Chaekgeori: Pleasure of Possessions in Korean Painted Screens

Special Exhibition

Saturday, August 5–Sunday, November 5, 2017

Location: 010 Focus Gallery
Julia and Larry Pollock Focus Gallery

Featured Art

Chaekgeori, late 1800s
Anonymous. Eight-panel folding screen, ink and color on paper; each panel: 119 x 51 cm. Korean Folk Village, Yongin.
Chaekgeori, late 1800s
Anonymous. Eight-panel folding screen, embroidery on silk; each panel: 166 x 38.5 cm. Korean Folk Village, Yongin.
Chaekgeori, early 1900s
Anonymous. Eight-panel folding screen, ink and color on paper; each panel: 105 x 46.5 cm. Private collection.
Chaekgeori, late 1800s
Anonymous. Eight-panel folding screen, ink and color on paper; each panel: 55.7 x 31.7 cm. Songok Memorial Hall, Seoul, Korea.
Chaekgeori, late 1800s
Anonymous. Six-panel folding screen, ink and color on paper; each panel: 67 x 33 cm. Private collection.
Library 3, 1995–2001
Kyoungtack Hong (Korean b. 1968). Oil on canvas; 181 x 226.1 cm. © Kyoungtack Hong.
Library—Mt. Everest, 2014
Kyoungtack Hong (Korean b. 1968). Acrylic and oil on linen; 194 x 259 cm. © Kyoungtack Hong.

About The Exhibition

Chaekgeori: Pleasure of Possessions in Korean Painted Screens showcases a unique type of Korean still-life painting called chaekgeori (pronounced check-oh-ree), translated as “books and things.” They commonly feature scholarly objects, exotic luxuries, symbolic flowers, and gourmet delicacies.

This international exhibition explores the stylistic evolution of chaekgeori screens and reveals surprising artistic evidence of cross-cultural interaction between early modern Korea and the world. Chaekgeori artists drew inspiration from Chinese display cabinets of the Qing period (1644–1911), and adapted European painting techniques to produce striking illusionistic effects. These screens received high praise from King Jeongjo (reigned 1776–1800), and soon became popular among the educated elite. By the late 1800s, chaekgeori screens furnished the studies of scholars and aristocrats as well as the homes of middle-class merchants.