한국 근대서예 연구(4) - 1920년대 후반기의 서예(1925-1928) -

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the reality of Korean modern calligraphy during the late 1920s, when Japan announced the self-governing system of Joseon and identified its problems. In the mid-1920s, the Self-Governing movement was not dissimilar from the Ability Fostering movement, which was buried in compromise with Japan's colonial rule policy. The ultimate goal of the organization was also independence. However, since it was based on the premise that immediate independence was impossible due to the lack of abilities of our people, in reality, it meant suspending the independence movement and lowering the level of the national movement to the level of self-governance. Lee Hanbok viewed calligraphy and the Four Gracious Plant Paintings as the arts of amateurs and argued for their exclusion from the Joseon Art Exhibition. This showed his intention to blatantly Japanize even the field of art, which should be pure. Such an argument came from an idea that looked down on the nation’s traditional art. On the other hand, O Sechang took the lead in valuing and preserving the nation’s unique traditional art. Geunyeokseohwajing, the fruition of his modern empirical art history, became the foundation for the study of Korean calligraphy and painting history, and the method he advocated for dividing the Joseon Dynasty is still considered influential. Even under the Second Joseon Education Ordinance, Japanese Empire’s racially discriminatory education did not change at all. The number of Korean language studies was limited, and they allocated class time for learning Korean to Chinese characters classes to make the people devoted to learning Japanese. After the March 1st Independence Movement, there seemed to be some modifications to the colonial education policy, but rather, assimilationist education was strengthened. In the 1920s, there were a good deal of calligraphy education institutions in the provinces under the name of Calligraphy and Painting Academy or Poetry Calligraphy and Painting Academy. Judging from the name of the academy, it would have been a form of teaching the Four Gracious Plant Paintings and ink painting with an emphasis on calligraphy. As the Calligraphy and Painting Association exhibition continued, the members’ attitudes toward their association exhibition and the Joseon Art Exhibition contrasted in many ways, and so did the media’s attitude. The trend of works also failed to keep up with the national consciousness and the consciousness of the times. The Joseon Art Exhibition prospered year after year, and media coverage did not miss even a single detail. The argument for the abolition of the part of calligraphy and the Four Gracious Plant paintings, in which the Joseon people were superior in many aspects, came from the mouths of the Joseon people. This claim to spread into a debate between professional painters and amateur artists and even gave rise to arguments disparaging young and female artists. Also, during this period, the theory of the abolition of the part of calligraphy and the Four Gracious Plant paintings moved from a debate about artistry to a debate about the era and nationality of art. I hope this study will help people understand Korean modern calligraphy during the self-governing movement in the late 1920s. It also serves as a reminder for Korean calligraphy, which is currently lacking direction, to find its way forward.