THE INFLUENCE OF KOREAN ART, IDEAS AND AESTHETICS ON ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM JUNG GYUN CHAE M. HISTORY OF ART SEPTEMBER 2013 UNIVERSITY OF YORK １ ２ ABSTRACT I explored how Jackson Pollock approached Asian arts through his own practice and argued what are specifically Korean elements in his work, in order to excavate the relationship between Korean aesthetics and American painting in the middle of the twentieth century. When examining his paintings, I found the Korean features in his paintings, Red Painting series, exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum, 2009 and had been visible in his drawings in the 1940s. The route of Korean art work to America between the late 19th and the early 20th centuries will be examined first.
How Americans reacted to Korean art discussed by reviewing the publication of Korean art in major museums, which led to the public collecting of Eastern pieces of art. What is Korean aesthetic and how it is different form Chinese and Japanese aesthetics is a crucial point in order to identify Korean characteristic in Pollock’s work. Through more realistic approaches, the study of the literatures, magazines, letters and Iconographic analysis, I would like to rediscover the fresh Asian characteristic and restore Korean identity to Abstract Expressionism in the historical and ethnological context. Pollock’s library catalogue suggests that his interest in Asian culture continued until the 1950s.
Iconographic analysis will compare Pollock’s work to illustrations with the text in Culin’s study, Korean Games and the American Indian Games. Culin was a representative Indian ethnologist who was deeply interested in Taegeuk ideas in America at that time. He tried to find the link between American Indian and Korean cultures and considered Korean artifacts ethnologically important. Examination of the ethnological studies between America and East Asia will suggest why Pollock was affected by Korean folk art and Buddhist art.
Pollock knew how Surrealists and Jungian therapists worked with psychic automatism but a painting of Jung’s patient displayed her literary experience as Jung observed that she read Legge’s translation in the Sacred Books of the East series and put the I Ching hexagrams from the content into the panting. Therefore, Pollock’s Taegeuk ３ drawing, I Ching hexagrams and his unconscious could be explored by Culin’s ethnological theory with relevant North East Asian ideas. His work displayed that he might have turned his eyes from Western ideas and arts to Asian ideas and arts. John Graham, a very significant critic in Abstract Expressionism, also denoted Korean art in his book, System and Dialectics of Art (1937).
It would be possible that John Graham introduced Picasso’s primitive art element to Jackson Pollock and all of them were interested in Asian ideas and arts. Secret Images: Picasso and the Japanese Erotic Print, published in 2010, shows his interest in Asian characteristics. The writer found while researching Greenberg’s limitations that his idea was unconcerned about Asian art and idea, and lacked an understanding of them. After the Cold War, in contradiction of his claims, Asian Influence is accepted on American Art and European avant-garde.
Those things as multi-viewpoints, shapes of cube, colors, and arrangement of the state of weightlessness seen in Picaso's works are very similar to the characteristics of Korean traditional folk paintings. It is known that Pollock had derived many influences from Picaso's works. This thesis means to suggest that the Asian characteristics seen in Piccaso's works had come to Pollock. It could be said that there should be more researches on the Asian characteristics seen in Picaso’s works to understand Pollock's works better.
During the Cold War, the strong political interference produced distortion and deception in art. The classical example of this practice was the active involvement of the CIA in promoting “the American way” in order to counter the menace and spread of Marxism in Far East Asia. CIA used Abstract Expressionism in order to advance so-called American style capitalism. This is the reason why the role of Asian idea and art was not fully discussed in this area.
Therefore, it can be said that Korean art and idea was also disregarded by international relationship during Cold War.3 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS………………………………………………………. ENCOUNTER OF KOREAN ART WITH AMERICA…………. JACKSON POLLOCK’S CONTEMPLATION OF KOREA……………. POLLOCK’S WORK IN CONNECTION WITH KOREAN BUDDHIST, FOLK ART AND INKPAINTING………………………….
HISTORY OF DISTORTION AND MISUNDERSTANDING……. PRIMARY SOURCHES: UNPUBLISHED………………………. PRIMARY SOURCES: PUBLISHED………………….203 ５ LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1. Korean Pavilion in the Columbian Exposition in Chicago, 18931 2.
