[KS] Publication Art- Whanki Museum
Frank M. Tedesco
tedesco at uriel.net
Sat Jul 11 13:29:40 EDT 1998
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> Publication, Art Find Common Ground
> in Book Design [Image] [Ima=
ge]
> [Image]
> 07/10(=B1=DD) 15:03
> =
> By Kim Mi-hui
> =
> Staff Reporter
> =
> Whoever said ``You can't judge a book by its cover'' shou=
ld
> be aware of an ongoing exhibition entitled, ``Publication=
and
> Art: Publication Communication and the World of Design,''=
> which is currently taking place at the Whanki Museum
> (02-391-7701~2) through Aug. 2, as the venue is filled wi=
th
> book covers from the past and present.
> =
> Chronicling over 100 years of publishing history, the fir=
st
> exhibition of its type in Korea is putting the spotlight =
on
> the connection between publication and art that has only
> recently begun to receive proper notice.
> =
> ``The increase in interest in `bestseller' books and such=
has
> begun to draw attention to certain aspects of publication=
=2E
> Accordingly, book covers are at the center because they c=
an
> be seen as packaging of a sort today,'' says Kang Jae-you=
ng,
> a curator at the Whanki Museum.
> =
> For this very reason, the number of students who want to
> study book design has been growing and along with it the
> number of institutes and school offering programs related=
to
> the field. The main purpose of the exhibition is to give
> these students a historical overview, as well a sense of =
the
> current state of book design, the organizers of the
> exhibition say.
> =
> Besides over 450 book covers, historical and contemporary=
,
> other items related to the publishing industry which are =
on
> display include illustrations, typography works, photogra=
phs,
> and information on computer technology in publishing.
> =
> The history of book cover design has hardly been a hot to=
pic
> in the world of art in the past. In fact, the names of th=
e
> designers of book covers were hardly at all until the lat=
ter
> half of this century. The first time a designer's name
> appeared in a magazine, called ``Youth,'' was 1914, and t=
he
> first time in a book was in 1922.
> =
> The active cover page designers during this period number=
ed a
> meager 20 or so including Kim Whanki, the founder of the
> Whanki Museum, and Lee Sang, who won one of the first cov=
er
> page awards given in 1931.
> =
> At the time, however, the artists were known more for the=
ir
> ``drawing'' talent than for their ``design skills.'' In f=
act,
> the terms ``designer'' and ``book cover design,'' in
> referring to these artists and their art, weren't ever co=
ined
> until the late 1970's.
> =
> Historians typically divide the modern history of publish=
ing
> in Korea into four stages before the 1950's. Each period =
had
> its own characteristics and contributed in some way to th=
e
> development of the industry.
> =
> The first period, referred to as the ``Flowering Period''=
> (1883-1910), saw the establishment of Korea's first
> publishing company ``Pakmoonkuk'' and biweekly government=
> gazette ``Hansongsunbo'' in 1883. Prior to that time, the=
> nation recognized the need for a printing company, especi=
ally
> since it had begun to exchange formal correspondence with=
> foreign missionaries interested in coming to Korea.
> =
> The books published at this time were strongly influenced=
by
> the Western style. Layers of paper were gathered and sewn=
on
> one side and then wrapped with a thicker paper cover. Als=
o,
> the text and drawings that were once transcribed by hand =
were
> now printed directly on the paper.
> =
> The second stage was the ``Japanese Colonial Period''
> (1910-1945). Publishing knew little freedom at this time =
as
> the Japanese guarded very carefully what saw print. The t=
exts
> that were published were mainly limited to genealogical
> records, novels and anthologies. The number of publishing=
> companies, however, continued to grow during these years.=
> =
> ``The Restoration Period'' (1945-1950) that followed was =
a
> chaotic time in which nothing _ from politics to economic=
s to
> social conditions_ was stable. Paper production was
> temporarily paralyzed and almost all Korean-character
> typographical materials had been destroyed.
> =
> Yet, excited by the new-found freedom, a countless number=
of
> pamphlets and similar publications began to pour out, mos=
t of
> them containing one type of illustration or another. Reco=
rds
> found that the number of active publishing companies in 1=
945
> was 40 but increased to 216 a year later.
> =
> The Korean War from 1950 to 1953, however, brought anothe=
r
> downturn to the publishing industry. During the ``6.25
> Disturbance Period,'' the number of registered publishing=
> companies declined from 847 in 1949 to 185 in 1950. The w=
ar
> also pushed the companies to relocate to smaller district=
s
> like Pusan and Taegu.
> =
> One thing that the current exhibition shows, however, is =
that
> despite the great turbulence in the nation during these
> years, a great number of books, and thus book cover desig=
ns,
> were continuously being published. Among these designs,
> scholars discovered, certain favored motifs began to appe=
ar.
> =
> The most popular of these were nudes, Buddhist Monks, gra=
pes,
> sea, flowers, country scenery, butterflies, clouds, crane=
s,
> full moons and other designs considered to be uniquely
> ``Korean'' at the time. These highly naturalistic images =
were
> also common in paintings of the period.
> =
> ``Although today's designs are far more advanced by virtu=
e of
> having been produced through the use of computers, and mo=
dern
> designers are more formally trained, there is still much =
to
> be learned from history. I hope everyone who is intereste=
d
> will make use of this rare opportunity,'' Kang said.
> =
> The Whanki Museum, built in 1992, is a commemorative muse=
um
> of the late Kim Whanki, one of the first-generation of mo=
dern
> artists in Korea, who has been enriching the Korean art w=
orld
> by staging special museum exhibitions. Besides holding sh=
ows
> of Kim Whanki's works, the museum has also dedicated itse=
lf
> to helping young artists.
> =
> The ``Prix Whanki Exhibition'' held every two years and
> rising artist exhibitions held two or three times a year =
are
> among these activities as is the current ``Publication an=
d
> Art'' exhibition.
> =
> ------------------------------------------------------------=
--------
> (C) COPYRIGHT 1998 THE HANKOOKILBO
http://www.korealink.co.kr/14_6/9807/t4651250.htm
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