조희룡의 예술론 연구

Abstract

A Study on the theory of art in Cho Hee-Ryong

Kim, Man-Sun Advisor : Prof. Cho, Song-Sik, Ph.D. Department of Aesthetics and Art History Graduate School of Chosun University

This paper is to study works of Cho Hee-Ryong(1789-1866) who led a group of painters in the literary artist's style of the late Joseon Dynasty era. The reason to focus on Cho Hee-Ryong's works is because he did not follow the flow of the time while Joseon faced great social and political changes and while he suffered from the pain of being exiled. He emphasized originality instead of following the flow and made himself an excellent example as an artist with personality. Main text of the paper is 6 volumes of the Complete Works of Cho Hee-Ryong published by Hangil Art in 1998. Cho Hee-Ryong was born in Yangjoo, Gyeonggi Province in 1789, and died in 1866 at the age of 77. He actively interacted with the middle class. With his friend Yoo Choi-Jin, he formed 'Byuk-Oh-Si-Sa(碧梧詩社)' and shared friendships through poems and paintings. Culture and art of the time was motivated by scholarship and culture of the Qing Dynasty. Study and culture developed with Kim Jung-Hee in the center, the Enlightenment Thought grew, gap between different social classes narrowed, and commoners' literature prospered. There are different opinions on if Cho Hee-Ryong were one of disciples of Kim Jung-Hee who was the leader of culture at the time. However, considering researches done so far, Cho Hee-Ryong could have greatly affected by Kim Jung-Hee due to difference in their social classes. The most important ideas of Cho Hee-Ryong's works are 'Amusement(遊戱論)' and 'Handicraft(手藝論).' Center of his poems, writings, and paintings is in pursuit of 'amusement,' 'play and have fun.' He emphasized handicraft that focuses on painter's skill than painter's ideology. It seems that development of Cho Hee-Ryong's own artistic opinion was based on realization of his social rank as a commoner. Artists who appear in Cho Hee-Ryong's book, Ho-San-Oe-Gi(壺山外記) are mostly commoners. In pattern of their behavior, criticism on the social class is embedded. Due to criticism based on self-realization of his social class, he did not stop at imitating works of the upper class, but built his own world of art. Cho Hee-Ryong's view on understanding poems stood with unity of poem and painting(詩畵一致). He especially focused on putting painting in the poem. By seeking pictorial image in poems, he escaped from political ideology criticizing the system, and pursued free and pure art. Cho Hee-Ryong used poetic concept to voice his opinion on paintings. He added comprehensive and detailed thoughts based on theory of Namjong literary artist's style formed in late Ming Dynasty. His Mooklando, ink painting of orchid, was affected by Kim Jung-Hee, but he did not insist on technique of the time. His drawings of bamboo were finished in a place of exile. Cho Hee-Ryong admitted his bamboo drawings were influenced by Jung Pan-Gyo, but still adhered to his own style saying that 'at the end, it is just my way.' He loved plum blossom very much and drew many pieces of it. Under influence of plum blossom drawings from the Qing Dynasty, he changed composition and developed calligraphic and glamorous style with his own touch. He was a commoner. Still he opened his own world of art by reinterpretation of Chinese Namjong Paintings using Joseon's sentiment and artistic sense. Especially, he did not stop at absorbing Kim Jung-Hee's influence. He created his own works with his own theory. The most important years of his life as an artist were 3 years of exile. He was exiled to Imjado at the age of 63. The exile gave him a great deal of shock, but it worked as a chance to mature his work. Lessons that can be learnt from Cho Hee-Ryong's work are as following. First, he stressed creativity and sensitivity of an artist while fully understanding the tradition. He also emphasized 'amusement' that let an artist freely express his emotion in work, and 'handicraft' that highlights skill of an artist. Second, he also created painting in the literary artist's style as an independent area of art. Before Cho Hee-Ryong, it was considered as leisure for a nobleman. Third, he emphasized originality of art. It is a part that stands out in Cho Hee-Ryong's work. He opened his original world of art with spirit of 'never follow other's foot step(不肯車後).' This study shows that Cho Hee-Ryong's art world is in context of traditional literary artist's style. But it is different from current of the time and the difference came from his experience of exile. Cho Hee-Ryong's work that inherited tradition of literary artist's style, took unique characteristic of the time independently, and created with his own personality provides modern culture and art with great lessons.