Joseon folksy paintings reveal coy culture

Shin Yun-bok’s painting from “The Album of the Joining of Heaven and Earth” (1844)

The second floor of Gallery Hyundai in central Seoul was exceptionally crowded for the opening day of a new exhibition Tuesday. Visitors queued up to see erotic artwork from the late Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910).

What makes these folksy paintings special is that they are works of Kim Hong-do and Shin Yun-bok, the two top painters from the Joseon period.

Titled “Refined and Tasteful Life of the Joseon Kingdom,” the exhibit features paintings from the Joseon era that portray moments of everyday life to erotic paintings from the works of top-notch painters.

Kim Jun-geun’s painting, are on show at the “Refined and Tasteful Life of the Joseon Kingdom” exhibition at Gallery Hyundai in central Seoul through Feb. 24. / Courtesy of Gallery Hyundai

“Geongonilhoecheop” (The Album of the Joining of Heaven and Earth, 1844) is attributed to Shin and ‘Unudocheop’ (The Album of Cloud and Rain Painting, early 19th century) is to Kim Hong-do. Some arguments propose that Kim Hong-do paintings are obscene, and it is believed that Shin was kicked out of the national painting bureau for producing vulgar paintings.

Composed of some 10 pictures each, the albums reveal the double standards of Joseon, which is often regarded as an abstinent Confucian society. Like adventurous art from many other cultures, these paintings include some scenes of nudity and lovemaking, but they have a unique style.

Myongji University art history professor Lee Tae-ho picked communing with nature as a characteristic of Korean sexual paintings. “Many paintings are set outdoors such as next to an azalea field or by a brook. Korean paintings are also very humorous,” said Lee.

“Unudocheop” (The Album of Cloud and Rain Painting, early 19th century) by Kim Hong-do

On the first floor are jewels of Joseon genre paintings, including work by Kim Hong-do and Shin. Yun Du-seo’s painting captures the dynamism of stonemasons crushing a stone and Kim Yang-gi portrays the excited atmosphere of a “tujeon,” or Korean traditional card game.

The exhibit continues to Gallery Dugahun, an annex of Gallery Hyundai. Some 50 paintings of Kim Jun-geun, a master of genre painting in the late 19th century, are on display for the public for the first time.

Kim Jun-geun was based in Wonsan, the first open port of Korea, and produced genre paintings based on orders from foreigners. He is more known abroad than in Korea, because many of his works are housed in internationally-famed museums such as the Smithsonian Institution in the U.S. and the Berlin Gallery in Germany.

Kim Jun-geun’s paintings cover a wide range of Korean traditions from wedding ceremonies to entertainment culture and his works were popular among foreigners who visited Korea at that time.

The exhibit runs through Feb. 24. Admission is 5,000 won for adults and 3,000 won for those under 19.

You Hong-june, a renowned art critic and Myongji University professor, will have a lecture on the life and taste for the arts of ancient people at 2 p.m. on Jan. 23 and professor Lee will talk about the eroticism behind Joseon’s obscene paintings at 2 p.m. on Feb. 13.

For more information, visit www. galleryhyundai.com or call (02) 2287-3500. <The Korea Times/Kwon Mee-yoo>