Na Hye -Sok Female artist and Writer from Korea

Na Hye-sok’s art name was Jeongwol.
She was a pioneering Korean Feminist writer and painter, She was both the first female professional painter and writer in Korea.
She created some of the earliest Western-style painting in Korea. She also published feminist novels and short stories.

She rejected the traditional** Good Wife, Wise Mother**

** Kyonghur* was her major written work (1918) concerned a woman’s self discovery and her subsequent search for meaning as a ’ new woman’.

Na had her first painting exhibition in 1921. She participated in many exhibitions -some sold for 350 won (US $3,000 today).

On 10th April 1920 she married Kim Woo-young. He divorced her in 1931 on grounds of infidelity. She lost her children and property

Despite the divorce and disgraced reputation she continued to paint and write.

In 1931 she published A Divorce Testimony. Her views were regarded as scandalous and shocking. She had advocated ‘test marriages’ to avoid a repeat of her unhappy marriage . Korean Confucian culture considered premarital sex taboo. This ultimately ruined her career.

She died destitute and alone on 10th December 1948 in a charity hospital. The location of her grave is unknown.

She became known as a feminist because of her criticism of the institute of marriage in the early 20th century.

She has recently been acknowledged In Korea for her artistic and literary accomplishments. Soel Arts Centre in 2000 opened a retrospective exhibition of her works.

Sources
Wikiped
RISE: Extraordinary Women of Colour Who Changed the World by Maliha Abidi