1945–1953: Independence and “National Art” (Minjok Misul)

On August 15, 1945, the Korean Peninsula, liberated from thirty-five years of Japanese oppression, entered a new era. As activities of art and culture organizations began to newly rehabilitate distortions in national consciousness, the Korean Art Construction Headquarters [Joseon misul geonseol bonbu], an assembly of artists from all over the country, was formed, and an art exhibition commemorating Korea’s liberation was held. At this time, some artists, who were suspected of being pro-Japanese collaborators during the colonial period, were excluded. The political and social turmoil of the era caused ideological conflicts even among artists, and some artists with radical tendencies, dissatisfied with the activities of the Korean Art Construction Headquarters withdrew and established the Korean Proletarian Fine Art Federation [Joseon peurolletaria misul dongmaeng]. Thereafter, the art world revealed conflicting tendencies between the Korean Art Association [Joseon misul hyeophoe], which was the successor of the Korean Art Construction Headquarters, and the Korean Art Alliance [Joseon misul dongmaeng], which was formed by painters who had withdrawn from the Korean Proletarian Fine Art Federation and the Korean Art Association [Joseon misul hyeophoe]. In addition, activities of large-scale organizations continued, such as the Independent Artists Association [Dongnip misul hyeophoe], which was formed by absorbing the New Artists Association [Sin misulga hyeophoe] and expanding its members; the Korean Art and Culture Association [Joseon misul munhwa hyeophoe], which was formed with the goal of developing national art [minjok misul]; and the 1950 Art Association [Osimnyeon misul hyeophoe], which was formed with the purpose of uniting artists and the free development of art, among other organizations. As artist groups of various genres, such as calligraphy, photography, crafts, commercial and industrial art were formed, the art world after liberation overflowed with ambition, more than ever before. Moreover, art groups in Daegu, Gyeongju, Busan, Gwangju, Ganghwa, and Hwanghae Province were formed and held inaugural exhibitions, as they began to promote solidarity among local artists. An art college also opened for the first time and the National Art Exhibition [Daehanminguk misul jeollamhoe, also known as Gukjeon] was established, laying the foundation to leap into a new era. The art of this period, compared to art before liberation, did not reach the point of showing clear stylistic shifts, but can be evaluated as having recognized the task of the times, that is, the liquidation of colonial remnants and the construction of national art.  


The Construction of “National Art”
The Dangu Art Academy (1945), established by of Kim Youngki and other mid-career ink painters, set out under the banner of overcoming Japanese painting style and the reinvention of Korean art and its traditions, but came to an end after holding two exhibitions. Amidst the zeal of liberation, the topic of the art world that would appear frequently was “national art” [minjok misul], and moreover, as the issue of colonial remnants came to the fore as the task of the times, it hardly appeared to find stability.  

National art meant “national identity, dignity, and aesthetic value” and had an enlightening character that solidified national unity. Oh Chiho described it as “a sensibility common to the entire nation that is bright and vivid, and that reflects the emotions of life, and enhances the will to live.” The issue of colonial remnants is still unresolved today, but it was certainly the case during this period. The activities of artists during the Japanese colonial period, especially during the Pacific War, and the artists’ pro-Japanese activities, which were highlighted through the Joseon Art Exhibition [Joseon misul jeollamhoe], were controversial. Their pro-Japanese activities were exposed to criticism, but no one acknowledged them, and there was virtually no standard from rational judgement that could thoroughly determine whether or not one was pro-Japanese. Nonetheless, for a number of artists whose names were brought up, despite their high status in the art world, the pro-Japanese controversy follows them in life and death. 

It is regrettable that color paintings became treated as a typical “Japanese style” and devalued as a colonial remnant that conflicts with national art. The dichotomous perception in which color paintings were classified as Japanese-style paintings, and ink wash paintings as national art, plunged the color painting field into stagnation until the early 1980s. Ink wash paintings dominated the art world for a long time under the logic and protection of national art. It cannot be denied that it appeared to be handled too simply, swept up by emotions and factionalism, without a rigid definition of Japanese aesthetics or Japanese painting style.

