Paintings drawn with various objects as the theme of books in the late Joseon Dynasty are called Chaekgeori paintings, and among them, paintings containing books are called Chaekgado. This study analyzes the development process by presenting specific works through the formative classification of Chaekgeori paintings in the late Joseon Dynasty. It analyzes the symbolism of the material, composition, color, and pattern that make up the Chaekgeori paintings.
In particular, this study will classify the types of objects that make up the Chaekgeori paintings and describe the inherent symbolism. This will reveal the traditional values of Chaekgeori paintings and re-examine Caeckgeori paintings with timeless modern aesthetics.
The period when Chaekgeori paintings were popular was from the end of the 18th century to the 19th century, corresponding to the late Joseon Dynasty. This period was led by strict painting methods against the traditional Confucian background based on Neo-Confucianism in the early Joseon Dynasty, and a new view of painting was established due to the influx of practical studies, changes in ideas, and economic development. As the upper class's tendency to love painting and the trend of wishing for good fortune went on to the common people, it became undulating and low-level. These paintings were developed in various ways due to the trend of true landscape painting, a Chinese painting of the Southern school,, genre paintings, and Western drawing technque.
Early Chaekgeori paintings were produced and consumed for the upper class who had high-quality hobbies and paintings were based on a new style of painting along with educational purposes. Painters with the best skills of the time participated in the production of the work, and their works showed high-quality skills of theirs.
Chaekgado were mainly drawn with bookshelf and also consist not only books but also items that show Western luxury, leisure life of the West, and cherished items of scholars such as writing brush, inkstick, inkstone, and korean drawing paper. It is large and magnificent, and its description is sophisticated and excellent. Since then, the Chaekgeori paintings that led to private houses have expanded and reproduced to the newly rich and poor who wanted to emulate and respect the upper-class culture. Reproduction was not just an imitation, but a change in compositional form and diversity of materials.
In particular, it gives the people's original wishes and symbolism through materials, and becomes a material that allows them to read the overall appearance of life according to social changes.
The Chaekgeori paintings examined in this paper went through the process of transitioning to popular culture through the subjective acceptance of foreign culture. In addition, the morphological diversity and inherent symbolism created during the diffusion process were analyzed and described.
The expressive styles and techniques of early Chaekgeori paintings were accepted from the outside world, but this was newly and independently recreated on the basis of tradition through subjective acceptance. Since then, it has spread to the public, and it is safe to say that the establishment of independent formativeness through free compositional forms and expression methods of the paintings is as fine as today's paintings.
The objects of fresh materials are the most Korean, the vivid colors accentuate our aesthetic sense, and the unique perspective supports the excellence of the work. The diversity and novel aesthetic sense of Chaekgeori paintings is not just simply trying to love our paintings but also to re-illuminate and develop Chaekgeori paintings at a high level that is in line with modern abstract art. Since the enlightenment, the value of our traditional paintings has not been properly recognized due to the indiscriminate influx of Western paintings and has been backward, but Chaekgeori paintings have recently attracted attention due to re-recognition and interest in what belongs to Korea.
Our artists think that by studying the spiritual and stylistic identity of our own folk paintings and reflecting it developmentally and creatively, we can influence the creation of a new independent art.