Exploring Historical Precedents of the Art College Entrance Exam in Postcolonial South Korea

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The purpose of this study is to investigate the historical origins of the Korean art college entrance exam. Although the exam has undergone significant changes in the past decade, the format from 80 years ago has remained in college entrance exams of art education majors and teacher certification exams. To examine the historical precedents of the art college entrance exam, this study focuses specifically on postcolonial South Korea (1945-1950s), the period when the first contemporary art colleges were established. Through an analysis of primary and secondary sources, the study identifies two major influences. The first influence is the global phenomenon of a utilitarian approach to art of the late 19th and early 20th century, which also prevailed in Korean art history. In this perspective, art was considered primarily as a skill rather than an independent field of study. Consequently, art college entrance exams have always been held in conjunction with the national academic entrance exam once a year, with the content and assessment focused on realistic rendering and expression. The second influence is the direct impact of the Japanese art education system. Japan had established a standardized art curriculum based on plaster figure dessin and formal composition in secondary and higher education, eventually developing a uniform format of their art college entrance exam. Many Korean artists who later became faculty members of the first Korean art colleges since 1945 had studied in Japan and implemented the same format of the exam into Korean art colleges. As a result, Korea's art college entrance exam and curriculum were shaped by Japan's assimilation of Western culture, particularly the French Beaux-Arts art education of the late 19th century. Despite criticism for its uniformity and lack of creativity, this format persisted as it was regarded as the most objective and fair assessment due to the prevalence of corruption, high competition, and efficiency.