The purpose of this thesis is to examine the formation of the National Art Exhibition of the Republic of Korea (hereinafter ‘the National Exhibition’) academism through a review of the figurative paintings of the Western painting department of the...
The purpose of this thesis is to examine the formation of the National Art Exhibition of the Republic of Korea (hereinafter ‘the National Exhibition’) academism through a review of the figurative paintings of the Western painting department of the National Exhibition. The National Exhibition is a Korean official exhibition that has been held a total of 30 times from 1949 to 1981. It was held to re-establish the art culture, which was underdeveloped, after liberation and occupies an important position in Korean art history even after about 30 years since it was last held. Nevertheless, the importance of the study of the works did not emerge because the evaluation of the figurative paintings of the National Exhibition did not show a new trend or lead an era. However, this period shows the progress of the school of Korean figurative painting from post-liberation to the era of Minjoong(people) art movement. Therefore, in researching the school of Korean figurative painting, it is necessary to examine how the realistic style, represented by the National However, previous studies on the Western figurative paintings of the National Exhibition have just remained a general summary or discussion on institutional changes, except for the critiques. Research on the non-figurative Western art of the National Exhibition has been carried out along the frame of embracing novelty. The controversial ‘academism’ has been classified as no more than a realistic style, and no studies have been conducted to examine its changes in depth. Recognizing that the realistic style paintings of the Western figurative art department of the National Exhibition played a pivotal role in forming Korean academism, this study intended to trace their changes and formation process. Therefore, it attempted to clarify the formation process of Korean academism, which has progressed for about 30 years since liberation. Despite the criticism of the National Exhibition, the National Exhibition academism continued because the Korean school of Western painting was in an unstable situation after liberation. The absence of a specialized educational institution and of a realistic painting style with detailed description was the issue for the Korean figurative painting association to address in the 1950s. Besides, research on Korean culture used as a material for painting has been in full swing since the 1960s. For this reason, it was necessary to continue and change the Korean figurative paintings in the Western paintings of the National Exhibition until the 1960s. Therefore, this paper traced the process of how Korea’s ‘full-fledged academism’ was established by reviewing the development of the realistic style in the academism works of the Western painting department of the National Exhibition. Through this, it was confirmed that the change in academism is in line with the change in the system of the National Exhibition for abstract painting. This shows that the National Exhibition academism has been transformed in response to the new wave of abstraction. It was also confirmed that Korean art education should change in a similar path and direction. Also, such National Exhibition academism was not a deformed academism formed in the absence of a professional art education institution before liberation but served as a driving force behind the establishment of a complete Korean academism. Through taking a closer look at the figurative paintings of the National Exhibition, the formation and changes of the National Exhibition academism could be explored in this study. Therefore, as a basic study on the National Exhibition academism, the significance of this thesis is that it reveals the role of Korean figurative painting in the formation of National Exhibition academism.