• Title/Summary/Keyword: Enlightenment period

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Study of Chinese Propaganda Paintings from 1949 to 1966: Focusing on Oil Paintings and Posters (1949년~1966년 시기 중국 선전화 연구 - 유화와 포스터를 중심으로)

  • Jeon, Heui-Weon
    • The Journal of Art Theory & Practice
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    • no.4
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    • pp.77-104
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    • 2006
  • The propaganda paintings in oil colors or in forms of posters made from 1949 to 1966 have gone through some changes experiencing the influence of the Soviet Union Art and discussion of nationalization, while putting political messages of the time in the picture planes. The propaganda paintings which have been through this process became an effective means of encouraging the illiterate people in political ideologies, production, and learning. Alike other propaganda paintings in different mediums, the ones which were painted in oil colors and in the form of posters have been produced fundamentally based on Mao Zedong's intensification of the literary art on the talks on literature at Yenan. Yet, the oil paintings and posters were greatly influenced by the socialist realism and propaganda paintings of the Soviet Union, compared to other propaganda paintings in different mediums. Accordingly, they were preponderantly dealt in the discussions of nationalization of the late '50s. To devide in periods, the establishment of People's Republic of China in 1949 as a diverging point, the propaganda paintings made before and after 1949 have differences in subject matters and styles. In the former period, propaganda paintings focused on the political lines of the Communists and enlightenment of the people, but in the latter period, the period of Cultural Revolution, the most important theme was worshiping Mao Zedong. This was caused by reflection of the social atmosphere, and it is shown that the propaganda painters had reacted sensitively to the alteration of politics and the society. On the side of formalities, the oil paintings and posters made before the Cultural Revolution were under a state of unfolding several discussions including nationalization while accepting the Soviet Union styles and contents, and the paintings made afterwards show more of unique characteristics of China. In 1956, the discussion about nationalization which had effected the whole world of art, had strongly influenced the propaganda paintings in oil colors more than anything. There were two major changes in the process of making propaganda paintings in oil colors. One was to portray lives of the Chinese people truthfully, and the other was to absorb the Chinese traditional styles of expression. After this period, the oil painters usually kept these rules in creating their works, and as a result, the subject matters, characters, and backgrounds have been greatly Sinicized. For techniques came the flat colored surface of the new year prints and the traditional Chinese technique of outlining were used for expressing human figures. While the propaganda paintings in oil colors achieved high quality and depth, the posters had a very direct representation of subject matters and the techniques were unskilled compared to the oil paintings. However, after the establishment of People's Republic of China, the posters were used more than any other mediums for propagation of national policy and participation of the political movements, because it was highly effective in delivering the policies and political lines clearly to the Chinese people who were mostly illiterate. The poster painters borrowed techniques and styles from the Soviet Union through books and exhibitions on Soviet Union posters, and this relation of influences constantly appears in the posters made at the time. In this way, like the oil paintings, the posters which have been made with a direct influence of the Soviet Union had developed a new, sinicised process during the course of nationalization. The propaganda paintings in oil colors or in forms of posters, which had undergone the discussion of nationalization, had put roots deep down in the lives of the Chinese people, and this had become another foundation for the amplification of influences of political propaganda paintings in the following period of Cultural Revolution.

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Melodrama, the Paradox of Modern Imagination Coordinating Moral Norms and Emotions -Based on the Developmental Approach (멜로드라마, 도덕규범과 감정을 조율하는 근대적 상상력의 역설 -발생론적 접근을 중심으로)

