‘Draw a Stroke’ reads the plague on the corner of Angukdong crossroad in northern Seoul. Cast in bronze, it sits below the sculpture of a giant calligraphy brush in mid-motion, an apt metaphor for the historic district of Insadong that lay behind it – a leafy avenue where the city’s artistic treasures are preserved in time and a bohemian art scene still remains.

With cypress trees sheltering nostalgic pedestrians along the paved street museum, it’s easy to imagine the stream that once ran through the area, dividing the former towns of In and Sa. After the centuries-old occupancy of government officials, the area became known for trading antiques once the rich and powerful departed and the Joseon dynasty art school of Dowhawon moved in, solidifying the area’s reputation as the city’s focal point for artisans.