본문 바로가기
  • Home
Basic Search

A Study on Painterly Expression of Korean Stained Glass since 1970s

Sukyung Jung 1

1숙명여자대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The goal of this study is to examine the works of Korean stained glass artists since the 1970s, when new trends of European stained glass began to be reflected in their artistic expressions, with a focus on the painterly quality of these expressions. Developed mainly through Catholic churches, Korean stained glass has a history of over 100 years going back to the first set of windows installed in the Myeongdong Catholic Cathedral in Seoul in 1898. The Japanese occupation and Korean War caused a long period of stagnation in stained glass all the way through the 1960s. It was in the 1970s that the Catholic influence expanded rapidly as did the Catholic churches, accompanied by an increased interest in the art of stained glass. Starting with Nam-gyu Lee, artists who had studied stained glass in Austria, France and Germany returned to Korea to launch their artistic activities, tapping into a new pattern of expression in stained glass in post-war Europe and marking a transition stage for Korean stained glass. The works of Korean stained glass artists in the 1970s show a strong influence of European stained glass at the time, which adopted elements of painting. After World War II, an increased number of European painters engaged themselves in stained glass, resulting in the appearance of art pieces applying the painterly and plastic language to stained glass. These modern artists emphasized that stained glass was not only a traditional domain of church architecture but also closely connected with paintings. They considered not only the religious message of an art piece but also the painterly and plastic elements such as the contours expressed through lead came and the effect of the changing colors as light passes through glass. In the 1970s, Korean stained glass began to accept such new trends of European modern stained glass while also trying to bring out the uniquely Korean characteristics, opening the way to patterns of expression distinguishable from Western ones. Renowned artists in Korea such as Ri Namkyu, Nam Yong-woo, Choi Yong-shim, Cho Kwang-ho and Br. Marc have continued to present stained glass works that reflect their own individual 80 worlds of painting. As painters have come to present art pieces merging painting and stained glass, modern stained glass has begun to be acknowledged for its potential as fine art, whereas before, it was viewed primarily as a craft. Now, the constructive elements of stained glass, ie., colored glass and lead came, are examined with attention to their plastic elements, not just their functionality. Also, with the use of much more diverse and bold painting techniques in stained glass, the possibilities and range of painterly expression in stained glass are being pushed to the limits. It is against this background of plastic explorations led by a number of artists that Korean modern stained glass has been reassessed in art history for its value as a form of fine art. This study examines the possibilities of 20th century’s stained glass as a form of fine art and assesses its artistic value through the works of renowned Korean artists in stained glass since the 1970s, a time when the influence of European modern stained glass becomes distinct. It also explores the various painterly expressions in their stained glass works in terms of technique and content and analyzes links with their paintings. More specifically, it examines the different patterns of painterly expression of each time period, such as the 1970s when abstract tendencies were accepted in the course of the first introduction of European stained glass, the 1980s when figuration was introduced and the 1990s through the 2000s when a variety of painting techniques began to be used more at ease. Furthermore, it looks into the innovative attempts made by the artists to go beyond imitating Western stained glass and to creatively interpret Korean beauty in their art pieces.

Statistics

  • 408 Viewed
  • 37 Downloaded

Tools

Issue List

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

Basic Search Advanced Search