Imagine two paintings. One stands behind a king in a palace. The other hangs in a farmer’s small house. They look very different, but they can share the same wish.
Painters of the palace
In the Joseon palace, there was a royal painting office called the Dohwaseo. Its trained painters made large, detailed screens for royal events. The screen at the top of this page, full of long-life symbols, came from a royal palace.
Painters on the road
Outside the palace, many painters traveled from town to town. They painted what families asked for and rarely signed their names. Their pictures were simpler and freer, often funny and warm.
Some experts include palace paintings in the word “minhwa,” and some do not. In this series, I will show you both, because they speak the same language of wishes.
From the Artist
— Jieun Ro
To be honest, I am drawn first to court paintings. They were made for the royal family, so they are dazzling, and every line and every layer of color is carefully planned. I love their elegance and dignity.
But I cannot miss the humor of folk paintings, either. If court painting is the beauty of perfect form, folk painting has a warm glow. It turns simple wishes of daily life into free and witty pictures.
In my own work, I want to use the fine techniques of court painting as the backbone, and fill it with the cheerful, honest life of folk painting.
Try This
Compare the two pictures on this page. Which one feels more formal? Which one makes you smile?
Image credits & sources
- Ten Symbols of Longevity, folding screen, 1800s–early 1900s — National Palace Museum of Korea, Changdeok 6447 · Public domain
- Tiger, Magpies and Pine (on paper), 1800s — Los Angeles County Museum of Art, M.2000.15.51 · Public domain
- Burglind Jungmann, “Three Collectors of Minhwa and the ‘Modern Gaze’” (EFEO, PDF)
This story is part of an ongoing series. More stories are on the way.
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