Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
VISUAL ART
Traditional
Stone Buddhist statues and pagodas such as the one in Tapgol Park are among the oldest
artworks in Seoul. Some marvellous examples of cast-bronze Buddhas can be seen in the
National Museum of Korea. Zen-style Buddhist art can be seen inside and outside Seoul's
temples, Jogye-sa and Bongeun-sa, and you'll find stone and wooden effigies of shamanist
spirit guardians outside the National Folk Museum in the grounds of the main palace,
Gyeongbokgung.
Chinese influence is paramount in traditional Korean painting. The basic tools (brush
and water-based ink) are those of calligraphy, which influenced painting in both technique
and theory. The brush line, which varies in thickness and tone, is the most important fea-
ture. Traditional landscape painting is meant to surround the viewer, and there is no fixed
viewpoint as in traditional Western painting. A talented artist who painted everyday scenes
was Kim Hong-do (1745-1816). Court ceremonies, portraits, flowers, birds and traditional
symbols of longevity - the sun, water, rocks, mountains, clouds, pine trees, turtles and
cranes - were popular subjects.
A fascinating traditional Korean art form is
hanji
(handmade paper). Often dyed soft colours,
hanji
can be pressed and lacquered so that it can serve as a waterproof cup or plate.
Modern & Contemporary
Seoul has a thriving contemporary art scene with the best of local artists incorporating
Korean motifs and themes, and sometimes traditional techniques, with a modern vision.
Insa-dong, Bukchon, Samcheong-dong and Tongui-dong are all packed with small galler-
ies, often with free shows; you'll also find major galleries south of the river in Cheongdam.
The city is fostering up-and-coming artists through its Seoul Art Space project (
ht-
tp://eng.seoulartspace.or.kr
)
; visit one of the gallery spaces beneath the Jungang Market in
Sindang. Another interesting movement to check out is Seoul Urban Art Project (SUP;
http://sup-project.com
), a collective of 14 local and international artists who create 'real art
in the real streets'. Zoning in on areas under threat of development, such as Buk Ahyeon-
dong west of Myeong-dong, the artists have painted bright murals on the decaying streets.
They've also jazzed up parts of Itaewon with a street art attack.
