October 5, I attended the opening reception for an elegant exhibit on Minhwa: The Beauty of Korean Folk Paintings, at the Korean Cultural Center, Washington DC. The program included lecture, presentation, tour of two rooms with Minhwa canvasses. Finally, attendees were invited to paint a pre-printed figure in minhwa style.
Minhwa: The Beauty of Korean Folk Paintings included an exhibition of works by 19 living artists following in the footsteps of an iconic art tradition, in partnership with the Korean Minhwa Center at Keimyung University. This exhibition introduces minhwa, Korea’s traditional folk paintings that depicted people’s tangible hopes and dreams through unconventional yet artistic expressions. Popularized during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897), minhwa are known for their bright colors, humorous depictions, and various virtues embedded symbolically within the imagery.
Minhwa: The Beauty of Korean Folk Paintings comprises 20 paintings by 19 artists from the Keimyung University Korean Minhwa Center who have followed in the footsteps of traditional minhwa painters of previous centuries. Their work spans a variety of iconic styles and subjects, including flora, fauna, landscapes, iconology, and a traditional study complete with books and stationery. Through a broad sampling of minhwa’s major thematic elements, viewers encountered this elegant and cherished art form in all its glory while also glimpsing at the mythology, beliefs and views of the Korean people throughout time.
Minhwa: The Beauty of Korean Folk Paintings continues through October 21, 2019, at the Korean Cultural Center, Washington, D.C.
I highly recommend this exhibit of elegant and beautiful minhwa art. I especially enjoyed the canvasses shaped like bookcases filled with books.
My hosts and photographer noted my tie's orange was similar to the orange used by the artist in this Minhwa canvass.
My hosts explained that tigers an magpies were symbolic figures in minhwa art.
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Jim Patterson is a former U.S. diplomat, life member American Foreign Service Association, member Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, Associate Member Korean War Veterans Association, member U.S.-Philippines Society, life member Associates of Vietnam Veterans Association, member Sons of the American Legion, Associate member Veterans of Foreign Wars, and a contributor to Foreign Service Journal.
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