HISTORIC EXHIBITION

[Anchor Lead]

A special exhibition has opened in Seoul to showcase Korean modern art that portrays one of the most tragic and tumultuous periods in Korean history. One of them shows the ancient Gyeongbokgung Palace drawn by the last court artist of the Joseon Dynasty. Let’s take a look

[Pkg]

​Gyeongbokgung Palace nestled at the foot of Baegaksan Mountain... The Gwanghwamun Gate is tightly closed, while the Street of Six Ministries appears deserted. In 1915, the Japanese ravaged the palace in order to hold an event publicizing the colonial rule. However, the painting of Gyeongbokgung Palace drawn during the same year by the last court artist of the Joseon Dynasty, An Jung-sik, shows the palace in its original form.

[Soundbite] KIM SEUNG-IK(NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA) : "This painting of Gyeongbokgung palace has the word ‘spring’ in its title. It depicts the lost spring of Joseon or its future spring."

This folding screen vividly depicts the beautiful scenery of Yeonggwang in Jeollanam-do Province. It is one of artist An Jung-sik's signature works. From the works of modern calligraphers who lived in the same era as An Jung-sik to the writings of reformist activist Kim Ok-kyun -- this exhibit puts on display more than a hundred art pieces of the tumultuous modern period in Korean history, when the old coexisted with the new.

[Soundbite] KIM SEUNG-IK(NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA) : "his exhibition showcases the works of artists and calligraphers from the early 20th century, who have been largely forgotten by the public so far."

The displayed items also include some of the rare possessions of a regional museum in Japan.