Artists in Their Times: Korean Modern and Contemporary Art - From 1900s to 1970s

Over the course of the 20th century from the 1900s to the 1950s, Korean history underwent a period of profound turbulence. While the century was rung in with the conflict between the Wijeong Cheoksa (“uphold orthodoxy and reject heterodoxy”) proponents and the Gaehwa (“enlightenment”) proponents that played a leading role in actively adopting new culture from China and Japan, that conflict would end with the humiliation of Korea being stripped of its sovereignty with its 1910 annexation by Japan. Under the stern military rule of imperial Japan, most cultural activities came to a stop. In the wake of the March 1 Independence Movement came an era of cultural rule, with the first national art exhibition taking place under the control of the Joseon Government–General. During the Japanese occupation, the period whenKorean artists enjoyed “relatively” more freedom to receive art education and pursue artistic activities was a brief window of time between the 1920s and 1930s. 

Transformation of Traditional Art and the Introduction of Oil Painting

During the Joseon era, there had been many professional painters among the middle class, who had been affiliated with palaces or produced work to meet the demands of the aristocracy. This traditional artist lineage was carried on by Chae Yongsin, a royal painter who produced a portrait of Emperor Gojong. At the same time, Chae was also a “freelancer” who set up his own studio to meet the new demand for art. The production methods and distribution structure of traditional art was undergoing a gradual change.

Government Exhibition Art and the Emergence of New Forms of Expression 

After the end of World War I and the March 1 Independence Movement, the art worlds of the 1920s underwent a change in topography. Transitioning into a system of “cultural rule,” the Japanese government established the Joseon Art Exhibition, holding yearly art exhibitions that received large–scale promotion in the press. But the Joseon Art Exhibition remained the only gateway available for artists, serving as a yardstick for many artists to gauge their own capabilities as they continued on with their artistic  careers. Ambitiously scaled “exhibition works” were produced to be shown at the events, and so–called “stars of Joseon Art Exhibition” emerged during this time.

Liberation and Postwar Art 

South Korea was liberated from Japanese rule in August 1945. But the thrill of liberation lasted for only a short time before the new ideological battle and societal conflicts reached a fever pitch. As if to reflect the societal situation, the number of artworks produced over the roughly five–year period between 1945 and the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 was exceedingly small. The works from this time reflect both hope for the new country and despair over its reality. 

Prelude to Contemporary Art: Informel

Amid the political and social turbulence of the post–Korean War period from the late 1950s into the 1960s, the Korean art world was also undergoing change. An example of this was a street exhibition held the same year as the April 19 Revolution (1960) in which large abstract works of art were hung by artist groups on the western and northern walls of Deoksugung Palace, the venue where the Gukjeon was taking place. It represented a kind of protest, appealing to the public by creating an event to raise issues with the conservative art establishment.

Experiments with Modes of Expression

In the 1960s and 1970s, we encountered a variety of experiments on Korean art expression styles. The world was going through a turbulent time, with the fervor of hippie and resistance culture juxtaposed against the bleakness of a cold and stark international situation, as exemplified by the Vietnam War. Under its authoritarian political regime, Korea was racing breathlessly on a path of state–led industrialization, with its five–year economic development plans and Saemaul (New Village) Movement. Also coursing this dynamic moment was an endless outpouring of desire for democracy and freedom, as seen in the April 19 Revolution of 1960.

Under the Yushin system of the 1970s, various cultural policies were introduced with an emphasis on reviving and rebuilding national traditions. Amid this climate, Korean art came to reflect a Korean aesthetic consciousness that emphasized harmony with nature and spiritual qualities. The interest that Japan was showing toward Korean contemporary art became an important factor in strengthening the identity of Korean art.