My Impression of Korea - Korea.net

CULTURE
The Gansong Art Museum
Seongbuk Elementary School
Hansung University Subway Station,
Line 4
4
How to Get There
The Gansong Art Museum is located in Seongbuk-dong,
northern Seoul. To get to the museum take the subway to
Hansung University Subway Station, Line 4. The museum is a
five-minute taxi ride away.
Joseon Painters
Bring Crowds to Gansong Museum
BY JEAN OH
KOREA HERALD STAFF WIRTER
Gansong Art Museum
Jeongi’s “Maehwaseook” (A library in the apricot woods)
Early into the second day of Gansong Art
Museum’s long-awaited fall exhibition, visitors
continue to crowd the first and second floors of
the building.
Eager to catch a glimpse of the works of some of
the Joseon Dynasty’s finest artists, viewers wait patiently
in line, peering into the wavering glass cases.
Just four months ago on the second day of
Gansong’s spring exhibition — which showcased a series
of works by famed painter Jang Seung-up and his contemporaries
— the museum was comparatively empty.
No long lines, no need to crane one’s neck to get a
look at the paintings, Gansong was a temple of peace
and beauty. This time, however, is an entirely different
story.
Choi Wan-su, representative of the museum attributed
the overwhelming turnout to the popularity
of late Joseon Dynasty artist Shin Yun-bok, whose art
was on display.
“I feel that this year, because Shin Yun-bok is already
a prominent artist, I think that it had an influence
on the number of visitors who came,” he said.
This seems to be the year of Shin: He is the subject
of the currently-airing SBS drama “The Painter of
Wind,” a movie about him is slated to hit the big
screen in November and his art was the center of attention
at Gansong.
“Our bestselling art poster is Hyewon’s ‘Miindo,’”
said the representative, referring to Shin by his pseudonym,
as well as to one of his masterpieces, “Miindo
(Portrait of a Beautiful Woman).”
According to him, the museum did not plan their
exhibition around Shin Yun-bok or draw inspiration
from the novel-turned-drama “The Painter of Wind.”
In fact, both Shin and Kim’s work made up fraction of
an exhibition brimming with painting and writing
that span the Joseon Dynasty.
Titled, “The 70th Anniversary of Bohwagak,” the exhibit
celebrated the rich history of Gansong, formerly
called Bohwagak meaning “a house with treasures of
Joseon,” by taking stock of the research that has been
conducted over the years and using it to select key
works from the Joseon Dynasty.
Though the exhibition as a whole astounded with
its impressive collection of calligraphic works and elegant
paintings, one could not help but be drawn to
both Shin and Kim’s art.
Shin’s “Miindo (Portrait of a Beautiful Woman),”
in particular, captivated. This portrait of a woman —
Kim Hong-do’s “Masangcheongaeng” (Listening to an oriole from atop a horse)
26 KOREA NOVEMBER 2008
NOVEMBER 2008 KOREA 27