The Establishment of Art Training Institutions
The art college, which was unable to be come into being for various reasons during the Japanese colonial period, was established. In 1945, the Department of Art was established in Yerimwon (college of art and music) at Ewha Womans University, and in 1946, the Gyeongju Culture Association opened the two-year Gyeongju Arts Academy, which was elevated to the three-year Gyeongju Art School in 1949. Art colleges were also established at Seoul National University (1946), Chosun University (1946), and Hongik University (1949), and began to train artists. In 1947, the Pyongyang Art School was established and was elevated to the National Art School in 1949. Lee Gukjeon’s Gyeongseong Art Academy [Gyeongseong misul yeonguso], Lee Qoede’s Seongbuk Painting Academy [Seongbuk hoehwa yeonguso], Lee Insung’s National Painting Party Painting Research Institute [Gukhwahoe hoehwa yeonguso], Nam Kwan's Nam Kwan Art Research Institute [Nam Kwan misul yeonguso], Lee Ungno’s Goam Hwasuk (Lee Ungno Painting Academy), and The Seoul City Art Research Institute also opened their doors and began to recruit artists and students preparing for college entrance exams. The studios of Kim Eunho, Lee Sangbeom, Huh Baeklyun, which already had students, also produced research students. 

As art college education began, textbooks for theory courses, including Korean art history, became necessary. Introductory texts that make up the foundation of research in Korean art history today, such as Yoon Hee-soon’s Joseon misulsa yeongu (Joseon art history research), Kim Youngki’s Joseon misulsa (Korean art history), and Kim Yongjun’s Joseon misul daeyo (A compendium of Korean art) were published. They were the results of interest in and research into national art [minjok misul] and were written with the clear purpose of providing textbooks required for art colleges and for students in middle-school and higher to easily understand “the art of my country.” 

The Founding of the National Art Exhibition
The government of the Republic of Korea was established on August 15, 1948. As the “cradle for a new cultural revival” and one of the cultural policies harmonizing tradition and modernity, the National Art Exhibition (Gukjeon) was founded in 1949 under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, holding its first exhibition. It was organized as a competition consisting of five categories: Eastern painting, Western painting, sculpture, crafts, and calligraphy, with the Presidential Award being the highest prize, followed by the Prime Minister Award, and the Minister of Education Award. Adjourned in 1950 due to the Korean War, the second exhibition opened in 1953, and became a stage where new, mid-career, and senior artists all participated together, transcending generations. Although there was controversy over the selection of judges and fairness of the judging, it solidified its position by arousing explosive interest with an average of 2,000 visitors per day. Kim Whanki, Yoo Youngkuk, and Lee Kyusang held the New Realism Group Art Exhibition (1948) and received attention for presenting a new consciousness of art form, based on modernism, that blended tradition and nationality.

Art activities, which were repressed during Japanese colonialism, and especially during the Pacific War, picked up again with the formation of various groups and exhibitions after liberation, alongside many notable solo exhibitions. Although their works did not yet engage in active artistic experiments, Nam Kwan, Kim Whanki, Chung Chong-yuo, Pai Unsoung, Lee Insung, Chun Kyungja, Park Rehyun, Paek Youngsu, Park Youngseun, Lee Ungno, and Kim Sou held ambitious exhibitions in the atmosphere of a freer era. While exhibition spaces were still largely insufficient, it is said that many had to wait for reservations because they could not accommodate the increasing demand from artists, making visible the enthusiasm of artists of this era, who had lived through a tragic history.

Artists During the Korean War
The unstable political situation both domestically and abroad after liberation eventually led to the outbreak of the Korean War on June 25, 1950. Until the 1953 armistice, many artists defected either to North Korea or South Korea, or went missing, and the Korean Peninsula became a ruin, leaving indelible scars. However, exhibitions were held by war painters and war photographers who recorded the atrocities of the warfare, in addition to the exhibitions organized by various art groups as follows: the Great Korean Art Association, the New Realism Group, the Gijohoe, the Wolnam Artists (those defecting to South Korea from North Korea) Association, and the Second Half Group. Also, with the opening of the exhibition of the Tobyeokhoe, organized by local Busan-area artists, on the other, Busan as a place of refuge rather overflowed with feverish creation. It was especially encouraging that an invitational exhibition of contemporary artists was held at the temporary location of the National Museum of Korea in Gwangbok-dong, Busan. Even during the War, there was active interest in and discussion about abstract art, and the rise of new ideology of art, stemming from the banner of anti-academicism and awareness of international art trends, became the departure point for a new art movement.