Exploration of the Use of ‘Emptiness and Fulfillment’ Imagery in Artworks

This study explores the use and meaning of the imagery of emptiness and fulfillment in artworks, and discusses its relationship with the audience. The research methodology is as follows: First, it investigates the poet’s use of emptiness and fulfillment in literature, the significance of emptiness and fulfillment in Hanok architecture, and the application of these concepts in visual arts. Second, it examines how choreographers utilize emptiness and fulfillment when translating text into the language of the body. The exploration criteria focus on the opposition of emptiness and fulfillment as interpreted by 宗白华, Lacan, and Heidegger. The basis for the results is grounded in the arguments of Susanne Langer, Jan Mukařovský, Peirce, and previous studies by Lee Kyuseong (2025), Han Chungsoo (2021), and Hao Yaqi (2024). The findings are as follows. First, emptying the main subject in an artwork can lead to creative imagery. Second, the poetic or spatial emptiness allows the audience to fill it with their own imagination. Third, visual emptiness, emotional relaxation, and a sense of leisure result in positive fulfillment. Fourth, emptying movement in the body can reveal its instinctual nature. Fifth, desire or lack can be expressed as images of concealment and unconcealment, corresponding to emptiness and fulfillment.