Lesson 6 Beyond Korea
No Ordinary Painting
Art for and by the People
Have you ever seen the painting above?
The name of this famous painting is sipjangsaengdo.
This kind of painting is called minhwa in Korean, which means a folk painting.
In the old days, it was practically impossible for most common people to buy paintings.
Aside from the fact that they were too expensive, famous artists often painted exclusively for the king and the government.
Not until the late Joseon period did paintings begin to decorate the homes of common people.
At that time, anonymous artists started to draw and sell their works to the public.
Minhwa often reflected the thoughts, dreams and wishes of common people.
They believed that minhwa would bring them good fortune.
In the hope of having a long prosperous life, minhwa artists used ten symbols of longevity in their paintings:
the sun, clouds, water, mountains, rocks, pine trees, herbs of eternal youth, turtles, birds and deer.
They also drew scary animals such as dragons, tigers, or even dogs with four eyes to protect people from misfortune.
Minhwa artists also enjoyed painting beautiful flowers with a male and a female bird,
because they represented a happy marriage or peaceful home.
Two Tigers of a Different Tale
The tiger was one of the most frequently painted subjects in ancient Korean paintings.
Korea was once known as the land of the tigers.
Two or three hundred years ago, it was easy to catch sight of tigers on almost any mountain.
Tigers often came down to towns and villages to eat livestock and even harm people.
Tigers were both feared and respected at the same time by ancient Koreans.
Take a look at the painting to the right.
This fierce tiger was painted by Kim Hongdo, a famous Korean artist.
The tiger's eyes are set on you.
It looks as if it will leap out of the painting at any moment.
There is not a single strand of fur out of place.
Each strand seems to express power and strength.
Even its tail is pointed upward, expressing authority.
The way tigers were painted by minhwa artists, however, was quite different.
Look at the tiger on this page by an anonymous artist in the late Joseon period.
In contrast to the tiger painted by Kim Hongdo, this one does not look scary at all.
There is something comical about it.
It has round teeth and its two front legs are gathered together in a shy manner.
Its cute tail is between the front legs.
It looks like a friendly cat.
Even the bird above the tiger seems to want to play with it.
Anyone looking at this creature could almost be tempted to pet it.
This minhwa has another interesting feature.
Have you noticed anything strange about the tiger's body?
The face is drawn from the front, the front legs from the side, and the other legs from the back.
In this way, minhwa artists applied free and creative techniques to their paintings.
They did not feel that an object had to be drawn from only one perspective.
A similar technique was also used later by Picasso in a movement called Cubism in the 20th century.
Do you think Picasso got his ideas from minhwa artists?
The Rebirth of Minhwa in the 21st Century
Today, it is becoming harder and harder to find minhwa on the walls of Korean homes.
Does this signal the end of minhwa in modern Korea?
Certainly not!
Just because it is disappearing from our walls, it does not mean that minhwa has taken its last breath.
If you take some time to carefully look at the world around you, you will see that minhwa is very close by.
For example, minhwa lives on in images that decorate the walls of old neighborhoods, school supplies, mobile phone cases, and clothing.
Minhwa of yesterday is being reborn to represent the Korean culture of today.
None of the original minhwa artists could have imagined the popularity of their paintings, but they became very famous later on.
Who knows?
If you draw something today, it may become minhwa someday.
Don't be afraid to give it a try.
Keep in mind the words of the famous artist, Henri Matisse:
"Creativity takes courage."
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