  • Lee, Jung-Oak
    • Journal of Popular Narrative
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    • v.25 no.1
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    • pp.9-54
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    • 2019
  • Since the birth of melodrama in the early Enlightenment era, it has flowed through various cultures and media. In order to grasp the principle of differentiation of melodrama and the direction of its change, a developmental approach to the formation process of melodrama is necessary. In this regard, this paper examines the formation process of modern melodrama and its aesthetic features around the time of the French Revolution. The modern melodrama was formed in the period between the end of the 18th century and the start of the 19th century. It was born at the intersectional point of the contradictions of the modern imagination and the political paradox of the French Revolution, which demanded an autonomous citizenship but did not recognize a woman as a citizen. The aesthetic of women's sacrifice and tears reproduced in the modern melodrama is a political aspiration to restore a corrupt society by glamorizing a woman as a moral icon. This was an icon to save a society under divide and crisis and a coordination of emotions to conceal sexist violence in the politics of the exclusion of women. The aesthetic of women's sacrifice and tears reproduced in modern melodrama has consistently been considered under negative evaluation such as a play of moral hypocrisy and vulgar drama. However, the academic interest in melodrama in the 1970s has been amplified due to the "Sirk-melo" which is a transition to the new aesthetic of women's sacrifice and tears, encompassing not only women, but also races and classes. In modern society, entering the era of uncertainty, where various social problems, national disasters, and global disasters have become commonplace, 'the aesthetic of women's sacrifice and tears' are shifting from gender differences to various victim narratives. Reviewing new theoretical trends and changes of recent melodrama as well as analyzing specific works are left as follow-up tasks.Since the birth of the melodrama in the early Enlightenment era, it has flowed through various cultures and media. In order to grasp the principle of differentiation of melodrama and the direction of its change, a developmental approach to the formation process of melodrama is basically necessary. In this regard, this paper examines the formation process of modern melodrama and its aesthetic features around the time of the French Revolution.

A Study on the 1889 'Nanjukseok' (Orchid, Bamboo and Rock) Paintings of Seo Byeong-o (석재 서병오(1862-1936)의 1889년작 난죽석도 연구)

  • Choi, Kyoung Hyun
    • Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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    • v.51 no.4
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    • pp.4-23
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    • 2018
  • Seo Byeong-o (徐丙五, 1862-1936) played a central role in the formation of the Daegu artistic community-which advocated artistic styles combining poetry, calligraphy and painting-during the Japanese colonial period, when the introduction of the Western concept of 'art' led to the adoption of Japanese and Western styles of painting in Korea. Seo first entered the world of calligraphy and painting after meeting Lee Ha-eung (李昰應, 1820-1898) in 1879, but his career as a scholar-artist only began in earnest after Korea was annexed by Japan in 1910. Seo's oeuvre can be broadly divided into three periods. In his initial period of learning, from 1879 to 1897, his artistic activity was largely confined to copying works from Chinese painting albums and painting works in the "Four Gentlemen" genre, influenced by the work of Lee Ha-eung, in his spare time. This may have been because Seo's principal aim at this time was to further his career as a government official. His subsequent period of development, which lasted from 1898 until 1920, saw him play a leading social role in such areas as the patriotic enlightenment movement until 1910, after which he reoriented his life to become a scholar-artist. During this period, Seo explored new styles based on the orchid paintings of Min Yeong-ik (閔泳翊, 1860-1914), whom he met during his second trip to Shanghai, and on the bamboo paintings of Chinese artist Pu Hua (蒲華, 1830-1911). At the same time, he painted in various genres including landscapes, flowers, and gimyeong jeolji (器皿折枝; still life with vessels and flowers). In his final mature period, from 1921 to 1936, Seo divided his time between Daegu and Seoul, becoming a highly active calligrapher and painter in Korea's modern art community. By this time his unique personal style, characterized by broad brush strokes and the use of abundant ink in orchid and bamboo paintings, was fully formed. Records on, and extant works from, Seo's early period are particularly rare, thus confining knowledge of his artistic activities and painting style largely to the realm of speculation. In this respect, eleven recently revealed nanjukseok (蘭竹石圖; orchid, bamboo and rock) paintings, produced by Seo in 1889, provide important clues about the origins and standards of his early-period painting style. This study uses a comparative analysis to confirm that Seo's orchid paintings show the influence of the early gunran (群蘭圖; orchid) and seongnan (石蘭圖; rock and orchid) paintings produced by Lee Ha-eung before his arrest by Qing troops in July 1882. Seo's bamboo paintings appear to show both that he adopted the style of Zheng Xie (鄭燮, 1693-1765) of the Yangzhou School (揚州畵派), a style widely known in Seoul from the late eighteenth century onward, and of Heo Ryeon (許鍊, 1809-1892), a student of Joseon artist Kim Jeong-hui (金正喜,1786-1856), and that he attempted to apply a modified version of Lee Ha-eung's seongnan painting technique. It was not possible to find other works by Seo evincing a direct relationship with the curious rocks depicted in his 1889 paintings, but I contend that they show the influence of both the late-nineteenth-century-Qing rock painter Zhou Tang (周棠, 1806-1876) and the curious rock paintings of the middle-class Joseon artist Jeong Hak-gyo (丁學敎, 1832-1914). In conclusion, this study asserts that, for his 1889 nanjukseok paintings, Seo Byeong-o adopted the styles of contemporary painters such as Heo Ryeon and Jeong Hak-gyo, whom he met during his early period at the Unhyeongung through his connection with its occupant, Lee Ha-eung, and those of artists such as Zheng Xie and Zhou Tang, whose works he was able to directly observe in Korea.

