Image of Kumgang Mountains (Geumgangsan) in Korean fine arts: tradition and modernity

Abstract

The article examines the features of Korean landscape painting, the development of which since the beginning of the 18th century is inextricably linked with the famous mountain range of the Korean Peninsula Kumgangsan (Diamond Mountains). Having established itself as the central image in landscapes of “true appearance”, the Kumgang Mountains over time acquire the significance of not only an artistic phenomenon, but also an iconic national symbol of the native land in the Korean cultural consciousness, remaining for artists the embodiment of natural beauties and the interweaving of various symbols. The purpose of the article is to determine the significance of the image of the Kumgang Mountains in Korean fine art of past and present eras, as an exponent of the national identity of Korean art and a keeper of artistic value traditions. The main objective of the article is to study the image of the Kumgang Mountains based on the analysis of the works of Korean artists from the 18th century to the present day, with the definition of its role and place in the contemporary fine arts of Korea. The article analyzes the works of a number of modern North Korean and South Korean artists, different in style and technique of execution, but similar in perception of the Kumgang mountains as a spiritual source, representing the desire for ethnic authenticity, the revival of traditions and the expression of patriotism in contemporary art of the Republic of Korea and the DPRK. The article provides an overview of trends in Korean painting, where this image manifests a national approach, a natural vision of the native country and a creative rethinking of the discoveries of the great Korean landscape painters in the context of adapting new artistic and expressive features within the traditional system of Far Eastern ink painting and creative experiments with various techniques. It is concluded that the artistic image of the Kumgang mountains is important as it has established itself in the Korean landscape in the 18th century, and become a solid foundation for the development of Korean painting in the modern period, demonstrating not only adherence to traditions, but also the ability to innovate, both in acquiring new symbolic shades, and expanding artistic and expressive means to display its aesthetic ideal in the picture of the world of our time.