Exhibition | Botanical Garden

Downstairs, We Exhibit Korean Minhwa (민화, "Paintings of the People") around 60 Paintings during this Summer.

Rates

Free Entry

Hours

Every Saturday and Sunday, and National Holidays from 7:30 AM till 4:00 pm

"A Woman after Bath"

"Dancing with JangKu"

Minhwa and its history

We plan to exhibit Minhwa in the 1st floor of the Club House.

Minhwa literally means "painting of the people" or "popular painting". This type of painting was often the work of anonymous craftsmen who faithfully adhered to the styles, canons and genres inherited from the past. Minhwa also involved a magical dimension. They were believed to possess beneficial virtues and to protect the owner and his family from evil forces. They feature popular themes such as cranes, rocks, water, clouds, the sun, moon, pine-trees, tortoises, insects and flowers.

“Minhwa is a traditional art form that was intimately connected to the lives of the Korean people, so it best embodies the Korean sentiment”.

Minhwa began being used in palaces by royal court painters before anonymous artists adopted and dispersed their art to the populace to convey messages, ward away evil spirits, and wish for good things to happen. Minhwa art developed into its present form in the seventeenth century. The artists were common people who went from place to place, often following festivals, where they would paint for the locals, fulfilling their commissions on the spot. The artists are mostly unknown commoners of the low and middle class and some were traveling visitors usually attending festivals who followed trends in fine art to develop the crude minhwa style artwork that expressed its emotions using symbolism, optimism, humor, and satire. Important stages in life were also marked by the painting of a minhwa picture. Both common people and nobles would commission these artists.

The paintings worked on a number of levels. They show figures from folk mythology and legends, symbols of happiness, wealth and health, and scenes of everyday life. The most common figures were animals that represented power, such as the tiger, or providential circumstances, such as carp, which represent success. The paintings were done on paper and on canvas.

Minhwa was hanged by the front door to bring about happiness and luck.

Minhwa is still around, but can mostly be seen at museums, as street art in older neighborhoods, and crafts. It is seen on the hanbok, folding screens, tee shirts, car stickers, dishes, fans, and more. Minwha’s simplistic, yet brilliant style and unconventionality combined with bold colors make it aesthetically important and a strong expression of the daily lives of Koreans. The combined wit, humor, happiness, informality, exaggerations similar to caricatures, and freedom of expression aligns even with contemporary art pieces to exhibit an understanding of Korean culture.

"Tale of Classes"

"Swans in May"

"Passing Waves"