16th Anniversary Special: "Ah! Geumgangsan, Susu Mannyeon Beautiful"
Major Works by Masters of Modern and Contemporary Korean Painting on Display
Exhibition Runs Until June 25... Opening Ceremony on April 24
Mayor Jin Kyohun: "A Special Opportunity to View Rare Treasures"
There is a place where you can experience the much-missed Geumgangsan up close: the Gyeomjae Jeongseon Art Museum, operated by Gangseo-gu in Seoul.
Gangseo-gu (Mayor Jin Kyohun) will hold a special exhibition to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the Gyeomjae Jeongseon Art Museum, titled "Ah! Geumgangsan, Susu Mannyeon Beautiful." The exhibition runs from April 22 to June 25, with the opening ceremony scheduled for April 24 at 4 p.m.
This exhibition, themed around Geumgangsan, will showcase numerous artifacts owned by prestigious museums such as the National Museum of Korea, Seoul National University, and Sungkyunkwan University, as well as major works by modern and contemporary masters of Korean painting, including Lee Ungno and Byun Gwansik.
The special exhibition "Ah! Geumgangsan, Susu Mannyeon Beautiful" will be held from the 22nd of this month to June 25th at the Gyeomjae Jeongseon Art Museum in Gangseo-gu. Jin Kyohun, the mayor of Gangseo-gu, is delivering a greeting at the opening ceremony of the planned exhibition "Jeonsin and Jingyeong," held at the Gyeomjae Jeongseon Art Museum last January. Provided by Gangseo-gu.
In particular, rare pieces such as the "Gyeomjae Jeongseon Hwacheop" from Waegwan Abbey of the Order of Saint Benedict, and the "Haedong Myeongsando" attributed to Kim Hongdo from the National Museum of Korea, will be exhibited at the public art museum for the first time.
The exhibition will explore the meaning and transformation of Geumgangsan from the Joseon Dynasty to the present, and will be divided into two parts.
Part 1, "From Sacred Land to True Landscape," presents how Joseon-era painters depicted Geumgangsan on canvas and developed the genre of true-view landscape painting. Visitors will be able to appreciate a diverse array of rarely seen works, such as the "Gyeomjae Jeongseon Hwacheop" by Gyeomjae Jeongseon, the "Haedong Myeongsando" attributed to Kim Hongdo, and Ipungik's "Dongyujeop."
Of particular note, the "Gyeomjae Jeongseon Hwacheop" was originally housed in St. Ottilien Abbey in Germany, but was returned to Waegwan Abbey in 2005 as a permanent loan, attracting considerable attention. The album, which contains 21 paintings by Gyeomjae depicting the scenic beauty of Geumgangsan, including "Geumgangnaesan Jeondo," is regarded as a masterpiece that showcases the artist's diverse styles and the essence of true-view landscape painting.
Part 2, "A Space of Memory and Imagination," features various interpretations of Geumgangsan by masters of modern and contemporary Korean painting. Works by eight leading artists of the era, including Byun Gwansik's "Geumgang Four Seasons," Lee Ungno's "Dreaming of Geumgang," and Hwang Ingi's "The Old Wind," will fill the exhibition hall.
These artists, unable to visit Geumgangsan due to the reality of national division, depicted the mountain in their own unique styles. Going beyond realistic representation, they reinterpret Geumgangsan as a landscape of dreams and memories, and even transform it into digital landscape paintings using pixels, continually evoking the mountain's beauty despite the ongoing division.
The district organized this exhibition to provide residents with an opportunity to experience high-quality culture. To this end, many outstanding works have been borrowed from the National Museum of Korea and leading university museums in Korea.
Alongside this exhibition, which will be held in the first-floor special exhibition hall, the second-floor permanent exhibition hall will feature a related exhibition, "Geumgang Eulogy," where visitors can view 19 Geumgangsan-related works and books from the museum's collection.
The exhibition is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. The museum is closed every Monday. Admission is 1,000 won for adults and 500 won for students and military personnel (for groups, 700 won for adults and 300 won for students and military personnel). Admission is free for children under six, seniors aged 65 and over, and national merit recipients.
Mayor Jin Kyohun stated, "This exhibition is a special opportunity to view valuable pieces that are rarely accessible, whether in Korea or abroad. I hope that many residents will appreciate the beauty of Geumgangsan and the true essence of Korean art through this 65-day exhibition."
Gyeomjae Jeongseon, from age 65 to 70, served as the magistrate of Yangcheon, which is now Gangseo-gu, and captured the beautiful landscapes of the region in his paintings.
Based on this connection, the district built the Gyeomjae Jeongseon Art Museum near Gungsan in Gayang-dong in 2009 to honor the achievements of Gyeomjae Jeongseon, the founder of true-view landscape painting and the origin of Korean painting, and to preserve and develop the true-view culture.
This is the only museum in Korea dedicated to Gyeomjae, housing numerous works by the artist and his school, from early pieces like "Cheongha Seong Eupdo" to masterpieces from his 60s and 70s such as "Dongjakjindo."
Ipungik_Danballyeong (斷髮嶺)_
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