The First Sinseonhoe Photography Exhibition, Leaflet, 1957. Image provided by Museum Hanmi
Sinseonhoe
* Source: Multilingual Glossary of Korean Art. Korea Arts Management Service
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Lee Hyungrok
Lee Hyungrok(1917-2011) is a renowned artist in the history of modern and contemporary Korean photography. Born in Gangneung, Gangwon-do Province, Lee graduated from Gangneung Agricultural High School. After graduation, he learned photography at a photo studio (which also served as a shop selling hardware related to photography) in Gangneung run by his eldest brother Lee Sangrok. In the mid-1930s, he joined the Gangneung Sauhoe, a photography club, and began to fully engage in photography. The Gangneung Sauhoe is an amateur photographer group organized by Limb Eungsik, a photographer who moved from Busan to Gangneung at the time. In 1937, Lee along with Lim and ten other members of the Gangneung Sauhoe prepared about fifty photographs and held the inaugural exhibition of the Gangneung Sauhoe. From 1937 onward, he repeatedly won honorable mentions at the Joseon Photography Exhibition [Joseon sajin jeollamhoe], a contest hosted by the Joseon Federation of Photography [Jeon joseon sajin yeonmaeng], establishing himself as an amateur photographer. After Korea’s liberation from Japan and the Korean War, he departed from the trend of salon or painterly photography and advocated for realistic photography that highlighted snapshots, recordability, and a documentary approach. Particularly in the 1950s and 1960s, Lee captured fatigued lives of ordinary people in the city and its outskirts in warm black-and-white language by photographing shoemakers, fishermen, street vendors, and children on the streets. He contributed to the development of Korean photography culture by advancing realist photography and exploring new modes of expression for modern photography, while forming photography groups and training the younger generation after Korea’s liberation. In particular, he played a leading role in the founding and activities of photography organizations in the 1950s and 1960s, including Sinseonhoe (established in 1956), Salon Ars (established in 1959), and the Modern Photography Society [Hyeondae sajin yeonguhoe] (established in 1960).
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Salon Ars
A photography group established in 1960. The group received attention after the first exhibition was held in 1961. Former members of the Shinseonhoe participated in the group, including Lee Hyungrok, Chung Bumtai, Lee Sanggyu, Kim Yeolsu, Shin Seokhan, and Kim Haeng-o. The group sought to retain the interest in realism espoused by the Shinseonhoe, while improving upon the lack of formativeness and creativity that the group was criticized for. To this end, in their photographic images, the group emphasized the contrast between light and dark and layouts that emphasized formativeness and simplistic placement of objects. Salon Ars disbanded after their inaugural exhibition, however, its membership remained active as part of the Modern Photography Society.
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Korean Photographers Group
The Korean Photographers Group [Hanguk sajin jakgadan] is a Korean photography agency founded in January 1957 with the international photo news agency Magnum Photos as its model. It was established by seven photographers: Choi Kyebok as the leading member alongside Seong Dugyeong, Lee Geon-jung, Lee Gyeongmo, Jeong Doseon, Jeong Huiseop, and Cho Myeongwon. All of them created photos both to sell and as artistic creations, and they specialized in promotional photos for promoting the Syngman Rhee government’s tourism and cultural heritage policies in the 1950s. In particular, Korea Old and New and Pictorial Korea, which were published for international publicity through the commission by the Office of Public Information, contained photographs of temples, historic ruins, tourist destinations, and rapidly transforming cities after the Korean War, all of which were provided by the Korean Photographers Group. The Korean Photographers Group pursued creative activities together by holding four members’ exhibitions, and each member built his or her oeuvre as an individual photographer. The second members exhibition held in 1957 at the Korean Information Service was themed around photographs of historic sites and scenic spots. The third one held in the same year at Donghwa Gallery was themed around tourism photos.
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Modern Photography Society
The Modern Photography Society was formed by young photographers in their 20s and 30s in 1960. Its establishment was led by Lee Hyungrok of Salon Ars. The group was formed to produce photographers and provide a foundation for the membership of Salon Ars. Its instructors included Lee Hyungrok, Chung Bumtai, Kim Haeng-o, and Lee Sanggyu. The members were active in the field for a set period, and if their work was recognized, they became eligible to join Salon Ars. This method had significant implications in that it helped to produce professional photographers in an era that lacked a relevant public education system. In August 1964, the group first published the periodical Saan, which shared the current activities of its membership. The membership also published individual research on photography, sharing information on the discipline. The periodical was discontinued following its 10th issue in 1966.
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