Birth and Transformation of the Concept of "Oriental-ness" in Korean Art (한국미술에서의 동양성 개념의 출현과 변형)

  • Chung, Hyung-Min
    • The Journal of Art Theory & Practice
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    • no.1
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    • pp.109-144
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    • 2003
  • Orientalness is a concept that expresses the collective identity of the Orient in relation to the West. The concept itself is mutable and defined by the relationship between the two regions at different points in time. Changes in the concept depend on a number of factors, such as cultural influence, the political balance of power between the two regions, and on the interpretative scheme that defines the relationship. In addition, the geographical notion of the concept evolves culturally, socially and politically. During this process, Oriental-ness becomes Oriental-ism at times. I will attempt to survey and measure the progression of Orientalness from its emergence in early 17th century to its subsequent transformation in modern Korea as reflected in art theory and art works. The recognition of the comparative characteristics of Oriental art began when the Orient was exposed to the art of the West in the late Ming dynasty during the early 17th century. The changes in the artistic climate in China affected the late Chosun. I will start with a brief introduction of this time and the birth of Orientalness. The concept gradually changed during the period of Enlightenment(開化期) towards the end of the 19th century, and during the colonial period( 1910-1945) it took on a new form. Establishment of the concept of "Orient"as a single, unifying concept spanning across cultures and national boundaries has been attributed to late Meiji period Japan, whose intention at that time is believed to have been to build a pan-Asia(亞細亞) empire with Japan at its commanding center. It has been stressed that the real motive behind the formation of one single cultural unit, where the shared common written language was Chinese and Confucianism and Taoism were the common metaphysical traditions, was to build one political unit. When the notion of a geographical unit of Asia was replaced by the concept of Asia as a cultural and political unit, a massive growth of interest and discourse were provoked around the concept of Orientalism. When Orientalism was being formulated, Korea automatically became member of "one Asia" when the country became colonized. For Koreans, the identity of the Orient had to be defined in cultural terms, as the political notion of a nation was non-existent at that time. The definition of identity was pursued at two levels, pan-Asian and local. If Orientalism was an elite discourse centered in pan-Asian philosophical and religious tradition, localized Orientalism was a popular discourse emphasizing locality as the byproduct of natural geographic condition. After the liberation in 1945 from colonial rule, a thrust of movement arose towards political nationalism. Two types of discourses on Orientalism, elite and popular, continued as central themes in art. Despite the effort to redefine the national identity by eradicating the cultural language of the colonial past, the past was enduring well into the present time. As discussed above, even when the painting themes were selected from Korean history, the tradition of using history painting as a manifestation of political policy to glorify the local identity had its founding during the Meiji period. The elevation of folk art to the level of high art also goes back to the colonial promotion of local color and local sentiment. Again, the succession of the past (colonial) ideal was defended as the tradition assumed a distinct modern shape that was abstract in style. The concept of the "Orient" is of relative and changing nature. It was formulated in relation to Western culture or civilization. Whatever the real motive of the adoption of them had been, the superiority of the Orient was emphasized at all times. The essence of the Orient was always perceived as the metaphysical tradition as a way to downgrade Western culture as materialistic. This view still prevails and the principle of Orient was always sought in Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Even when Orientalism was employed by imperialist Japan in an effort to establish her position as the center of the Orient, the spiritual source was still in Chinese philosophy and religion. In art also, the Chinese literati tradition became the major platform for elite discourse. Orientalism was also defined locally, and the so-called local color was pursued in terms of theme and style. Thus trend continued despite the effort to eradicate the remnants of colonial culture long after liberation. These efforts are now being supported politically and also institutionalized to become the aesthetic ideal of the modern Korean art.

