hangukhwa
A type of painting created during the 20th century that uses traditional Korean materials, techniques, and styles. The term emerged from the criticism that traditional-style paintings were called Eastern paintings in Korea, in contrast to China, where they were called national-style paintings, and Japan, where they were called Japanese-style paintings. The term hangukhwa (Korean Painting) entered official use following the overhaul of the educational curriculum in December 1981, and the appearance of the term Korean painting, with the subcategories ink wash painting [sumukhwa] and ink and light-colored painting [damchaehwa] were listed in art textbooks from 1983. The Grand Art Exhibition of Korea also began using the term hangukhwa (Korean Painting), as opposed to Eastern painting, in 1982. Prior to this, Hankukhwahui (Korean Painter’s Association) was used as a collective term for such Korean painters in 1964 and Kim Youngki (pen name Chunggang) argued to use the term Korean painting to define national identity in his essay “On hangukhwa (Korean Painting) and Criticism.” Criticism that Korean paintings, unlike the national paintings of China and Japan, do not have a narrative theme, and that the use of such a term was contrary to contemporary artistic trends, resulted in the term “hangukhwa (Korean Painting)” failing to achieve mainstream use. Hangukhwa (Korean Painting) is currently used interchangeably with the term Eastern painting.
Great Korean Art Association
An art association that formed in 1948, when the Korean Art Association [Joseon misul hyeophoe], which was established in 1945, reformed in parallel with the establishment of the new Korean government. Following independence, the organization reformed and expanded primarily to foster solidarity and anti-communist sentiment in artists, and held the inaugural Great Korean Art Association Exhibition. In June 1961, the association closed officially with the government's comprehensive art institute reformation policy, and in December that year, the association merged into the Korean Fine Arts Association [Hanguk misul hyeopoe].
Chosun University
A private university located in Seoseok-dong, Dong-gu in Gwangju, Chosun University was founded in 1946 as Gwangju Night University to train local talents who could contribute to the establishment of a nation-state. From the early years of its founding, an art department was installed in the College of Arts and Literature to start art education, and in 1948 the institution was renamed Chosun University. In 1953, the art department came to be affiliated with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and in the following year the art department was divided into the Department of Fine arts and the Department of Music. Later, new departments were installed not only covering fine arts but also industrial arts, thus encompassing painting, sculpture, applied arts, and industrial design. In 2000, the animation department was established, and in 2010, the Department of Design Engineering was installed. Since the early years of contemporary art after Korea’s liberation from Japan, Chosun University has served as an educational institute that contributed to the development of art culture in the Jeollanam-do provincial region.