March 17 - June 21, 2009
Setting the Stage
Neo-Confucianism, the dominant political ideology of the early Joseon society, dictated many aspects of life, including education and familial and social relations. The promotion of Neo-Confucianism and the official suppression of Buddhism also dramatically affected the production of the visual arts.
In general terms, the early Joseon period fostered an environment in which secular art flourished. More specifically, the artists in the court's Bureau of Painting created works directly related to advancing Neo-Confucian ideals: for example, portraits of "meritorious subjects"—political figures who served the goals of the state and the monarch—or painted records of men in government, particularly the Confucian literati. The appeal of white porcelain for the Joseon elite lay in its aesthetic of purity and restrained elegance, which resonated with the ideals of Neo-Confucian teachings.
Though diminished in its official role within the society, Buddhism remained an enduring part of the early Joseon culture. Members of the royal court during this period commissioned important Buddhist art, both for private devotion and public dissemination of the faith.
Portrait of Sin Sukju, 18th century
Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk; 65 3/4 x 43 1/8 in. (167 x 109.5 cm)
Goryeong Sin Family, Yeongseong-gun Branch, Cheongju
An eminent literatus with important publications to his credit, Sin Sukju was also a key political figure of his time, rising to the position of Prime Minister.
Following the conventions of early Joseon portraiture, this painting depicts the sitter in a three-quarter pose facing his right, resplendent in an official robe and an official black silk hat. Particularly eye-catching is the garment's luminous gold-embroidered green rank badge with peacocks. The portrait exhibits a lifelike quality, capturing not only the physical features of this eminent scholar-official but also his character.
It was common practice in the Joseon to make replicas of portraits of important ancestors, particularly meritorious subjects. These portraits, believed to embody the spirit of their subjects, were worshiped in various family shrines (yeongdang), which might belong to different branches of a family.
See an image of the fifteenth-century Portrait of Sin Sukju, which could not travel to the exhibition for conservation reasons, and on which this eighteenth-century example is based.