A Companion to Korean Art

The only college-level publication on Korean art history written in English Korean pop culture has become an international phenomenon in the past few years. The popularity of the nation’s exports—movies, K-pop, fashion, television shows, lifestyle and cosmetics products, to name a few—has never been greater in Western society. Despite this heightened interest in contemporary Korean culture, scholarly Western publications on Korean visual arts are scarce and often outdated. A Companion to Korean Art is the first academically-researched anthology on the history of Korean art written in English. This unique anthology brings together essays by renowned scholars from Korea, the US, and Europe, presenting expert insights and exploring the most recent research in the field.  Insightful chapters discuss Korean art and visual culture from early historical periods to the present. Subjects include the early paintings of Korea, Buddhist architecture, visual art of the late Chosŏn period, postwar Korean Art, South Korean cinema, and more. Several chapters explore the cultural exchange between the Korean peninsula, the Chinese mainland, and the Japanese archipelago, offering new perspectives on Chinese and Japanese art. The most comprehensive survey of the history of Korean art available, this book:  Offers a comprehensive account of Korean visual culture through history, including contemporary developments and trends Presents two dozen articles and numerous high quality illustrations Discusses visual and material artifacts of Korean art kept in various archives and collections worldwide Provides theoretical and interpretive balance on the subject of Korean art Helps instructors and scholars of Asian art history incorporate Korean visual arts in their research and teaching The definitive and authoritative reference on the subject, A Companion to Korean Art is indispensable for scholars and academics working in areas of Asian visual arts, university students in Asian and Korean art courses, and general readers interested in the art, culture, and history of Korea.

About the Editors vii Notes on Contributors ix Editors’ Preface xiii Series Editor’s Preface xvii Introduction: The Contours of Korea’s Cultural History 1 Donald L. Baker Part I Ancient to Medieval Cultures on the Korean Peninsula 27 1 Early Paintings of Korea: Murals and Craft Decorations 29 Minku Kim 2 Sculptures of the Three Kingdoms and Unified Silla 57 Sunkyung Kim 3 Buddhist Architecture, Politics, and Gender in the Three Kingdoms and Unified Silla 87 Youn-mi Kim 4 Art and Artifacts of Three Kingdoms Tombs 107 Hyunsook Kang Part II The Koryŏ Dynasty 133 5 Introduction and Development of Koryŏ Celadon 135 Namwon Jang 6 Koryŏ Buddhist Sculpture: Issues and History 159 Sun-ah Choi 7 The Art of Salvation: New Approaches to Koryŏ Buddhist Painting 183 Yoonjung Seo 8 Establishing a New Tradition: Koryŏ Buddhist Architecture 205 Seunghye Lee 9 Arts of Refinement: Lacquer and Metalwares of Koryŏ 235 Charlotte Horlyck Part III The Chosŏn Dynasty 261 10 The Emergence of Confucian Culture: Early Chosŏn Painting 263 Insoo Cho 11 Transformation: Three Centuries of Change in Late Chosŏn Painting 291 Chin-Sung Chang 12 Ceramics and Culture in Chosŏn Korea 321 Soyoung Lee 13 Ritual and Splendor: Chosŏn Court Art 343 Burglind Jungmann 14 Faith, Ritual, and the Arts: Chosŏn Buddhist Art and Architecture 371 Unsok Song Part IV Modern & Contemporary Developments 403 15 Modern Korean Art in the Japanese Colonial Period 405 Jungsil Jenny Lee 16 The Long Breath: Postwar Korean Art 433 Joan Kee 17 Situating Contemporary Art of South Korea, 1980 to 2016 465 Young Min Moon 18 South Korean Cinema in the Age of Hallyu 497 Kyung Hyun Kim Index 513