June 3, 2023 – May 19, 2024
Huh Wing and Jin Joo Gallery
Images © the Artists
Text © Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, University of Oregon, 2023.
All rights reserved.
No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher.
On view in the Jin Joo Gallery of the Wan Koo and Young Ja Huh Korean Art Wing, Capital and Countryside in Korea investigates the representation of urban and rural spaces in Korean art. Featuring a wide array of objects spanning the Three Kingdoms period (57 BCE -668 CE) to the present, this installation touches upon themes of memory and nostalgia , cultural heritage, written language, production and industry, and the significance of specific locales to investigate how these spaces have impacted the histories, cultures, and identities of people throughout the Korean Peninsula.
In conversation with the objects on view in Capital and Countryside in Korea , the Huh Wing Gallery features a selection of works by modern and contemporary women artists in celebration of the 50 th anniversary of the U i e i f O eg Ce e f he S d f W e i S cie ty (CSWS).
These works recall the painting traditions of the yangban the male NeoConfucian scholar- officials who governed during K ea J e e i d (1392-1897). The Neo-Confucianism espoused by the yangban emphasized self-cultivation and aesthetic refinement and thus Joseon scholar-officials were celebrated for their literary and artistic achievements as well as their government service. Nevertheless, Joseon Korea was also one of the most gender-stratified societies of its time, and the contributions of women who were almost exclusively confined to the domestic sphere have thus been overlooked and obscured. By referencing painting traditions associated with the yangban such as evocative literati landscapes, ancestor portraits, and images of the Ten Symbo ls of Longevity (sipjangsaeng) and scholarly-accoutrements (chaekgeori) the 20th-21st-century artists claim these cultural traditions as their own and highlight the strength, resilience, and artistic contributions of Korean women.
Both installations are curated by MacKenzie Coyle, 2021 -23 Post-Graduate Curatorial Fellow in Asian Art.
LEE Jungjin,이정진 (born 1961)
Korean; Republican period, 2003
Thing 03-01
Black and white photographic print; ink on paper
Murray Warner Acquisition Fund Purchase; 2006:12.1
Contemporary photographer Lee Jungjin carefully controls the light, balance, and negative space of the photos in her Things series. Presenting each object with great sensitivity, she forces the viewer to contemplate the subtle beauty of these mundane, everyday objects and experience them as something beyond the sum of their utilitarian parts. Her process recalls the aesthetic tradition of the yangban literati, whose landscape paintings not only communicated their interior feelings, but were also intended to elicit an emotional experience from the viewer. By highlighting the modest onggi a ceramic jar traditionally used by women to fer ment kimchi, soy sauce, and bean paste Thing 03-01 acknowledges the integral role these jars have played in the lives of countless women, and affords the humble onggi the same grace and dignity given to the emotive landscapes of the yangban.
JUNG Yonghee, 用 , 정용희 (aka Chugang 秋岡 , 추강; 1914-circa 1950)
Korean; Colonial period? (1910-1945)
Landscape (Sansudo)
Framed painting; ink and color on paper
Gift of John and Kyungsook Cho Gregor; 2017:49.5
After studying under the renowned LEE Sang -beom (1897-1972, see the next gallery), Jung Yonghee became a notable landscape painter in her own right. By combining the spatial and calligraphic techniques typical of literati a , , b L c , J developed her own distinct style which won her multiple prizes at the Joseon Art Exhibition as well as a te ac a S W
U . T a ca , , J ca a c a d to have perished during an attempted abduction by the North Korean Army during the Korean War (1950-1953).
NA Suyeon 나수연 (Korean, born 1980)
Watching TV Show, 2012
Watercolor, gouache on paper
Farwest Steel Korean Art Endowment Fund Purchase; 2018:4.2
Set before a vivid backdrop of mountains, rivers, plants, and animals, a naked woman lays playfully atop a television as pieces of the puzzle -like landscape reveal a dull, grey, street scene beneath. Ins pired the folk art of a K a, Na S Watching TV Show draws from auspicious b ( sipjangsaeng) imagery featuring the sun, rocks, water, clouds, pines, bamboo, deer, turtles, cranes, and lingzhi mushrooms.
Symbolizing long life, sipjangsaeng screens were popular in Joseon -period (1392-1910) K a, JSMA c Ten Symbols of Longevity Screen (see image below) being an especially notable example. Having lived abroad for years, Na is known for combi ning elements of Asian mythology with global folk art to create mesmerizing, surreal works that explore her fluid identities as an immigrant and as a woman.
