Minhwa

also: Korean folk painting

tradition Joseon dynasty, esp. 17th-19th century Korea

Minhwa ('folk painting') is the name given to the vernacular painting tradition of Joseon Korea - works produced by itinerant, anonymous artisans for ordinary households rather than for the court or literati elite. Painted as talismans, charms, and household decoration, minhwa covers a standard repertory: tiger-and-magpie paintings (kkachi horangi) meant to drive away misfortune and mock the yangban aristocracy, peonies for wealth, lotuses for purity, phoenixes, letter-paintings (munjado), and the ten longevity symbols (sipjangsaeng). Because artisans were untrained in literati conventions, the works are frank, decorative, and often comic - flat bright color, no perspective, and a fearless directness that twentieth-century Korean modernists later reclaimed as a national visual voice.

Tiger and Magpie (Kkachi horangi), Joseon period - the tradition's best-known motif, comic and talismanic at once.
Tiger and Magpie (Kkachi horangi), Joseon period - the tradition's best-known motif, comic and talismanic at once.Public domain · source
Another Tiger and Magpie variant - artisans reinvented the fixed motif freely.
Another Tiger and Magpie variant - artisans reinvented the fixed motif freely.Public domain · source

Defining characteristics

  • Anonymous authorship by professional artisans
  • Flat, saturated color with strong outlines and no shading
  • Symbolic subject matter: tiger and magpie, peony, lotus, phoenix, letter forms
  • Deliberate disregard of academic perspective and proportion
  • Humor and satire, especially toward the aristocracy
  • Talismanic function: protection, blessings, longevity

Key figures

  • Anonymous artisans (Joseon period) — By definition unsigned; authorship is a defining feature of the tradition

Example works

Sources

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