조선 최초의 방계 혈통 국왕, 선조(宣祖)와 그림 속 주인공이 된 여성과 하층민 ―풍속화 이해를 위한 시론

Abstract

This paper explores the context behind how women and the lower class in Joseon society were newly portrayed at a time when only the dignitaries were depicted as the main characters of a painting. In Joseon society, people of lower classes like ginyeo (courtesans) and chamberlains were mainly drawn as subsidiary figures in part of the ceremonies of the ruling class. However, during King Seonjo’s reign (1567-1608) they received unprecedented spotlight in several paintings. In reference to such change in pictorial representations, this paper focuses on two events during King Seonjo’s reign, the start of faction politics in 1575 and the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592, that fundamentally transformed the Joseon society. The gist of this paper stems from the drastic change in how the focus of the lower class in paintings was magnified and how the change intertwined with King Seonjo’s collateral lineage. The ginyeo and chamberlains, who historically had negligible presence in most paintings with only their backs drawn, came to have the main presence in the painting Gathering of High- Ranking Senior Officials dated 1584 when paintings of high-ranking officials had strong prevalence. This was not something that could be attributed to coincidence or natural occurrence with time, a point that this paper aims to shed light on. During King Seonjo’s reign right after the Japanese invasion of Korea, women became the central figures of the painting Banquet Hosted by High- Ranking Officials in Honor of Their Old Mothers amidst great social attention. This was another facet that alluded to something in connection with King Seonjo’s political intent to ameliorate the dishonored reputation of the upper class during the Japanese Invasion of Korea. In the painting of the banquet sponsored by King Seonjo, grooms and servants were depicted as important figures along with ordinary people for they played a key role as onlookers in spreading favorable stories. It is also worthwhile to note that King Seonjo ennobled the grooms, granting their own portraits in 1604. Such appointment of meritorious subjects to the grooms was an unprecedented event that came as a shock to many scholar officials at the time, triggering a change in view of the people from lower social classes. This paper aims to prove that the atypical portrayal of women and the lower class during King Seonjo’s reign came as a response to his political crisis and from his particular empathy as the first King of collateral bloodline. The paper also explores the effects that such emergence of change in paintings had on creating a new perception of the lower class and on the appearance of genre painting.