Detail from the Ten Symbols of Longevity Screen (十 生圖
, 79 203 inches. Murray Warner Collection, MWK68:3
Korean; Joseon period, 1879-80. Ten-
, 십장생도, Sipjangsaengdo)
PARK So Eun 박소은 (born 1976)
Korean; Republican period, 2017
W man S i i 1
Minhwa (folk) painting; ink and color on hanji (Korean paper)
Farwest Steel Korean Art Endowment Fund Purchase; 2018:18.1
Still- a b a d , chaekgeori, were especially popular among the yangban (Korean literati) class of the Joseon period (1392 -1910). Featuring an array of attractive cultural objects, such paintings allowed individuals to extol their own values and express their identities through the careful selection of rarified objects. While human forms are absent in almost all traditional chaekgeori, Pa S E W man S i i 1 uses the d a d d a a d d
yangban of old. Leaning across a small desk and surrounded by books, knickknacks, and butterflies (exquisite insects associated with femininity), a woman is caught in a moment of reverie. In this intimate scene Park uses the traditional minhwa folk painting practice to address contemporary issues, offering a potent contrast to the hist oric masculine associations of chaekgeori with the yangban.
Elizabeth Keith (Scottish, 1887-1956)
Left: A Country Scholar , circa 1938
Right: A Daughter of the House of Min , 1938
Etching and color on papers
Murray Warner Collection; MWB53:K1 -2
British artist Elizabeth Keith traveled throughout much of Asia in the early 20th century and is well- known for her graceful and intimate paintings and prints. A great admirer of Korean art and culture, Keith produced many scenes of Korea such as these portraits of an old scholar and a well -to-do young woman. While the specific individ uals cannot be identified with c a , ba d K a , a a KIM Yun-sik (1835 -1922), a powerful aristocrat in Empress M (1851-1895) inner circle, while the woman may be the daughter of MIN Yeong -chan (1873-1948), royal commissioner to the 1900 Paris Universal Exposition.
YUN Suknam, 尹 男 , 윤석남 (born 1939)
Korean; Republican period, 2018
We Are a Matrilineal Family
Ink and color pigment on hanji (Korean paper)
Farwest Steel Korean Art Endowment Fund Purchase; 2018:35.1
Though ancestor worship plays a foundational role in the Neo -Confucian thought of the Joseon period (1392-1910), women were often omitted from family ancestor portraits and referred to in genealogical records only a a d da / / . I We Are a Matrilineal Family , prominent feminist artist Yun Suknam confronts these historical silences to recognize the tireless contributions women have made to Korean society. Standing on lotuses that trail off into the background, Yun is surrounded by her mother, sisters, daughter, and dog. Inspired by the strength of the women in her life, We Are a Matrilineal Family is an ancestor portrait dedicated to the generations of hardworking women who have been unrecognized in family histories.
LEE Sang-beom 李象範 , 이상범, (aka Cheongjeon 田 , 청전; 18971972)
Korean; Republican period, circa 1963
Autumn (秋景山水 , 경산수, Chukyeongsansu)
Framed painting; ink and color on paper
Gift of the Georgia -Pacific Corporation, Portland; 1981:1
Born in rural Chungcheongnam province during the late Joseon period (1392-1910), Lee Sang -beom moved to Seoul in 1904 to study painting with prominent court painter AHN Jun-sik (1861-1919). Though evoking K a a a a a , L a a a from traditional literati and courtly styles and instead developed his own uniquely modern approach defined by its soft, atmospheric qualities . Considered one of the greatest landscape painters of his generation, his works arouse a sense of nostalgic longing for the craggy mountains, bucolic valleys, and misty mornings of rural Korea.
PAIK Nam June 白南準 , 백남준 (Korean-born American 1932-2006)
Sonata, 1996
Portfolio of four mixed -media prints (lithograph, silkscreen and etching); ink on paper, edition 18/64
Farwest Steel Korean Art Endowment Fund Purchase; 2015:44.2a -d
A pioneer in the genre of video art, Paik Nam June was one of the most innovative artists of his time. His autobiographical print Sonata reflects upon significant moments in his life, such as his childhood in Korea, his collaborations with cellist Charlotte Moorman (1933 -1991), his friendship with composer John Cage (1912 -1992), and other events in his artistic career. Connecting past and present; memory and progress; these prints Pa a a a K a a a a parallel the decades -long recovery of his home, Seoul, in the aftermath of the Korean War (1950-1953). Having fled Korea in 1950, Paik lived abroad for decades, returning only in 1984 when Seoul was emerging as a cuttingedge, global city.
