Foreign Perspective

[Anchor Lead]

An exhibition where French artists' works of Korea in the 1930s can be seen are in the spotlight. They offer glimpses into the daily lives of Korean people 80 years ago, from the perspectives of foreign artists. Here is more.

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A woman bends her head lightly and places a colorful saekdong sleeve near her lips. This is a bride dressed in the traditional Korean wedding attire with a bridal coronet. A young man in ragged clothes sits back carelessly, as if he is tired of the labor of drying peppers. Donning a formal outfit and a headgear, an elderly noble man on a mat is reading a book while holding a fan on one hand. These are paintings of Koreans drawn by French artist Paul Jacoulet in the 1930s. While living and working in Japan, Jacoulet visited Korea multiple times to draw various aspects of the people's lives.

[Soundbite] Ryu Im-sang(Seoul Museum) : "Behaviors of characters and their depictions could be caught only when they were observed on the scene with deep interest and great affection."

However, some of his paintings have features that are out of place. In one of his works, a bridegroom is wearing a shaman's headpiece. This is because Japanese art styles are mixed into paintings drawn by a Western artist who didn't understand Korean culture. However, the paintings hold a great historical value, as they offer vivid, realistic glimpses into the daily lives of Koreans decades ago.

[Soundbite] Choi Eun-soo(National Folk Museum) : "Most of the materials are photos and postcards in black and white. There aren't many colored ones. So his colorful paintings naturally depict the beauty of hanbok."

The exhibition of Jacoulet's works is on until late this month.