Chaekgeori
- The sound of Experiment
- Oct 21, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Oct 24, 2024
Introduction
Chaekgeori translated as "books and things". They usually feature scientific objects, exotic luxuries, symbolic flowers and gourmet delicacies. This international exhibition explores the stylistic evolution of chaekgeori screens and reveals amazing artistic elements of cross-cultural interaction between early modern Korea and the world. Chaekgeori artists drew inspiration from Chinese showcases of the Qing period (1644-1911) and adapted European painting techniques to produce striking illusory effects. These displays received high praise from King Jeongjo (reigned 1776-1800) and soon became popular among the educated elite. Until the late 1800s, chaekgeori displays provided the studies of scholars and aristocrats as well as the homes of middle-class merchants (Kmagerkurth).
History
For Korea, the nineteenth was marked by significant changes both political, social, and cultural. As Korea entered the modern era and world order, many political upheavals took place among the royal families. This created drama, instability and visionless leadership. Socially, the class system was significantly weakened, even within the so-called elites, as more and more "fallen" literati began to demand equality and recognition. Culturally, many exciting developments occurred, including in the visual, literary, and performing arts (‘Korea, 1800–1900 A.D. | Chronology | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art’). During this period of the Joseon dynasty, books became a symbol of high social status and power. Only those who had learned classical Chinese and could memorize these Confucian texts could work for the government. These learners made up a very small percentage of the population, and most could read the Korean alphabet, but did not have time to learn classical Chinese. Many displays painted toward the end of the 19th century, however, reveal a less specialized application of linear perspective. As chaekgeori became more popular and accessible, middle-class merchants also began to collect them, although they could not afford professional artists commissioned by aristocrats. Artists often did not paint shelves at all, but filled screens with objects clumsily stacked on top of each other. In fact, books and writing tools weren't necessarily the main topic. There were also many decorated vases and dishes and lots of food. Instead of reflecting a patron's high social status and elegant tastes, these were auspicious symbols that expressed one's aspirations, from longevity desires to hopes for a happy marriage. Cranes and turtles, for example, meant prosperity, while fruits and vegetables with lots of seeds—watermelons, grapes, pomegranates, and eggplants—meant desires for many children and good luck (Voon).
Politics
During the Japanese invasion in the 1880s, Korean art suffered a huge blow. Art education institutes were closed, famous works were destroyed or stolen, and Japanese themes and styles replaced traditional Korean art (Korean Art - Exploring Both Traditional and Modern Korean Art).
Arts
In this period, in painting the style became popular Checori. Paintings that used this style depicted still life. They also used three-dimensional effects, as well as reverse perspective, in which distant objects appear larger than those nearby, thus flattening the pictorial surface. These different elaborations of the spatial illusion led to compositions with an extremely graphic feel, enhanced by the decorative motifs on the depicted objects. Clearly, such still life images were not aimed at realism. In contrast, chaekgeori (defined as "paintings of books and related things") were seen as carriers of cultural values. They appeared more often in studios or schools and reflected respect for learning. These motifs expressed a variety of meanings. For example, eggplant represented the promise of a long life, while musical instruments symbolized harmony between people. They may also have served as amulets that ensured harmony inside and outside the house (Chaekgeori). You could call it a very early precursor to "shelfie". Long before we took pictures of our shelves to show our literary trophies on the "gram," there was chaekgeori, a style of Korean still life that emerged in the late 18th century. Spread out on the panels of folded screens, these images of near-life-size shelves were also intended to express a person's intellect and often stood in a scholar's room as a beautiful, dignified backdrop. More generally, they were indicators of one's social status, fully projecting objects of refined taste and affluence. Chaekgeori (pronounced check-oh-ree) literally means "books and things". In addition to the volumes stacked in volume after volume, these huge paintings also featured writing tools, luxury goods from abroad, and gourmet delicacies, all neatly arranged (Voon).
Music
The term gugak, which literally means "national music," refers to traditional Korean music and other related art forms, including songs, dances, and ritual movements. The history of music in Korea should be as long as Korean history itself, but it was only at the beginning of the 15th century, during the reign of King Sejong of the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), that Korean music became the subject of serious study and evolved into a system, resulting in the creation of the first male notation system called jeongganbo in Asia. King Sejong's efforts to reform court music led not only to the creation of Korea's notation system, but also to the composition of special ceremonial music called Jongmyo Jeryeak to be performed during the Royal Ancestral Rite (Jongmyo Jerye) in Jongmyo – inscribed on UNESCO's representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2001 – and Yeomillak, or "People's Joy". The term gugak was first used by Jangagwon, a government agency of the late Joseon responsible for music, to distinguish traditional Korean music from foreign music. Traditional Korean music is usually classified into several types: the "legitimate music" (called jeongak or jeongga) enjoyed by kings and the Joseon aristocracy. folk music, such as pansori, sanjo and yapga. Jeongjae (court music and dance) performed for the king at state festivities. Music and dance associated with shamanic and Buddhist traditions such as salpuri, seungmu and beompae. and poetic songs beloved by the literary elite such as Gagok and Sijo. Of the numerous folk songs, Arirang – inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012 – is highly adored by common people, and there are many variations with specific lyrics and melodies unique to each region such as Miryang, Jeongseon and Jindo (Service (KOCIS)). Korean court music includes three main musical genres: aak, an imported form of Chinese ceremonial music; A pure Korean form called Hyangak. And a combination of Chinese and Korean styles called dangak. Korean court music and its historical origins have been traced back to the Goryeo (918-1392) and Joseon (1392-1910) dynasties. It was partly a model for China's court music, known as yayue. Korean court music also has similarities with the court music of Japan, known as gagaku, and of Vietnam, known as nhã nhạc (‘Korean Court Music’). The Joseon periods were major changes in music, largely due to musician Park Yeon. Park founded an independent music association and created Korean systems of musical notation, including Jeongampo (‘Music of Korea’).