Eight Views of Yeongju (瀛洲八景 , 영주 경, Yeongjupalgyeong)
Korean; Joseon period, late 19th century?
Eight-panel folding screen; ink and color on paper Gift of John and Kyungsook Cho Gregor; 2017:49.3
A a a E V a a commonly used throughout Ea A a a a b a a a sites this eight-panel folding screen depicts famous scenes from Jeju Island. Although there are many variations on the Eight Views of Yeongju (the old name for Jeju), with little consensus as to what the original sites were, this screen nevertheless features many of the most popular scenes, which are from right to left: Jeongbang Waterfall, Yongduam Rock and Yongyeon Pond, the azaleas of Bangseonmun, sunset at Sarabong, the snow and spring flow ers of Mount Halla, the sunrise at Mount Seong, Sanbanggul temple, and whitebait fishing at Sanpo.
SEONU Yeong 于英 , 선우영 (1946-2008)
N K a ; D c a c P R b c K a, 2007
Echoing Waterfall (瀑布 , , Pokpo)
Framed painting; ink and color on paper
Murray Warner Acquisition Fund Purchase in honor of the Museum's 75th Anniversary; 2007:13.1
L ca N K a Ka c , M . K a the Diamond Mountain has inspired artists and pilgrims for centuries. Even today, the mountain continues to loom large in political and social landscape of both Koreas, hosting reunions between those separated by decades of war and unrest. In this monumental landscape of Mt. K a U Fa , N K a a S Y captures the a a a a -than-life presence; both in the physical a ca a K a c c c c .
Elizabeth Keith (Scottish, 1887-1956)
Riverside, Pyeng Yang [Pyong Yang], Korea , circa 1925-1936
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Murray Warner Collection; MWB51:K44
Longing to capture the beauty of a traditional Korea she feared was vanishing under Japanese occupation, British artist Elizabeth Keith created many lyrical scenes of li fe during the colonial period (1910 -1945). Here she shows women washing clothes on the banks of the Taedong River in Pyongyang: present - a a a N K a (D a P Republic of Korea). Perched above the river, Keith depicts what is likel y the Ryongwang Pavilion an important Pyongyang site dating back to the Goguryeo period (37 BCE-668 CE) which has been memorialized in tales a a . D a
Korean War (1950- 1953), along with three-quarters of Pyongyang itself, its a a b long history of perseverance and resilience.
Book of Maps (輿地圖 , 여지도, Yeojido; Korean Atlas) (天下萬國圖 , 천 만국도, Cheonha-mangukdo)
Korean; Joseon period, mid -late 19th century
Manuscript book; ink and color on paper (reinforced with scrap paper)
Gift of John Wolcott; 2006:14.1
In addition to recording nearby countries like China and Japan, this Joseonperiod (1392-1910) a a a a a a K a traditional provinces: Pyongan ( 平安道 ), Hwanghae ( 海道 ), Hamgyong (咸 道 ), Gyeonggi (京畿道 ), Gangwon (江原道 ), Chungcheong (忠清 道 ), Jeolla (全羅道), and Gyeongsang ( 慶尚道 ). Korea is depicted in its entirety the eight provinces, the Joseon capital Wansgsong 王城 [Seoul] and the Goryeo-period (935-1391) capital Songdo 松都 [Kaesong], as well as major rivers, islands, and mountains. Interestingly, the book also identifies the locales of earlier political states such as Goguryeo 句 (37 BCE- 668 CE) and Silla 新羅 (57 BCE- 935 CE), and ancient tribes like the Byeonhan 弁 , Mahan , and Okjeo 沃沮 . More than just a geographic reference, it attaches a special significance to each locale so that the reader may better understand the role these places played in the formation of Korean history, culture, and identity.
JUNG Do-jun 鄭道準 , 정도준 (aka So-hyun, 紹軒 , 소 ; born 1945) Korean; Republican period, 2006
Heaven, Earth, and Man (天地人 , 천지인, Cheonji-in)
Framed calligraphy in Korean Hangeul characters; ink and color on paper Murray Warner Acquisition Fund Purchase; 2007:2.2
Jung Do-jun is known for utilizing unconventional materials in his novel ca a c . H c a K a a c a tradition through the interplay of Chinese hanja characters and the phonetic Korean Hangeul script. The three components of Heaven, Earth, and Man are represented through Chinese ideograms: heaven by the red circle, earth by the single horizontal stroke, and man the single vertical stroke. These characters are set before a printed copy of the Hunminjeongeum (The Proper Sounds for the Instruction of the People ), a text written by King Sejong (1397-1450) developing Hangeul to increase literacy among the masses. By c c C c a ac a , a , a a indigenous Korean Hangeul sc , J a a b K a a history and its unique calligraphic traditions.
