Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Keywords

Art History, Korea, Folk Art, Landscape, Painting, Ritual Art

Department

Art and Art History

Major

English Literature and Art History

Abstract

The Five Peaks Screen of Korea’s Joseon dynasty (1392-1910) is one of the most iconic works of its time. Nevertheless, the remarkable visual impact and cultural significance of the Five Peaks Screen evades systematic scholarly study, partly because of its generic classification as folk art. In this paper, I will resituate the Five Peaks Screen in the artistic tradition of East Asian landscape painting. When considered in the context of literati painting traditions and relevant popular landscapes, it becomes clear that the design of the Five Peaks Screen coheres to traditional aesthetics to emphasize the ability of artwork to inform and influence life and ritual. Ultimately, I find that, as the local expression of a general idiom for the way in which artistry interacts with ritual culture in the Joseon dynasty, the Five Peaks Screen’s conscious rejection of literati painting aesthetics is an affirmation of tradition.

Faculty Mentor

Kristen Chiem

Funding Source or Research Program

Keck Scholars Program, Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Presentation Session

Session D

Location

Rockwell Academic Center 175

Start Date

3-4-2015 3:45 PM

End Date

3-4-2015 4:00 PM

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Apr 3rd, 3:45 PM Apr 3rd, 4:00 PM

Imagination and Reality: Landscape and the Folk Culture of Joseon Dynasty Korea

Rockwell Academic Center 175

The Five Peaks Screen of Korea’s Joseon dynasty (1392-1910) is one of the most iconic works of its time. Nevertheless, the remarkable visual impact and cultural significance of the Five Peaks Screen evades systematic scholarly study, partly because of its generic classification as folk art. In this paper, I will resituate the Five Peaks Screen in the artistic tradition of East Asian landscape painting. When considered in the context of literati painting traditions and relevant popular landscapes, it becomes clear that the design of the Five Peaks Screen coheres to traditional aesthetics to emphasize the ability of artwork to inform and influence life and ritual. Ultimately, I find that, as the local expression of a general idiom for the way in which artistry interacts with ritual culture in the Joseon dynasty, the Five Peaks Screen’s conscious rejection of literati painting aesthetics is an affirmation of tradition.

 

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