A main objective of this essay is to revise the idea of ‘influence’ of European and Chinese art on Joseon art and demonstrate how Korean artists selected scientific and artistic concepts that suited their own intellectual and aesthetic needs and how they integrated them into their own artwork. Following Stuart Hall’s definition of exchanges between contemporary cultures this process is called ‘cultural translation.’Tracing the main facts of early Korean-European contacts through Joseon embassies to Beijing the essay describes how envoys sought to meet with European Jesuit priests to learn about foreign scientific ideas and artistic concepts. Sirhak scholars, such as Yi Ik, integrated these new ideas into their thought while at the same time rejecting the Catholic religion. European elements can be traced in Joseon portrait, landscape, and court painting, starting from the early eighteenth. However, it is important to note that the purpose and social function of portrait painting were entirely different in Europe and East Asia. While European portraits were commissioned as a representation of the authority, wealth, and power of the sitter, to be proudly presented to the public, East Asian portraits are closely related to Confucian ancestor worship and were therefore only accessible to a select group of viewers for a limited time. The efficacy of European portraits thus lay in their ‘publicity,’ while that of Joseon portraits lay in the ‘power of secrecy.’ On his portrait, painted by Yi Myeonggi and Kim Hongdo, Seo Jiksu wrote an inscription voicing his dissatisfaction with the painters. Like Yi Manyeong, who criticized the portrait painted of him by the Chinese painter Hu Bing, Seo thereby rejected the naturalistic representation of a moment ‘frozen in time.’ He sought to counter the portrait’s ‘perfection’ with his inscription, recalling Wang Xizhi’s calligraphic style and the ancient Chinese master’s way of crossing out characters. Through his choice of style and through the contents of his inscription Seo Jiksu asserts himself as a scholar. Inspiration of European painting can be found even in such essentially Korean landscape paintings as Jeong Seon’s ‘true sceneries’. In ‘Sunrise at Munam’ of 1742 the reflection of the blue sky on the water and the red and orange coloring of the sky indicate that the painter was inspired by European Baroque paintings. Late Joseon ‘study screens’( munbangdo) build on Baroque still lives, which were introduced and adapted to the Chinese taste by Jesuit painters in Beijing. Interestingly, Joseon study screens also share with European still lives the way in which they were constructed. Although appearing as if real they were built from elements, most likely taken from sketchbooks, just like Ambrosius Bosschaert’s Bouquet in a Niche, which combines flowers that did not bloom at the same time. Therefore the same elements can be found in many different Joseon study screens done by different painters throughout the nineteenth century. Moreover, Chinese screens displaying books and rarities indicate that the way collections of precious items were presented changed in China due to the exchange with European courts, that is, it became fashionable to display collections openly rather than store them away.
A main objective of this essay is to revise the idea of ‘influence’ of European and Chinese art on Joseon art and demonstrate how Korean artists selected scientific and artistic concepts that suited their own intellectual and aesthetic needs and how they integrated them into their own artwork. Following Stuart Hall’s definition of exchanges between contemporary cultures this process is called ‘cultural translation.’Tracing the main facts of early Korean-European contacts through Joseon embassies to Beijing the essay describes how envoys sought to meet with European Jesuit priests to learn about foreign scientific ideas and artistic concepts. Sirhak scholars, such as Yi Ik, integrated these new ideas into their thought while at the same time rejecting the Catholic religion. European elements can be traced in Joseon portrait, landscape, and court painting, starting from the early eighteenth. However, it is important to note that the purpose and social function of portrait painting were entirely different in Europe and East Asia. While European portraits were commissioned as a representation of the authority, wealth, and power of the sitter, to be proudly presented to the public, East Asian portraits are closely related to Confucian ancestor worship and were therefore only accessible to a select group of viewers for a limited time. The efficacy of European portraits thus lay in their ‘publicity,’ while that of Joseon portraits lay in the ‘power of secrecy.’ On his portrait, painted by Yi Myeonggi and Kim Hongdo, Seo Jiksu wrote an inscription voicing his dissatisfaction with the painters. Like Yi Manyeong, who criticized the portrait painted of him by the Chinese painter Hu Bing, Seo thereby rejected the naturalistic representation of a moment ‘frozen in time.’ He sought to counter the portrait’s ‘perfection’ with his inscription, recalling Wang Xizhi’s calligraphic style and the ancient Chinese master’s way of crossing out characters. Through his choice of style and through the contents of his inscription Seo Jiksu asserts himself as a scholar. Inspiration of European painting can be found even in such essentially Korean landscape paintings as Jeong Seon’s ‘true sceneries’. In ‘Sunrise at Munam’ of 1742 the reflection of the blue sky on the water and the red and orange coloring of the sky indicate that the painter was inspired by European Baroque paintings. Late Joseon ‘study screens’( munbangdo) build on Baroque still lives, which were introduced and adapted to the Chinese taste by Jesuit painters in Beijing. Interestingly, Joseon study screens also share with European still lives the way in which they were constructed. Although appearing as if real they were built from elements, most likely taken from sketchbooks, just like Ambrosius Bosschaert’s Bouquet in a Niche, which combines flowers that did not bloom at the same time. Therefore the same elements can be found in many different Joseon study screens done by different painters throughout the nineteenth century. Moreover, Chinese screens displaying books and rarities indicate that the way collections of precious items were presented changed in China due to the exchange with European courts, that is, it became fashionable to display collections openly rather than store them away.
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