Korean Translated Edition of The Doctrine of the Mean (中庸諺解 , 중용언 , Jungyong-eonhae)
Korean; Joseon period, 1810 (originally published 1590)
Thread-bound woodblock-printed book; ink on paper Museum Collection; XDXX3
Laying out the framework of Neo - Confucian thought, the Doctrine of the Mean a a a a a a awith heaven and earth people must be honest, considerate, and value selfcultivation. This copy of the Doctrine of the Mean is written in the vernacular and mixes the Chinese characters of the elite with the phonetic Hangeul of the masses to make the text accessible to all (similar t o Jung DoHeaven, Earth, and Man on the opposite wall). The passage on display reads:
Only those in the world who are perfectly genuine to the utmost can exhaust their natures. Those ho can e haust their natures can e haust others natures. Those ho can e haust others natures can e haust the natures of things. Those ho can e haust the natures of things can participate in the nurturing transformations of [the divine]. Those who can participate in the nurturing transformations of [the divine] can f orm a triad with heaven and earth.
Translation by Robert Eno, The Great Learning and the Doctrine of the Mean: An Online Teaching Translation , 2016.
Tilling and Weaving (耕織圖 , 경직도, Gyeongjikdo)
Korean; Joseon period, 19th century
Eight-panel folding screen; ink and color on silk
Murray Warner Collection; MWK68:1
This eight-panel Tilling and Weaving screen features men and women engaged in various stages of rice agriculture and silk production, as the repeating a a ( 壽 , su), and a (福 , bok), decorate the lower quadrant. The Tilling and Weaving genre was especially popular during the Joseon period (1392 -1910) as it embodied the NeoConfucian social contract between the rural peasantry and urban elite. Peasants were obliged to produce (gendered) goods for the state while the government was respon sible for ruling justly to ensure the peace and prosperity of the nation.
KIM Sang-ku 金相九 , 김상구 (born 1945)
Korean; Republican period, 1998
No. 685 & No.686
Framed woodblock prints; ink and color on hanji (Korean paper)
Farwest Steel Korean Art Endowment Fund Purchase; 2007:20.1 -2
T a S K a a a a treasures, including: a 5th-century golden crown, a 5th- 6th century ceramic vessel, the 7th-century Nine-Story Pagoda at Woljeong Temple in Gangwon province, and three celebrated 8th-centur : K S
B , S a a Pa a, a S a S a a B a Gyeongju, Gyeongsangnam province. Gyeongju, while considered a a a a b a a a , -one national treasures and flour ished as the capital of the Silla kingdom from 57 BCE to 935 CE.
Conical Bowl (碗 , , Wan) with Stylized Floral Arabesque Design on Interior and Three Stylized Chrysanthemum Sprays on Exterior Korean; Goryeo period, late 12th century
Light gray stoneware with celadon glaze over decoration inlaid in black and white slips
Murray Warner Collection; MWK23:2
Horn Cup with Chrysanthemum Design ( 文 上杯 ,
문마 , Gukhwamun-masangbae)
Korean; Goryeo period, 12th century
Inlaid celadon ware: light gray stoneware with celadon glaze over decoration inlaid in black and white slips
Transfer from Study Collection; 1993:4
Fragment of an Arciform Pendent Eaves -End Roof Tile with Decoration of Stylized Lotus Scroll ( 忍冬文平瓦當 , 동문 막 , Indongmun-ammaksae)
Korean; Unified Silla period
Unglazed earthenware
Gift of John and Kyungsook Cho Gregor; 1996:2.5
Bottle with Dished Mouth and Stylized Floral Decor ( 唐 文盤口 , 당 문반구 , Dangchomun-bangubyeong)
Korean; Goryeo period, 13th century
Light gray stone ware with underglaze decoration painted in brown iron slip
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Robert Brooks; 1973:6.2
Compressed Globular Bottle with Dished Mouth and Geometric Design ( 器印 文廣口 , 도기 문광구 , Dogi-inhwamungwanggubyeong)
Korean; Unified Silla period, 7th century
Light gray stoneware with stamped decoration and thin natural ash glaze
Gift of John and Kyungsook Cho Gregor; 1996:2.9
Covered Food Vessel with Pedestal Base and Openwork Design ( 有 杯 , 뚜껑굽다리 , Ttukkeong-gubdari-jeobsi)
Korean; Three Kingdoms period, 5 th-6th century
Gray stoneware with incised and openwork decoration
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Robert Brooks; 1973:6.3a -b
