Featuring over 130 artworks--some previously unpublished--this richly
illustrated volume is essential for understanding modern art in Korea
and how it evolved to meet the contemporary global context
In The Space Between, a generative period in Korean art between the
traditional and the contemporary is illuminated comprehensively for the
first time. After the centuries-long Joseon dynasty came 35
uninterrupted years of the Japanese colonial period (1910-45) followed
by the Korean War (1950-53). During this tumultuous time, Korean artists
grappled with issues such as identity and nationalism and experimented
with a broad range of media. The book is organized into five categories:
"The Modern Encounter"-- foreign influences enter the country in a
significant way in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; "The Modern
Response"--how foreign methods are accepted or rejected; "The Pageantry
of the New Woman (Sinyeoseong) Movement"--modern women's attitudes;
"The Modern Momentum"--advances in using foreign styles; and "Evolving
into the Contemporary"--a glimpse into the contemporary.
Most notable during this period are the introductions of photography,
sculpture and oils, which arrived via Japan and came to define modern
art in Korea. At the same time, traditional ink painting reinvented
itself: works grew larger in scale while keeping traditional landscape
motifs with alterations in the use of color and composition. Artists of
modern ink believed that theirs was the true future of modern art,
unsullied by elements found in the West. By the end of the Korean War,
the magnified status of the US made way for access to American abstract
art and, indirectly, European informel. For nearly a decade, abstract
expressionist and informel styles dominated Korean art. The volume
concludes in the 1960s, setting the stage for contemporary art in Korea.
