The Power and Pleasure of Possessions in Korean Painted Screens

Exhibition

Exhibition Overview

The Power and Pleasure of Possessions in Korean Painted Screens
The Power and Pleasure of Possessions in Korean Painted Screens
Kris Ercums, curator
April 15, 2017–June 11, 2017
Galleries 315 and 316, Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas

The Power and Pleasure of Possessions in Korean Painted Screens explores the genre of Korean still-life painting known as chaekgeori. Chaekgeori was one of the most enduring and prolific art forms of Korea’s Joseon dynasty (1392–1910), and it emphasizes books and other material commodities as symbolic embodiments of knowledge, power, and social reform. Funded by the Korea Foundation and organized by Gallery Hyundai, all the screens in the exhibition are on loan from private collections and national institutions in Korea.

Complementing the exhibition will be a small installation of SMA Korean art centered around the recently conserved Gwakbunyang hyangrakdo (Guo Ziyi’s Enjoyment-of-Life Banquet, 2015.0061). Additionally, the Korea Foundation will also fund a one-day conference “Paintings in Brilliant Colors: Korean Chaekgeori Screens of the Joseon Dynasty.” (Keynote on Friday April 14 by Burglind Jungmann, Professor of Korean Art, UCLA; Conference continues on Saturday April 15).

Exhibition images

Works of art

郭汾陽行樂圖 Gwakbunyang hyangrakdo (Guo Ziyi‘s Enjoyment-of-Life Banquet Screen)
郭子儀祝壽 (Birthday Celebration of Guo Ziyi, #6 of 10)
郭子儀祝壽 (Birthday Celebration of Guo Ziyi, #6 of 10), late 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
郭子儀祝壽 (Birthday Celebration of Guo Ziyi, #7 of 10)
郭子儀祝壽 (Birthday Celebration of Guo Ziyi, #7 of 10), late 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
San-shin (mountain spirit)
San-shin (mountain spirit), 1800s, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)
Scholar under Pine Tree, Ji Unyeong
Ji Unyeong
tripod censer
Ji Unyeong
tripod censer, 1200s, Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279)
gourd-shaped teapot
Ji Unyeong
gourd-shaped teapot, 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
seal paste container
Ji Unyeong
seal paste container, 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
long-necked vase
Ji Unyeong
long-necked vase, 1700s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
water bowl
Ji Unyeong
water bowl, early 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
vase
Ji Unyeong
vase, 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
gu-shaped vase
Ji Unyeong
gu-shaped vase, 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
libation cup
Ji Unyeong
libation cup, late 1600s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
“national treasure” (guo bao 國寶) ink cake
Ji Unyeong
“national treasure” (guo bao 國寶) ink cake, early 1900s, Republic of China (1911–1949)
ink stone
Ji Unyeong
ink stone, late 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
ivory screen and stand
Ji Unyeong
ivory screen and stand, 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
incense censer
Ji Unyeong
incense censer, 1700s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Chimera (qilin 麒麟) pricket candlestick
Ji Unyeong
Chimera (qilin 麒麟) pricket candlestick, early 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
brush pot
Ji Unyeong
brush pot, 1900s
Buddha's hand citron
Ji Unyeong
Buddha's hand citron, 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Chimera (qilin 麒麟)
Ji Unyeong
Chimera (qilin 麒麟), Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
suspended pendant
Ji Unyeong
suspended pendant, late 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
brush rest
Ji Unyeong
brush rest, 1900s
seal with three nested stands
Ji Unyeong
seal with three nested stands, late 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
scholar's rock with wooden stand
Ji Unyeong
wrist rest
Ji Unyeong
wrist rest, early 1900s, Republic (1911–1949)
seal with container and paste
Ji Unyeong
brush washer with plum branches
Ji Unyeong
brush washer with plum branches, early 1900s, Republic of China (1911–1949)
gu-shaped vase
Ji Unyeong
gu-shaped vase, 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
tripod censer
Ji Unyeong
tripod censer, late 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
small baluster jar with lid
Ji Unyeong
small baluster jar with lid, 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
鼎 (ding tripod)
Ji Unyeong
鼎 (ding tripod), 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
gat (horse hair hat)
Ji Unyeong
달항아리 dalhangari (moon jar)
Ji Unyeong
달항아리 dalhangari (moon jar), late 1800s, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)
dragon vase
Ji Unyeong
dragon vase, 1800s, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)
footed plate
Ji Unyeong
footed plate, 1800s, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)
bowl
Ji Unyeong
bowl, 1400s–1500s, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)
lidded bowl on stand with Cintāmani handle
Ji Unyeong
lidded bowl on stand with Cintāmani handle, 1500s, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)
bojagi (wrapping cloth)
Ji Unyeong
bojagi (wrapping cloth), late 1800s, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)
jar with floral motif
Ji Unyeong
jar with floral motif, mid 1800s, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)
jar
Ji Unyeong
jar, 1500s, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)
cylindrical ornament with brown tassels
Ji Unyeong
cylindrical ornament with brown tassels, 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)

Events

April 14, 2017
Talk
Chaekgeori in Korean Art History
5:00–6:00PM
Spencer Museum of Art Auditorium, Rm 309, 1301 Mississippi St
April 15, 2017
Conference
Painting in Brilliant Colors: Korean Chaekgeori Screens in the Joseon Dynasty
8:00AM–5:00PM
Spencer Museum of Art Auditorium, Rm 309, 1301 Mississippi St
April 26, 2017
Talk
The Power and Pleasure of Possessions in Korean Painted Screens
5:30–6:30PM
Spencer Museum of Art, Gallery 315, Estelle S. and Robert A. Long Ellis Foundation Gallery, Spencer Museum of Art, Gallery 316, Dolph Simons Family Gallery
April 29, 2017
Activity
Painted Screens
1:00–4:00PM
Spencer Museum of Art, Gallery 406, John and Linda Stewart Gallery

Resources

Documents

Media Release