Pathways to Korean Culture: Paintings of the Joseon Dynasty, 1392 - 1910

Description

Introducing the major works and currents of Joseon painting, Pathways to Korean Culture explores the various social, cultural and political perspectives of this dynamic, dynastic era (1392-1910), uncovering the fascinating history of more than 500 years of Korean art and visual culture. In this book Burglind Jungmann examines an array of themes and aspects of the art world of the Joseon dynasty, from the ink painting tradition of the literati elite to the role of women as both patrons and artists. She looks at the various roles of paintings in Joseon Korea, where they were as important for foreign exchange as they were as a means of escapism, and she explores the dynasty's overarching Confucian ideology, which was constantly at odds with the culture's Buddhist projects. The book investigates select clusters of objects to shed light on the multiple layers of personal, intellectual, aesthetic, religious, sociopolitical and economic contexts in which they are embedded.From palace decorations to established artworks, this book takes a sweeping, comprehensive look at Korean culture and history, exploring its engagement with the West, its political affiliations with China and its unique range of artists.

Burglind Jungmann is Professor of Korean Art History in the Department of Art History, UCLA. She has organized many exhibitions and written numerous publications on East Asian art, including Painters as Envyos: Korean Inspiration in Eighteenth Century Japanese Nanga (2004).

"Jungmann has done a marvelous job. I believe [the book] will certainly be a great contribution to the field of East Asian studies."--Hongnam Kim, Department of Art History, Ewha Woman's University, Seoul, and former director of the National Museum of Korea "Of great importance in enhancing our understanding of Joseon painting and of Korean painting as a whole."--Chin-Sung Chang, Seoul National University "This is a valuable, original, and accessible overview of a rich and multilayered artistic tradition that is not well understood outside Korea."-- "Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies" "Pathways to Korean Culture is a wide-ranging synthetic analysis of the paintings of Korea's Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), that takes a comprehensive look at its history and visual culture. The publication of this book should be welcomed by anyone who has an interest in Korean painting. . . . With masterly erudition and thorough discernment, Jungmann has written here what is certain to be the standard guide to the history of Joseon painting. . . . The best and most comprehensive overview of Joseon painting from the West to date, encouraging much thoughtful, cohesive analysis of Korean painting to follow."-- "Arts Asiatiques"