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Korean Art from the view of foreigners in Korea from the period of independence to 1950s (광복 후부터 1950년대까지 한국에서 활동한 외국인이 본 한국미술)

  • Cho, Eun-Jung
    • The Journal of Art Theory & Practice
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    • no.4
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    • pp.123-144
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    • 2006
  • Foreigners who arrived in Korea after the age of enlightenment were Japanese, Chinese and 'Westerners' who were Europeans and Americans. The westerners were diplomats who visited Korea for colonization or for increasing their economical profits by trading after the spread of imperialism, and tourists curious of back countries, artists, explores and missionaries to perform their roles for their religious beliefs. They contacted with Korean cultural and educational people as missionaries and instructors during Japanese colonial period. In 1945, the allied forces occupied Korea under the name of takeover of Japanese colony after Japan's surrender and the relation between foreigners and Korean cultured men enter upon a new phase. For 3 years, American soldiers enforced lots of systems in Korea and many pro-American people were educated. This relationship lasted even after the establishment of the government of Korean Republic and especially, diplomats called as pro-Korean group came again after Korean War. Among them, there were lots of foreigners interested in cultures and arts. In particular, government officials under American Forces who were influential on political circles or diplomats widened their insights toward Korean cultural assets and collected them a lot. Those who were in Korea from the period of independence to 1950s wrote their impressions about Korean cultural assets on newspapers or journals after visiting contemporary Korean exhibitions. Among them, A. J. McTaggart, Richard Hertz and the Hendersons were dominant. They thought the artists had great interests in compromising and uniting the Orient and the West based on their knowledge of Korean cultural assets and they advised. However, it was different from Korean artist's point of view that the foreigners thought Korean art adhered oriental features and contained western contents. From foreigners' point of view, it is hard to understand the attitude Korean artists chose to keep their self-respect through experiencing the Korean war. It is difficult to distinguish their thought about Korean art based on their exotic taste from the Korean artists' local and peninsular features under Japanese imperialism. We can see their thought about Korean art and their viewpoint toward the third world, after staying in Korea for a short period and being a member of the first world. The basic thing was that they could see the potentialities through the worldwide, beautiful Korean cultural assets and they thought it was important to start with traditions. It is an evidence showing Korean artists' pride in regard to the art culture through experiencing the infringement of their country. By writing about illuminating Korean art from the third party's view, foreigners represented their thoughts through it that their economical, military superiority goes with their cultural superiority. The Korean artist's thought of emphasizing Korean history and traditions, reexamining and using it as an original creation may have been inspired by westerners' writings. 'The establishment of national art' that Korean artists gave emphasis then, didn't only affect one of the reactions toward external impact, 'the adhesion of tradition'. In the process of introducing Korean contemporary art and national treasure in America, different view caused by role differences-foreigner as selector and Korean as assistant-showed the fact evidently that the standard of beauty differed between them. By emphasizing that the basis to classify Korean cultural assets is different from the neighborhood China and Japan, they tried to reflect their understanding that the feature of Korean art is on speciality other than universality. And this make us understand that even when Korean artists profess modernism, they stress that the roots are on Korean and oriental tradition. It was obviously a different thought from foreigners' view on Korean art that Korean artists' conception of modernism and traditional roots are inherent in Korean history. In 1950s, after the independence, Korea had different ideas from foreigners that abstract was to be learned from the west. Korea was enduring tough times with their artists' self-respect which made them think that they can learn the method, but the spirit of abstract is in the orient.

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Korean Perspectives on Parks during the Port Opening Period (개항기 한국인의 공원관 형성)

  • Woo, Yun-Joo;Pae, Jeong-Hann
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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    • v.39 no.6
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    • pp.76-85
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    • 2011
  • This research explores the Korean perspective on parks and the beginning of urban parks in the port opening period. The purpose of the study is to understand how Koreans viewed and accepted the idea of a park as imported from western culture and with what attitudes. Analyzed sources included: "Susinsa's Record"(修信使記錄) by Susinsa(修信使) who wrote the inspection records of foreign modern cultures for the first time after the port opening, "Seoyukyunmun"(西遊見聞) by Yu Kil-jun(兪吉濬) and "Yun Chi-ho's Diary"(尹致昊日記) by Yun Chi-ho(尹致昊), which are representative works by students sent abroad, as well as some records of Seo Jae-pil(徐載弼) and The Independence Club(獨立協會) such as "The Independent"(獨立新聞), which contains the records of 'IndependencePark'. This research is focused on the literature that reexamins and interprets the related data from primary sources. As a result, it was found that the people who led the modern reformation in the Port Opening period adopted and developed social thinking regarding parks. Indeed, it was possible to witness the gradual sophistication of the concept of a park from the time of Susina's thoughts on parks to that of Yu Kil-jun's support for the need and importance of parks and Yun Chi-ho's cultural and artistic interest in parks. Also, Seo Jae-pil and the Independence Club drove the development of Independence Park, which was designed to incorporate social values and symbols while also serving to meet the needs of recreation, leisure, hygiene, and enlightenment. The Independence Club consistently advocated for the necessity of open spaces and delivered this message to the public via article writing. In short, even prior to the Japanese colonial period, Koreans shared thoughts and exchanged opinions on parks. Parks were to be created not just as a copy or transplant of western parks, but were constructed based on social demands and necessity. As few studies have taken the approach of identifying this origin of Korean parks, thus, this research which traces back the origin of Korean parks, is significant.