Korean Mortuary Pottery, Goryeo period (918-1392), lent by Russell Tyson2 (2) Chinese Pottery of the Tang Period (618-906), lent by L. Wine Jug, Goryeo Dynasty (930-1932), Metropolitan Museum, New York. Korean Trinity, 15th Century, Cleveland Museum, Bronze with traces of gliding, h:40. The New York Times (June 18, 1915) 6.
Sepulsonjabi hangari (a jar with ox horn shaped hangers), Horim Museum, Seoul. (1) Korean Three Kingdom Period (1 A.8cm (2) Korean Three Kingdoms Period (2 A. Metropolitan Museum, New York. (1) Tang ware, Chinese Tang dynasty, H.
(2) Lung-chan ware, Sung dynasty. (3) Goryeo grey-green celadon, Goryeo dynasty. 7in (4) Goryeo white ware, H. Tang ware, Metropolitan Museum, New York.
Guanyin Seated on a Lotus Throne, 15th century, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Ink on silk, 24 ½ x 27 1/2 ins. Brahma with Attendants and Musicians, 16th century (Joseon dynasty, 1392–1910), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Ink and color on hemp, 84 1/2 x 88 1/2 ins.
Suwolgauneum (Water-Moon Avalokiteshvara), early 14th century (Goryeo dynasty, 918-1392), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Ink and colour on silk, 45 1/16 x 21 7/8 ins. Korean, Korai Period, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.(2) Unknown artist, Wine Pot (Glazed in White), Goryeo dynasty (918-1392), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Goryeo Pottery, Goryeo period (930-1932) Metropolitan Museum, New York.
(1) Vase with Inlaid Decoration (2) Celadon Vase (3) Covered Sweetmeat Box (4) White Wine-Ewer Ting Type 14. Portrait of a lady, the 17 Century, Painting on paper. Private collection, Wright Ludington 15. End of the Neolithic or the start of the Bronze Age (4000- 1000 BC).
200 x 800 cm, Ulju, Korea. Figure of Nahan (Arhat), Goryeo celadon with underglaze iron- brown painting. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.6 x 7 cm (2) Human Face on the Bangudae Petroglyphs 17. (1) Ando Hiroshige, Rain Shower on Ohashi Bridge, 19th c.
Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland. Color woodblock print, 13 7/8 x 9 1/8 ins.(2) Xu Yang, The Qianlong Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll Six: Entering Suzhou and the Grand Canal, c. 1770, Metropolitan Museum, New York. Handscroll; ink and color on silk, 27 1/8 x 784 1/2 ins.
Flowers and Auspicious Symbols (Hwahwe-do), late 19th c. colour on paper, Smithsonian Institution, Washington. A sample of the methods of Japanese military autocracy in dealing with loyal Koreans6 20. Taegeuk flag on the book cover of Korean Tales by Horace N.
Untitled drawing (JP-CR3:521v), 1939-40, Collection of the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence. Red and oange pencil and pencil on paper, 36 x 28 cm. Untitled drawing (JP-CR 3:521r) 1939-40 Collection of the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence. Red and oange pencil and pencil on paper, 36 x 28 cm.
Untitled Drawing (JP-CR:556), 1939-40, The Pollock-Krasner Foundation/ARS, New York. Pencil and charcoal pencil on paper, 13x20cm. Untitled, 1939-40, Formerly in the Collection of Marisa del Re Gallery, New York. © 2008 Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Coloured pencil on paper, 15 x 11 ins. Untitled (JP-CR 3:537r), 1939-40, Collection of Andrea and Glen Urban, Boston. Pencil on paper, 38 x 28 ins. Jackson Pollock, Untitled, 1938-41, Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Coloured pencils and graphite on paper, 362 x 254mm 28. Kyu (圭), ceremonial sceptres carried by nobles in ancient Korea8 29. Untitled, 1938-39, Pollock-Krasner Foundation/ Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Colored Pencil/Paper, 9.
