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| Kang Jin-hui's "Landscape with Trains" (1888) / Courtesy of Kansong Art and Culture Foundation |
By Park Han-sol
What would the landscape of 19th-century America have looked like in the eyes of a late Joseon-era painter?
Two steam locomotives fiercely speeding down the mountainous tracks, a five-story tower nestled on a hilltop and a railroad bridge looking down on a boat on the river were apparently part of the scenery that caught the attention of Kang Jin-hui (1851-1919).
"Landscape with Trains," the oldest painting of an American landscape created by the Korean artist in 1888, has been unveiled to the public for the first time at Gallery Yeh in southern Seoul.
The exhibition, "Fate: It Continues," hosted in celebration of the 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and the United States, revisits the largely forgotten legacy left by Kang, who set foot on American soil in 1887 as one of the first Old Korean Legation staff members.
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| An installation view of the exhibition, "Fate: It Continues," at Gallery Yeh in southern Seoul / Courtesy of Gallery Yeh |
The Old Korean Legation was established at the end of the 19th century in Washington, D.C., and served as a stage of independent diplomacy and a window to modern civilization for the Joseon Kingdom for nearly two decades until 1905, during King Gojong's rule. It was seen as the country's "way out" of China's hegemony and Japan's territorial encroachment into the Northeast Asian region.
Kang joined the staff as a translator for the legation's first minister, Bak Jeong-yang, and the only calligrapher and literati painter among the officers.
"Landscape with Trains," painted in fine ink brushstrokes on a paper purchased locally, is presumed to have been inspired by the sceneries of passing trains witnessed during one of the legation officers' day trips from Washington, D.C. to Baltimore, Korean Studies scholar Kim Young-wook said during a press preview held at the gallery last week.
For the Joseon-era scholars, the railroad was not only a revolutionary means of transportation. Instead, it represented access to the modern civilization of the "New World."
In the April 1 entry of his 1888 travel diary, "A Passage to America" (also translated as "A Diary of American Travels"), Bak wrote: "The majority of the mountains we see lie flat on the ground. The lush forest, winding waterways and bridges erected one after another create fantastic scenery. But the trains were racing at an enormous speed that the moment we rolled our eyes to one direction to have a good look, they were already gone."
The painting, therefore, bears both artistic and historical significance as the oldest Korean portrayal of the American landscape on canvas that captures the visiting officials' fascination with the civilization of the West.
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| A photograph of Kang Jin-hui taken in a studio in Washington, D.C. during his time as a translator for Bak Jeong-yang, the first minister for the Old Korean Legation from 1887 to 1889 / Courtesy of Gallery Yeh |
Also featured in this show is the original copy of a photograph that Kang took in a studio in Washington, D.C. Although it is recorded that all legation officials had their photos taken here in 1888, it is worth noting that Kang's is the only surviving original print. On the front and back of the photo, the printed address of the studio remains visible: 1217 & 1219 Pennsylvania Avenue.
The show finishes with the works of three contemporary artists ― Choi Jong-bum, Lee Gui-young and Byun Jae-eon ― who have reinterpreted Kang's historical and artistic legacy through videos, installations and paintings.
"Fate: It Continues" runs through June 18 at Gallery Yeh.
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