«Gathering Painting» Kyehoedo as a Historical Source and Work of Art

Abstract

In the article, the author explores the phenomenon of «Gathering Painting» kyehoedo in Korean traditional painting of the Chosŏn era (1392–1910). Within the genre of «Documentary Painting» kirokhwa, «Gathering Painting» has developed over the centuries as an independent artistic form, which had memorial significance and conveyed the intellectual and spiritual searches of Confucian scholars within the framework of a national corporate culture. Being a product of historical memory, kyehoedo painting reflected the socio-political context, showed certain forms of Korean everyday culture, described and explained the development of individual social groups. The work analyses the source of kyehoe meetings of Confucian scholars that originate from the ancient associations of community members of the pre-state period. Over time, gatherings of intellectuals became an indispensable part of the life of an official in Korea, being one of the types of social relations within the bureaucratic elite, and a means of close ties intensification. The evolution of the meetings of intellectuals reflected their gradual institutionalization as a result of the strengthening of the neo-Confucianism positions in Korean society, which strived for definition and hierarchy not only in the structure of the state apparatus, but also in interpersonal relations. The author traces changes in the composition and technique of kyehoedo paintings from idyllic landscapes, made in ink, to bright and detailed everyday scenes, and concludes that historical processes naturally led to transformation of typical plots and revision of aesthetic values of Korean officials, which mirrored their cultural needs and aspirations.

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