조각가이자 교육자로서 김세중의 재평가

Abstract

Kim Se–Joong, sculptor and art educator, also contributed to the Korean art world with his significant leadership performed in his administrative career between the 1970s and the 1980s, which includes Dean of College of Fine Arts in Seoul National University, Chairperson of Korean Art Association, Director of National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea, as well as serving on the executive committee of diverse art organizations. Kim entered the department of Sculpture at Seoul National University in 1946 when the institution was founded. As an undergraduate student, he was awarded Special Prize with his work entitled ‹Young Male Figure› at the first Korean Fine Art Exhibition held in1949. Yet having converted to Catholicism under the influence of Professor Chang Bal, his spiritual mentor, most of his works dealt with religious themes. Although he produced almost one thousand sculptures, including the memorial statue of Admiral Yi Sun–sin, Kim has been regarded as a sculptor who mainly produced commemorative monuments. The first purpose of this paper is to reassess Kim Se–Joongs administrative career and his practical efforts while he served as Dean of the College of Fine Arts, which helped the development of art education and internationalization of the college. Upon his graduation from the graduate school in 1954, Kim became professor of the Department of Sculpture, College of Fine Arts, S.N.U, and taught until he passed away in 1986. After he took office in 1972 as Dean of the College, Kim made an effort for the Students Art Exhibition at the National Museum of Arts to be held in Deoksugoong Palace. He also initiated international exchange exhibitions with several universities outside of Korea including the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. Moreover, he intended to initiate a Department of Environmental Studies and Public Art, which he believed to be in need in contemporary society, which, however, was not realized. The second purpose of this paper is to reevaluate his artwork. It is important that Kim Se–Joong produced a large number of sculpture, although many of them were based on religious purpose and monument. Like the statue of Admiral Yi, his religious sculpture also has monumentality. Considering the development of modern sculpture to show changing process from monumentality to aesthetic aspects, and aesthetic value to concept, it is clear that he sought the artistic criteria from modern aestheticism. In particular, to evoke the memory with figurative image and to offer symbolic meanings to the image is related to a modern approach. Although religious themes are prevalent in his sculptures, the aesthetic quality of his work should be considered the priority. In conclusion, although Kim Se–Joong produced a lot of religious sculpture that draws from Catholicism, he sought a form that would correspond to Korean sensibility and tradition beyond the norms of western religious sculpture. Even if he could not be free from the political situation of the era when he lived, he made his contribution as an artist through the statue of Admiral Yi, which came to be an icon of Korean commemorative monument. These achievements and contributions are the major reasons for us to continue to remember him.

1986년 6월 24일 서울대학교 미술대학 조소과 교수이자 국립현대미술관장인 김세중 (金世中)이 타계하자 중앙일보 이규일(李圭日) 기자는 그에 대해 인화(人和) 앞세운 미술계의 외교관이라 부르며 그를 추모하는 기사를 남겼다.1 김세중의 후배이자 제자 이기도 했던 최종태(崔鍾泰) 역시 추모의 글을 통해 그에 대해 엄격하신 예술가로서, 자상하신 교육자로서, 탁월하신 행정가로서 매사에 원칙을 바로 세우시고 옳은 일이라 판단되실 때는 물불을 마다치 않으셨으며 각계각층의 수많은 선배 후배들에 대해 고르 게 마음 쓰시는 참으로 큰 틀을 타고나신 드문 스승2으로 기억했다. 사회적으로 존경을 받던 사람이 타계했을 때 대체로 그의 인격과 행적을 예찬하는 것이 인지상정이지만 앞 의 두 글을 통해 김세중은 예술가일 뿐만 아니라 교육자였으며 또한 행정가였음을 알 수 있다. 실제로 그는 1949년 제1회 대한민국미술전람회(이하 국전이라 부름)에서 특 선을 하며 데뷔하여 평생 조각가로서 작업에 매진했고, 1954년 서울대학교 미술대학 조소과 전임강사로 부임한 이래 타계할 때까지 교수로 재직한 교육가였다. 또한, 3대에 걸쳐 서울미대 학장을 역임했을 뿐만 아니라 한국미술협회 이사장을 거쳐 국립현대미 술관장으로 재직하다 타계하였으므로 미술행정가로 부르더라도 무리는 없을 것이다. 그런 점에서 김세중에 대한 평가는 예술가로서 그의 창작활동, 대학교수로서 교육발전 을 위해 벌인 노력과 그 성과, 미술행정가로서의 업적, 이 세 분야를 중심으로 이루어져 야 할 것이다. 이 글의 목적이 김세중의 삶과 예술을 서울대학교 미술대학과의 관계 속 에서 재조명하는 것에 있는 만큼 그의 수업시대를 출발로 그가 생전에 이룩한 업적을 교육과 작품으로 나눠 고찰하고자 한다.