Heo Gyun (M) studied Korean Art History at Hongik University and Graduate School of the same university. He studied the aesthetic awareness and life philosophies of Koreans found in the traditional art forms of painting, sculpture, architecture and crafting. He has worked as the director of the Korean Culture Research Institute and a senior artisan researcher of the Academy of Korean Studies , and he is currently the director of the Korean Folk Art Research Institute. Books he has written include Meanings of Old Korean Paintings; Materials and Symbolism of Traditional Art; Buddhist Temple Decorations, the World of Shining Symbolism; Korean Gardens, the World enjoyed by Nobles; Traditional Patterns; and Heo Gyun's Korean Folk Paintings.