Contemporary Korean Art - Research Paper Example

Contemporary Korean Art Contemporary Korean Art Introduction Korean arts primarily include paintings, calligraphy, music and pottery, often characterized by the use of natural forms, bold colors or sounds and surface decoration. The contemporary Korean Art has evolved overtime through the influence of its historical roots, various forms of the 20th century European art as well as its recent turbulent history. For example, from the beginning of 1880s onwards, the Korean art was significantly impacted on by the Japanese invasion. Many of the works of art of the time were destroyed or looted and the Korean styles were soon replaced with Japanese subject paintings done in Japanese styles. The post war Korean has been presented by the tansaekhwa artists in a beautiful manner. The past legacies before and after the war have been presented to portray the differences between the two times. The empire legacies, colonisation and nationalism have been presented and explained. According to Kim (2005, p.4), “it was not surprising that the Korean contemporary art only became conscious of its identity after the war.” Many artists have contributed to the evolution of culture in Korea. This evolution has been demonstrated through works of art such as drawings, paintings in abstract colours. Generally, this has been particularly achieved by the cotemporary Korean artists through the use of different pictures and portraits have been used to bring life back to the ancient dynasties and kingdoms as well as empires History of Contemporary Korean Art The contemporary Korean art styles particularly emerged in 1945 following the end of the Japanese occupation. However, the history of Korean art dates back to 3000 BCE when the first known Korean art consisting of votive sculptures and other stone age works were made. These early forms of art were then followed by various art styles from different Korean dynasties and kingdoms. During the Goryeo dynasty of 918-1392, many Korean artists began to base their artistry on modified Chinese traditions but with native preferences. The introduction of western art styles to Korea came through China in the 18th century and was subsequently followed by the Japanese occupation at the beginning of 1880s. Between the nineteenth and the twentieth century, Korean culture has undergone a vital transformation in the social, cultural and the political scene. In the 1960s, a famous 20th century Korean artistic movement known as Tansaekhwa (monochromatic painting) increasingly gained popularity among many artists in Korea before it eventually became the international representation of the contemporary Korean art (Kee, 2013, p.22). Since then, there has been a renewed interest in Korean art following the emergence of the contemporary Korean art at the end of the World War II. Many artists have contributed to the evolution of culture in Korea and the contemporary Korean often focus on issues that strongly emerge such as the colonization by the Japanese and the clash of Korean culture. Although Korean culture is one of the least documented in Asia, several publications regarding Korean art have received a lot of attention in the recent past especially those talking about the history and the evolution of Korean culture. Appearance of New Generation: Avant Garde  The avant-garde form of art largely referred to the new, innovative and experimental styles which were largely characterized by experimental and unorthodox forms of art. The new generation (Avant Garde) Korean art particularly emerged and developed in two directions namely the western style art as was practiced by Japanese trained artist on one hand and the eastern style painting as was practiced by many artists. According to Kim (2005), “towards the mid 1950s, a group of young upcoming artists formed a movement known as Informel which openly expressed the desire of its members to move towards the subjective expression of the contemporary western art” (p.198). However, Joan Kee(2013) particularly traces the origin of the new generation art in Korea to the period between the mid 1960s to the mid 1970s when many Korean artists began to adopt the new style characterized by large abstract paintings which were usually m neutral colors. According to Kee (2013), “the tansaekhwa artists generally visualized the conceptions of space, time, materiality as well as the agency of their potential viewers” (p.7). In addition, the Korean contemporary art is widely known for its global circulation as the information about the work has been extensively translated beyond Korea. Generally, many of the Korean post war art explore the legacies of Korean empire, colonialism and nationalism. This evolution has been demonstrated through works of art such as drawings, paintings in abstract colours. On the other hand, Kee(2013) also analyses these works of art by to describing the idea of the artist at the time of creating the work. Artists of Tanseakwa are introduced in the creation of works that have been described as anaesthetic in nature. The observer of the art is brought to the same space and time of the artist in a beautiful and amazing manner. Nam June Paik is a renowned artist. In the 2004 global groove exhibition, the artist presented a range of photographs from his culture which captured a lot of attention. The global groove video wall was used to present different works of art. The ‘one candle’ projection was one of them. The video of this art consisted of a moving face in a burning flame. The exhibition was presented on all the four walls. This image was used to present the changing face of humanity. It was used to demonstrate how cruel and less friendly the society has become. The rate of this change was also presented in the rate at which the change in face. As much as few books and publications are available on this subject, the authors