Notable Compositions
Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra – Sukhi Kang
Kang Suki (1934–2020) was a South Korean composer.
Spring in my Hometown – Hong, Nan-pa
Hong Nan-pa (1897 or 1898–1941) was a Korean composer, violinist, conductor, music critic and educator. The project Spring in the birthplace I am generally regarded as the first true Korean song composed in Western style. It was widely sung during the period. Hong also contributed to the development of Korean culture during the period with his diverse cultural activities (‘Hong Nan-Pa’).
"Aegukga" - Ahn Eak-tai
Ahn Eak-tai (1906–1965) was a South Korean classical composer and conductor. He conducted many major orchestras throughout Europe, including the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the Rome Philharmonic Orchestra ('Ahn Eak-Tai'). Ayuga is the national anthem of the Republic of Korea. It is believed that the lyrics were written for the ceremony of laying the cornerstone of the Independence Gate in Seoul in 1896 by Yun Chiho, a politician, or by An Chang-ho, a pro-independence leader and educator. Initially, Aegukga was sung to the rhythm of the Scottish folk song "Auld Lang Syne", introduced to Korea by Western missionaries. The Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea (1919–1945) in Shanghai, China adopted it as the national anthem. At a ceremony commemorating the founding of South Korea on August 15, 1948, exactly three years after liberation from Japanese rule, the Scottish melody was eventually replaced by the Korean Fantasy Finale composed by Ahn Eak-tae in 1935. The new "Aiguga" was later adopted by the 1948 Presidential Decree by then-President Sigman Rhee (or Lee Seungman) (‘Aegukga’ South Korea National Anthem English Lyrics).
Korea Fantasy – Eak-tai Ahn
Chamber Symphony 1 – Isang Yun (1987)
Isang Yun (1917–1995) was a Korean composer who made a career in West Germany ('Isa Yun'). Agreement I was inspired by the peace movement, which opposed the stationing of nuclear missiles (cruise and Pershing missiles) in the Federal Republic of Germany and the confrontation of the Western capitalist bloc and the Eastern Communist bloc. The largest mass movement in the history of the Federal Republic culminated in the autumn of 1983, when nearly a million people took to the streets for four parallel large demonstrations in response to the Bundestag's debate on the stationing of rockets. In view of the threat to peace posed by the irresponsible use of nuclear energy, Yun understood the I Agreement as an admonition and appeal (One Yun - Symphony No.1).
Bibliography
‘Aegukga’ South Korea National Anthem English Lyrics. Directed by VocalNationalAnthems, 2010. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CceXXXubvdE.
‘Ahn Eak-Tai’. Wikipedia, 16 Sept. 2022. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ahn_Eak-tai&oldid=1110646153.
Chaekgeori. Ink and color on paper mounted on silk brocade with wooden frame, Made –1910 1392. Art Institute of Chicago, https://www.artic.edu/artworks/185180/chaekgeori.
'Hong Nan-Pa'. Wikipedia, 5 Sept. 2022. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hong_Nan-pa&oldid=1108692712.
'Isang Yun'. Wikipedia, 20 Nov. 2022. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Isang_Yun&oldid=1122880343.
Isang Yun - Symphony No.1. https://www.boosey.com/cr/music/Isang-Yun-Symphony-No-1/15829. Accessed 6 Jan. 2023.
kmagerkurth. ‘Chaekgeori: Pleasure of Possessions in Korean Painted Screens’. Cleveland Museum of Art, 30 Mar. 2017, https://www.clevelandart.org/exhibitions/chaekgeori-pleasure-possessions-korean-painted-screens.
‘Korea, 1800–1900 A.D. | Chronology | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art’. The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/10/eak.html. Accessed 25 Oct. 2022.
Korean Art - Exploring Both Traditional and Modern Korean Art. https://artincontext.org/korean-art/. Accessed 3 Nov. 2022.
‘Korean Court Music’. Wikipedia, 17 Dec. 2022. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Korean_court_music&oldid=1127954878.
Min, Sin Myung. ‘A Great Korean Music Pioneer Min-Chong Park: A Performance Guide of His Selected Violin Works’. LSU Doctoral Dissertations, Jan. 2014, https://doi.org/10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.2801.
‘Music of Korea’. Wikipedia, 23 Dec. 2022. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Music_of_Korea&oldid=1129130907.
Service (KOCIS), Korean Culture and Information. Traditional Arts : Korea.Net : The Official Website of the Republic of Korea. https://www.korea.net/AboutKorea/Culture-and-the-Arts/Traditional-Arts. Accessed 5 Jan. 2023.
Voon, Claire. ‘The “Shelfies” of Korea’s Joseon Dynasty’. Hyperallergic, 31 Oct. 2017, http://hyperallergic.com/400785/the-shelfies-of-koreas-joseon-dynasty/.
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