This article will examine the trends and the characteristics of Korean modern fabric craft, and understand characteristics of Korean embroidery through the art pieces exhibited in Joseon Art Exhibition.
First of all, in order to understand the establ...
This article will examine the trends and the characteristics of Korean modern fabric craft, and understand characteristics of Korean embroidery through the art pieces exhibited in Joseon Art Exhibition.
First of all, in order to understand the establishment and development of modern fabric craft, this article reviewed the modern concept of fabric craft. The word ‘handicraft’ was a term used to describe the collective work of handcraft and hand technique using thread and textile to decorate everyday living space. However, the meaning of the word ‘handicraft’ narrowed down to stand for female embroidery. It is now generally accepted that ‘handicraft’ is gender specific term for ‘craft’. While ‘craft’ was an art form, ‘handicraft’ was considered a domestic form of ‘craft’ entirely for women. This is more evident in the education system. Unlike men’s education, women were taught in ‘handicraft’ to open the venue for a possible financial independence at the same time develop a motherly virtue.
Korean embroidery art is very much affected by Japanese. During the Japanese Meiji age a delicate but brilliant Lin-pa style flourished. Later in Daisho age, it became more abstract and simple. In Showa age, wall-hangings, folding screens, partition walls were embroidered with exotic subjects such as bird, flowers and artifacts.
This article also looked into how Japanese-colonized Joseon has accepted and developed fabric craft. Modern Korea emphasized women’s virtue as a crucial part of the education. Women developed their handcraft skills to art. Such foundation was suggested by Lim Sook-Jae’s “Gongyeron”. He considered ‘craft’ a form of art and placed it somewhere between pure art and industrial production, which was the beginning of the contemporary concept of ‘craft’. Also, it contributed to extension of boundary of fabric craft into art. It becomes more clear with Joseon Art Exhibition. In 1920, artists studying in foreign schools, such as Tokyo Art School and Tokyo Women’s Art School, started to return to Joseon, and in 1932, as Joseon Art Exhibition was established, expressive ‘handicraft’ became part of the mainstream craft art. They were able to become teachers and cultivate their skills to pass on fabric craft to the general public.
Finally, this article also examined around embroidery art to understand the style of Korean fabric craft. Embroidery was used for folding screens and garments in the early Joseon Art Exhibitions. Later, embroidery began to be used in more practical artifacts such as cushions. This was previously never seen even in Japanese embroidery, and the experts emphasized that this is a unique characteristic of Korean craft in which art and daily lives meet. Most importantly, since 1935, Japan’s Linpa style drawings were beginning to be embroidered. Stitch techniques that can show contrast and perspectives allowed realistic presentation. As twisted threads changed to floss threads, it was possible to create shades and colors between different primary colors, which enabled picturesque expressions, and Korea received both European and Japanese traditional stitch techniques resulting in unlimited variety of techniques were possible.
This paper will examine the trends and characteristics of modern Korean fabric craft, and study the style of fabric craft through Joseon Art Exhibition.