of Korean culture have achieved their objectives. The best method that has helped in transmitting Korean culture is the translations into various languages and the use of the web. A lot of stresses is being put in the artistic nature of the historical narratives of the Korean people (Kim, 2005). Issues that strongly emerge are the colonisation by the Japanese and the clash of Korean culture. On the other hand, Paik has revolutionized the face of art to the television. This move from presentation on hard copies to soft copies is a milestone. This ensures that the works of art can be transmitted to different people all over the world. Due to access of internet which has transformed the world to be a global village, transmission of this culture across the continents has been easier. Global groove has been used in unifying different arts from Korea. Generally, these artists include musicians, dancers and performing artist. Kee’s works from nineteen sixty to nineteen seventy is explained in close readings. These are always for most of the important paintings and drawings of that age. For example, “the Millet landscape paintings had become increasingly popular in Korea by the 1930s” (Ypugna, 2001, p.246). This has the main aim of explaining to the audience the idea of the work of art. She also attempts to put the audience in the context of the artist in time of developing the work. This makes the audience to appreciate and at the same time understand the artist. This goes beyond the creation time but also to the future of the painting in terms of effect. As a result, the Korean contemporary art is widely known for its global circulation as the information about the work has been extensively translated beyond Korea. Tansaekhwa has been considered in the translation of Korean art to different popular languages in the planet. This translation is majorly in English and French among others. This ensures that the audience is enlarged in terms of reception. It also ensures that there is facilitation of information from one person to another with language not becoming an obstacle. Korean culture can therefore remain alive through of the nationalities of the world. These artists create a visual impression of time travel through space to these ancient times. In most cases, the tansaekhwa artists generally visualized the conceptions of space, time, materiality or the agency of their potential viewers. Kee(2013) generally focuses on some of the most essential but commonly overlooked dimensions of the Tansaekhwa (monochromatic painting) artistic movement such as how the artists chose abstraction as a way of productively engaging viewers with the world or representing the legacies and the empires of the past decades are presented in these works of art. The kingdoms that ruled Korea in the ancient times and the kings of those centuries has been explained (Kee, 2013). Different pictures and portraits have been used to bring life back to the ancient dynasties and kingdoms as well as empires. Lastly, some of the Korean contemporary artists who have been widely described by Kee (2013) as having been significantly contributed to the new generation art include Park Seobo, Lee Ufan, Kwon Young-woo, Ha Chonghyun and Yun Hyongkeun among others. Park Seobo Park Seobo is one of the most famous South Korean painters who is widely regarded as one of the leaders of Korean modernism as well as the father of Korean contemporary art. Born in 1931, Park is widely known for his Ecriture series which he commenced in the early 1970s. However, Parks career began in the 1950s at the beginning of the Korean War and he soon began to turn towards abstraction. Generally, Park Seobo is widely regarded as one of the major artists who have significantly contributed to the development of Korean contemporary art (Kee, 2013). Through most of her works, the past legacies before and after the war have been effectively presented to portray the differences between the two times. The empire legacies, colonisation and nationalism have been presented and explained Lee Kang-So Lee Kang-So is a renowned Korean painter who has successfully had numerous gallery museum exhibitions including the one at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum and the Museum of contemporary arts, Sydney. Born in 1943, the artist has also done many contemporary artworks many of which have been sold at different auctions. Through such works, the preservation of Korean culture and its communication to the rest of the world has largely been successful (Kim, 2005, p.191). Conclusion In conclusion, the contemporary Korean Art has evolved overtime through the influence of its historical roots, various forms of the 20th century European art as well as its recent turbulent history. However, the contemporary Korean art styles characterized by calligraphy, music and pottery, often characterized by the use of natural forms, bold colors and surface decoration emerged after the end of World War 11 in 1945 following the defeat of Japan and the eventual end of the Japanese occupation of Korea. Lastly, the new generation (Avant Garde) Korean art particularly emerged from 1950s onwards and developed in two directions namely the western style art as was practiced by Japanese trained artist on one hand and the eastern style painting as was practiced by many artists. References Kee, J. (2013). Contemporary Korean Art: Tansaekhwa and the Urgency of Method. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. Kim, Y. N. (2005). Modern and contemporary art in Korea: tradition, modernity, and Identity. Hollym Intl. Kim, Y. (2005). 20th Century Korean Art. London: Laurence King Publishing Youngna, K. (2001). Millet’s Peasant Image: The Receptive Phenomenon in Asia. Seoul Journal of Korean Studies, 14, 233-262. Retrieved on April 21, 2015 from http://s-space.snu.ac.kr/bitstream/10371/66667/1/seoul_j_14_233.pdf Read More