave the lyrical inspiration of Korean 21st century poets. It appears a lot on imperative exams, especially when most Korean were in high school. At the time, I was only memorizing for exam study, so I didn't know the deep meaning of "the flower" in this poem well.

​ However, as I grow older and I draw pictures, I enjoy it little by little, word by word.
​As a child, I had the pleasure to see the flower Salvia in front of the classroom. Salvia has the flower meaning of burning thoughts, heart, and passion. It was primarily seen in the school flower bed in spring and summer. The children liked this flower so much because it was possible to eat delicious nectar by removing the part that looked like two flowers connected together. Sometimes I remember being very disappointed when I saw the ant at the end of the flower first eat nectar and empty. But, now that I think about it going to school was so much fun when the Salvia was in full bloom. Just because of the sweet water. 

Salvia garden

With another flower, there is one childhood memory associated with it. Mirabilis, native to South Africa, is grown in many Korean gardens and is common in autumn. There are 5 stamens, and the fruit is round and ripe in black but contains white powder. The children collected the powder, knowing that peeling the black seed resulted in white powder. In fact, no one taught them. I just know from my older sister and my older brother in this way. Anyway, the children collected the powder and applied it like cosmetics on their faces, looking at each other and laughing and liked it. Then, in autumn, children wanted to make a pretty bride-like face, so they collected black seeds with small hands like rabbit hands. I still remember the moist and soft touch of the white powder in that black seed. 

Mirabilis, by Wikipedia

And the last memorable flower is the Impatiens balsamina. The flower language is "don't touch me." It is not clear when women used balsams to color their nails, but there seems to be a legend about a court lady who dyed balsams on their nails during the King Chungseon of Goryeo for a long time in Korea. The balsam flower is crushed with alum, tied to the nails, and dyed a day later. First of all, the red color means to defeat ghosts, so the meaning of the folk belief that balsam dye prevents all diseases is included. And there is a story that the first love succeeds if balsam water remains on the nails until the first snow comes. So the children picked the red petals, ground them well, put them on their nails, and bandaged them so that they could soak into their nails. 

Impatiens balsamina, by Wikipedia

All the flowers I liked as a child had stories, tastes, and beauty.  Children discover and share little joy and fun through flowers. Salvia, Mirabilis, and Balsamina  flowers were all just ordinary flowers but they were memories and happiness in the hearts of children, and vitamins that helped them endure a boring and difficult life.
Like poet Kim Chun-soo's flower phrase, before the name is called, it is just a gesture. But when I gave meaning to that existence, it became someone's flower. 

So is the picture. Which painting is the significance to someone. Gives some vitality to life, comforts others, and reminds others of scenes you want to remember.  And to them, paintings that are merely canvases become meanings, artworks, and life partners who want to live together.

Reference : 
​www.sangdam.kr/encyclopedia/openmind/makeplay/makeplay32.html
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