Womanhood Visualized: Womanhood Visualized: Women in the Visual Arts in Colonial Korea

During the Japanese colonial period Korea underwent rapid modernization. This was not limited to technology, but this applies to ideals around womanhood as well. During this period, multiple conflicting ideologies existed side by side; from the old Neo-Confucian ideals to the radical “New Women;” from the perceived decadence of the “Modern Girl” to the exoticized views of the Japanese colonizer. All these ideas were also present in art, the analysis of women in art therefore invite the comparison of how the women portrayed relate to these different ideals. The reality does not seem to be as clear cut, in most cases, the similarities between the woman portrayed in art, especially in high art, is because the art and the ideals surrounding womanhood are a product of the same society. The exceptions to this are the magazine covers like those of Sinyŏsŏng and Pyŏlgŏngon; in the art of magazine covers there is a clear relation between the types portrayed and those being discussed in the...Show moreDuring the Japanese colonial period Korea underwent rapid modernization. This was not limited to technology, but this applies to ideals around womanhood as well. During this period, multiple conflicting ideologies existed side by side; from the old Neo-Confucian ideals to the radical “New Women;” from the perceived decadence of the “Modern Girl” to the exoticized views of the Japanese colonizer. All these ideas were also present in art, the analysis of women in art therefore invite the comparison of how the women portrayed relate to these different ideals. The reality does not seem to be as clear cut, in most cases, the similarities between the woman portrayed in art, especially in high art, is because the art and the ideals surrounding womanhood are a product of the same society. The exceptions to this are the magazine covers like those of Sinyŏsŏng and Pyŏlgŏngon; in the art of magazine covers there is a clear relation between the types portrayed and those being discussed in the public discourse.Show less

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Womanhood Visualized: Womanhood Visualized: Women in the Visual Arts in Colonial Korea