Kim Junghyun
Kim Junghyun (1901-1953, pen name Cheolma) graduated from Gyeongseong High School in 1919 and was a self-taught artist. Kim Junghyun worked on both Western and Eastern paintings from 1925 to 1943. He was continuously selected for the Joseon Art Exhibition and was selected in both the Eastern and Western Painting Divisions in 1936. In 1949, he participated in the 1st National Art Exhibition as a Noteworthy Author and judge. He created unique and original artworks focusing on Korea-related themes and in the 1930s, began to produce folk paintings dealing with ordinary people’ lives and landscapes. His works, including A Painting of a Shaman (1941) and Nongak Nori (1941), addressed Korean folklore, such as Shamanism and Pungmul nori (traditional Korean famers music). His folklore works depicting the everyday lives of people during the Japanese colonial era evoked comfort through his use of a warm, distinctly indigenous palette. During the Korean war he painted directly onto ceramics while living in Busan. Throughout his career, Kim Junghyun used local materials and modernist idioms to depict the everyday life of ordinary people with an original Korean sensibility.
National Art Exhibition
A government-hosted exhibition held 30 times from 1949 to 1981, also known by the shorter name Gukjeon. Following national independence, the exhibition was the primary means for young and emergent Korean artists to achieve recognition. The influence of the exhibition declined as a result of the emergence of non-figurative art during the 1970s, the increased opportunities for artists to participate in overseas exhibitions, and the rise of private exhibitions and galleries.