Joseon nature paintings on display at Kansong Art Museum

The Kansong Art Museum opened its doors to the public for its biannual exhibition on Sunday, October 17, for an exhibition of paintings of flowers, animals, and birds. The museum will remain open for two weeks, until Oct. 31.

Nestled in a quiet residential area in Seongbuk-dong, the Kansong Museum is one of the most unique and oldest museums in Korea. It opens only for two weeks in May and two weeks in October each year, during which time hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to the colonial-era building to catch a glimpse of some of Korea’s most rare and treasured artworks.

The museum was founded by Jeon Hyeong-pil in 1939 to house his growing collection of treasures. Motivated by the urge to keep important works of art in Korea during the colonial period, much of Jeon’s family fortune went towards collecting masterpieces of painting, sculpture, calligraphy, printmaking, and ceramic work.

Some the museum’s more famous pieces include Shin Yun-bok’s “Portrait of a Beauty (Miindo)” and National Treasure 68, a Goryeo celadon vase inlaid with cranes. The only surviving original copy of King Sejong’s "Hunminjeongeum (proper sounds to teach people)" that remains in South Korea today is also housed at the museum.

The grounds of the museum hold as many delights as the building itself, with a variety of stone statues and pagodas dating from as far back as the Goryeo period. There is also a small menagerie of animals, including white peafowl, and the charming gardens help set off the white stucco of the colonial building.

The collection on display to the public changes seasonally. This fall, the exhibit focuses on paintings of flora and fauna, while past exhibitions have showcased landscape paintings, calligraphy, and celadon. Other exhibitions have focused on individual artists and their works, including Shin Yun-bok.

The current exhibition is an exciting mix of the elegant and the charming. Kim Hong-do’s graceful “Ha Hwa Cheong Jeong (Lotus flower and dragonflies)” can be found in the upstairs gallery, while a tiger scroll by Kim Hong-re prowls downstairs. Meanwhile, several of Joseon-era painter Byeon Sang-byeok’s beloved cats cavort under chrysanthemum flowers in “Guk Jeong Chu Myo.”

The exhibition also includes a number of pieces attributed to one of Korea’s most famous female artists, Shin Saimdang. Featured on the 50,000 won note, Shin was famous even during her lifetime for her sensitive paintings, many of which depict flowers and animals. Shin remains a rare example of a publicly-hailed female artist of the Joseon era, and her works of painting and calligraphy continue to be admired today.

The Kansong Museum is located on Seongbukdong-gil, near Hansong University Station (subway line 4). Visitors are welcome daily between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. during the run of the exhibition, and admission is free.

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दक्षिण कोरिया ने हाल ही में एक अत्यंत महत्वपूर्ण राष्ट्रपति चुनाव के माध्यम से अपने लोकतांत्रिक विकास की एक निर्णायक दहलीज़ पार की है। यह चुनाव केवल राजनीतिक दलों या व्यक्तित्वों के बीच की टक्कर नहीं था , बल्कि यह शासन , जवाबदेही और राष्ट्र के भविष्य को लेकर व्यापक जनचिंताओं का सजीव प्रतिबिंब बन गया—जिसने पूरे देश में मीडिया सुर्खियों और जनचर्चा को गहराई से प्रभावित किया। हालांकि कुछ दक्षिणपंथी विपक्षी नेताओं ने चुनाव में अनियमितताओं का शोर मचाया , लेकिन इन आरोपों को न तो जनता ने गंभीरता से लिया और न ही मीडिया ने। आधिकारिक परिणाम एक स्पष्ट और निर्विवाद जनादेश के रूप में सामने आए , जो दक्षिण कोरिया के जागरूक और संलग्न मतदाताओं की स्पष्ट इच्छा को दर्शाते हैं। डेमोक्रेटिक पार्टी के ली जे-मयोंग ने एक सूक्ष्म रूप से रणनीतिक और समावेशी चुनाव अभियान चलाया , जिसका उद्देश्य राजनीतिक ध्रुवीकरण को पाटना था। उन्होंने केवल पार्टी के परंपरागत समर्थकों को ही नहीं , बल्कि उन मध्यपंथी और उदार दक्षिणपंथी मतदाताओं को भी संबोधित किया , जो बढ़ती राजनीतिक कट्टरता से थक चुके थे। उनका चुनाव...

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