A Study on the Fashion Journalism in the Field of Daily Newspaper (한국(韓國) 패션저널리즘의 현황(現況) 연구(硏究)(1) - 5개 종합일간지(綜合日刊紙) 기사(記事)를 중심(中心)으로 -)

  • Lee, Sung-Hee;Cho, Kyu-Hwa
    • Journal of Fashion Business
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    • v.8 no.4
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    • pp.45-59
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    • 2004
  • The purpose of this study is to discover the present situation of fashion journalism, which is a collaborator and watchdog of the fast-growing fashion business industry, then to proffer fundamental data for the setting of desirable fashion journalism in the field of newspaper. Unlike magazine and internet news service which are focused on a specific group, daily newspaper has a far-reaching influence without regarding the age, gender and social status of the readers. Therefore, how newspaper deals with fashion and fashion phenomena has immense influence on the attitude and understanding of common people on fashion. Defining fashion journalism is an activity of gathering and mediating of various ideas and opinions on fashion, the beginning of fashion journalism of newspaper traces back to the late of 19th century. From then to the period of Japan's occupancy by force, newspaper used fashion articles to lead enlightenment of lifestyle. After Korean War, newspaper was one of the main path of in-flowing western culture and fashion trend till 1970s. During $1980s{\sim}1990s$, fashion articles in newspaper were separated from woman and family section and fashion journalism made their own way to a specialized field. In the beginning of 21st century, fashion journalism in the field of newspaper is armed with more various and profound contents then ever, but it is also true fashion journalism is not free from accusation of commercialization and agitation of preference on imported luxury goods. Today fashion articles of daily newspapers are not subordinated to the common idea, 'fashion is only for women'. Fashion articles deals with men as well as women. Information on new products is regarded more important than fashion trend. Articles are not restricted in the fashion section. It means fashion journalism is expanding its territory to business section, opinion section and so on. However, fashion news dealing with aged people or young children are very rare. It suggests target readers of fashion news are concentrated on the people who have a considerable buying power. An main article usually has more than 3 photos. That means not only photos in fashion news are established as essential visual information today but also commercialization of fashion news makes rapid progress in this field. Also the considerable dependancy on the information sources from manufacturing side can be a problem of sustaining accuracy and impartiality of news.

A Study on the Aesthetic Characteristics of Wedding Dress in the 19th Century - Focusing on Neo-Classicism and Romanticism - (19세기 웨딩드레스의 미적 특성에 관한 연구 - 신고전주의와 낭만주의를 중심으로 -)

  • Shin, Kyeong-Seub
    • Journal of Fashion Business
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    • v.15 no.1
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    • pp.185-204
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    • 2011
  • The purpose of this study is to take into consideration the formative and aesthetic characteristics of wedding dresses that existed during the periods of Neo-Classicism and Romanticism which appeared as a reaction toward Neo-Classicism. The method of the research was mainly focused on precedent research data and general references. Furthermore the data on wedding dresses was mainly collected from British, French, and American library and museum web sites. The result of the research is the following. The Neo-Classicism art, which appeared along with the enlightenment in the beginning of the 19th century, pursues beauty based on associations and imitations of ancient Greek and Roman arts. In addition to aforementioned pursuits, the Neo-Classicism art also pursued universal beauty and social usefulness through law and order. This aesthetic value was also applied to the wedding dresses, so classical beauty, natural beauty and universal beauty were expressed as follows: corsets of the previous era were removed from general clothing and Empire style that imitated natural Greek style became predominant. Also, muslin replaced high quality clothes which were used as the main materials of the dressing during the previous era. Empire style's wedding dress became popular and simple colors and styles of the wedding dress expressed the beauty of the human body and emphasized civility at the same time. Romanticism art and costumes opposed rationalism and pursued sentimentalism. Moreover, it pursued diversity, exotic tastes and accepted diverse reactionism unlike Neo-Classicism's simplification and standardization. These aesthetic characteristic were applied to the wedding dress of this period; wedding dress of romanticism pursued feminine and elegant beauty with "X" silhouettes and various decorations, like general costumes. And they were decorated with a variety of excessive accessories, details and trimmings to express romantic sentimentalism. Exotic tastes which included Chinese, Egyptian, Indian influence and other diverse tastes were expressed through hair style, accessories and patterns of shawl. However, the white color in the wedding dress revealed purity and sanctity which cannot be found from general costumes regardless of whether the dress expressed Neo-classicism or Romanticism. As a formal dress worn during wedding ceremonies, the wedding dresses of the royalty revealed dignity and authority and significantly influenced later wedding dress designs.