Untitled drawing (JP-CR 3:521r), 1939-40, Collection of the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Pencil on paper, 36 x 28 cm. Untitled, 1946, Peter Blum Gallery, New York. Ink and watercolor on paper, 40 x 30. Jackson Pollock, Male and Female, 1942, Collection of Philadelphia Museum of Art, Oil on canvas, 1861 x 1243 mm.
Sets of numbers on cards: meanings and marks for Hō-hpae (below) and O-koan or Five gateways (above) from Stewart Culin. Korean Games, Philadelphia, 1895. Untitled drawing, JP-CR 3:520r. Photograph courtesy Nielsen Gallery, Boston.
Pencil on paper, 36 x 28cms. Untitled, 1939-42, Courtesy Jason McCoy Gallery, Inc. Blue ink on paper, 13 1/8” x 361/4”. Untitled [Red Painting 1-7], circa 1950, The Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artist Right Society, New York.
Oil on canvas in six parts, and enamel on canvas, smallest 50. Comparison between Red Painting 1 (left) and Unknown artist. Hyo Je Do, 19th century, Korean National Museum, Seoul. Ink on paper (right) 39.
Triple-faced man riding a horse, painted on wood, 36cmx24.6cm, late 19th ~ early 20th century 40. Moonbangdo 문방도 [Painting of Books and Stationary] Late 19th century 53cm x 33.5cm, colour on paper 41. American Indian toys shown by Reuben Kadish in 1987 documentary (directed by Kim Evans) 7 Culin, 1895, 74. Ceremonial Pottery Vase.
Grave in Southeaswtern Missouri, Museum of Archaeology, Univ. An Illustration of “Oni-Dako [Devil Kite]” in Korean Games11 44. Amit'a (Amitabha) with Six Bodhisattvas and Two Arhats, 19th century (Joseon Dynasty), Brooklyn Museum, LA. Ink and colours on silk, 31 3/4 x 35 ¼ ins.
Bird, 1938-41, The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Oil and sand on canvas, 27 3/4 x 24 1/4 ins. Perfect enlightenment Sutra illustration, late 13th–early 14th century, Museum of Fine Art, Boston. Colors on silk, 65 3/16 x 33 11/16 ins (Overall: 94 1/2 x 42 1/8 x 2 in) 47.1938-41, Robert Miller Gallery, New York.
Oil on plywood, 50 x 24 ins. The Moon-Woman Cuts the Circle, 1943, Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva with Water and Moon, late 18th century, Museum of Fine Art, Boston. Ink and colours on silk, 53 9/16 x 47 5/8 ins, (b) Part-enlarged diamonds pattern 50.
Buddha of medicine and attendants, late 16th century, Museum of Fine Art, Boston. Colors on silk, 48 7/16 x 50 3/16 in.1938-41, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Fort Worth. Oil on canvas, 40 x 24 ins. The left part of The Buddha of medicine and attendants 53.
Birth, 1941, Tate Gallery, London. oil on canvas, 45 13/16 x 21 11/16 ins. The right part of The Buddha of medicine and attendants. ９ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS All this glory is for my mother, Cho Sun-Ja, my father, Chae Byeong-Hwa and my loving wife Kang Hye-Jeong.
I am very appreciative of my supervisors Sarah Turner and Michael White who has been with me from start to finish of my thesis. Thanks to my professors in KNU in S. Park Nam-Hee, Oh Hae-Chang and Pf. Lee Dong-Jin who always encourage me to work on.
I would also like to thank the following people for helping me: Pastor Mike Harris, Justine Kruger and my friends Kim Jeong-Hee, Benjamin, Nina, Silvi and Alice. Thanks to the Lord who has given me a new life. 10 DECLARATION I declare that the work in the thesis is my own has not been submitted for examination at this or any other institution for another award. No person is allowed to use any part of the thesis witout permission from the author.
11 INTRODUCTION When Alexandra Munroe, the curator of the 2009 exhibition, The Third Mind, discussed “the use of Asian art and thought” in American modernism she clarified in the catalogue that Japanese art and Zen “dominated in part because America’s political and economic ties with Japan were historically stronger than those with China or India, the other prime source nations”.