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Research on Korean Elementary Textbook Cover Pictures - Focused on the first curriculum period (1955-1963)

  • Journal of History of Modern Art
  • 2003, (15), pp.7-32
  • Publisher : 현대미술사학회
  • Research Area : Arts and Kinesiology > Art > Arts in general > Art History
  • Received : November 30, 2003
  • Accepted : December 31, 2003
  • Published : December 31, 2003

Hea-Jong Koo 1

1

ABSTRACT

The specific culture and political character of a society and the ideas of the authority that make the text is visualized into images described on the cover picture of textbooks. Pictures appeared in Korean textbooks published after Korea's liberation around 1946. The pupils 'Chulsoo' appeared in textbooks after liberation as symbolic figures receiving education and they also appeared in cover pictures since the first curriculum period (1955-1963), presenting standard images of children by describing them as main characters. These images of cover pictures describing children were examined after being classified into four types; 'working type', 'studying type', 'exploring type' and 'friendly type'. The child image presented in 'working type' is inside a typical agricultural household and village, where taking care of crops and keeping livestock is the life style of a common family. Smiling merrily in pictures of feeding the chicken and rabbits raised at home, pictures of raising flowers and crops in the garden at home, pictures of cleaning the house and park, pictures of working in the fields show that labor is enjoyable and emphasizes that children, as 'workers', are necessary beings in their households and villages. The 'studying type' shows the child image as a 'researcher' learning new technologies and knowledge by experimenting and using equipments. Experimentations are performed using microscopes, magnets and batteries, outdoor measurements are done with tapes, and observations are made through anemoscopes and anemometers. Also, studying at desks are often described and pictures using a set square or compass induces the practice of new knowledge and culture. Everyone looks down at their desks with serious expressions. These pictures reflect the school's curriculum that emphasizes the learning of new culture and knowledge and presents the education course which produces intellectuals equipped with scientific thinking and behavior. The 'exploring type' shows the image of a child as a member of our society who learns Korean history and knows how to accept new culture in pictures of surveying historic remains, public institutions, ports where ships come in and go out and pictures looking high up to express awe as a 'member' of the Republic of Korea are also shown. This reveals Korea's education idea to preserve it's traditional culture and advance it into a universal one. The 'friendly type' shows a child as a 'student' who participates as a member of a school. Pictures merrily associating with friends and attending school emphasizes that school is an enjoyable place and also tends to present the external image of a general boy student wearing a hat, long shirt and shorts and a girl student wearing a short skirt with bobbed hair. The cover pictures of the first curriculum period showed the child image reflected by the education idea, describing a proper figure for children. On the other hand, it displayed the modern instructional method of making children realize by themselves 'their' stature and importance in the family, district, society, school they belong to. Nevertheless, the external standard of children, girls frequently appearing with bobbed hair and short skirts and boys wearing uniform caps and shorts, was very similar to cover pictures of students in Japanese textbooks, where we can see that the formal aspect of pictures was still under the influence of Japanese textbook illustrations and cover pictures.

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