The Significance of Independence Park in Korean Landscape Architectural History (독립공원의 조경사적 의의)

  • Lee, Yoo-Jick
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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    • v.36 no.1
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    • pp.103-115
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    • 2008
  • This paper investigates the historical significance of Independence Park in Korean landscape architecture by examining the idea and goal, master plan and scheme, and meaning and limitation of the park The construction was announced in July and began with the Independence Arch in the middle of September, 1896. Dr. Philip Jaisohn (Suh Jai-Pil), Counselor of The Privy Office and president of the Independence newspaper, played an important role in park construction. He formally advised the arrangements and general planning of the park, but he actually played a leading role in the park as much as he designed and superintended the erection of the arch. He had the conception of a productive park for cultivating and experimenting with a variety of trees surrounding the monument. In terms of the history of Korean landscape architecture, Independence Park is important in that it is the first modem city park that was tried independently as part of the modernizing-Seoul project and the only park of which object and scheme were revealed. It also strengthens the roots of Korean modem landscape architecture by pushing Korean history of public parks into the prior time to Japanese colonial period and enriches the contents of Korean modem landscape architecture. Independence Park is the original realization of a public park because it was constructed with participation and donations from the planning stage to the construction and use. In addition, it is the goal and means to inspire the spirit of national independence and patriotism in Korean people and lead them to voluntary awakening, enlightenment, and participation. Independence Park, however, was not constructed according to Dr. Jaisohn's original intent due to the lack of funds and the rudimentary level of landscape construction technology. In addition, the location was too far from downtown and accessibility was very difficult. For these reasons, many do not consider the park as having been constructed. However, this kind of view must be changed. Other parks of the time were not detailed and decorated like typical western parks, but were left as public spaces. In other words, these parks should not be judged by comparing them to western parks. This is the same concept as that of the first parks of modem Korea being called 'park land.' These parks were more natural environments than planned gardens.

An Origin and Diffusion of the Bibo in Youngnam Region (영남지방 비보(裨補)의 기원(起源)과 확산(擴散)에 관한 일고찰(一考察))

  • Choe, Won-Suk
    • Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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    • v.7 no.4
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    • pp.48-64
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    • 2001
  • In the dissertation, Bibos are discussed as landscape features in the geographical context of Youngnam Region. The bibo tradition in Youngnam Region began with the incorporation of temple structures in Shilla and Kaya kingdoms, and spread throughout the country during the period of Unified Shilla. In Korea Dynasty, the diffusion of temple Bibo gained momentum, because Buddhism was worshipped as national religion. Then came a sea change in the Bibo repertoire with the replacement of Buddhism by Confucianism as an ideological prop for Chason Korea. The retreat of Buddhism led to the popularization of feng-shui motifs in Bibo strategy. The centers of the diffusion of the logic of bibo were major towns such as Kyongju, Ahndong, Sangju, and Chinju. The diffusion process continued top-down to mid-sized towns, and to the bottom of small villages. What sustained the hierarchical diffusion of Bibo attributes was myriad of transportation lines. The main artery of the diffusion in Korea Dynasty was that connecting Kaegyong to Kyongju. That same function was performed by the royal road running from Seoul through Sangju, Milyang, and to Tongrae. In the age of modernization, the feng-shui and Bibo landscapes have lost their original aura. They have suffered from the ruthless attacks of the Enlightenment logic of science. However, the elan vital of feng-shui and Bibo are still visible and strongly felt in the countryside. From field experiences, one can notice that the Bibo landscapes are tightly integrated into the rural way of life. The durability of the traditional geomancy shows us the beauty of the harmonious interplay between Youngnam people and the nature.

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