**National Palace Museum Hosts 20th Anniversary Special Exhibition ‘The Magnificent Wall Paintings of Changdeok Palace’**
First public display of the Gyeonghunggak murals painted by No Su-hyeon and Lee Sang-beom… Also featuring the preliminary sketches for ‘Baekhwa-do’
Large artworks about 9 meters wide showcased… “Hoping to highlight the value of our modern art”
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Yena – On November 10, 1917, a major fire broke out at Changdeok Palace, reducing key buildings like Daejojeon, Huijeongdang, and Gyeonghunggak to ashes. These were spaces where Sunjong (reigned 1907-1910), who had abdicated, and Queen Sunjeong lived. After the fire, the couple relocated, and construction began to rebuild the palace’s interior areas.
After about three years of construction, the newly reborn buildings in 1920 featured large-scale wall paintings by renowned contemporary artists. These were the ‘last court paintings’ decorating the royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty.
For the first time, the murals that adorned the main buildings of Changdeok Palace are gathered in one place.
The National Palace Museum is presenting this special exhibition titled ‘The Magnificent Wall Paintings of Changdeok Palace’ to commemorate its 20th anniversary, running from the 14th for about two months. The museum introduced the exhibition as “a first-time public display of six murals and one preliminary sketch that decorated Changdeok Palace’s Huijeongdang, Daejojeon, and Gyeonghunggak.”
The six murals being displayed were painted on silk, then attached to paper, and affixed to walls – a style known as ‘attached murals,’ different from murals painted directly onto walls. Each mural is 180-214 cm in height and 525-882 cm in width and is registered as a national cultural asset.
In 1920, during the reconstruction, Huijeongdang, Daejojeon, and Gyeonghunggak maintained a traditional architectural style on the exterior yet featured Western-style facilities and interior decorations. The murals added grandeur by covering the upper portions of the walls.
The originals are preserved at the National Palace Museum, while replicas and reproductions are exhibited in each pavilion.
The exhibition follows the order of Huijeongdang, the king’s office and reception room; Daejojeon, the central building of the inner quarters where the king and queen resided; and Gyeonghunggak, used as a library and resting space.
The highlight for visitors is undoubtedly the Huijeongdang murals.
Kim Gyu-jin’s (1868-1933) works ‘Total Suksongjeongjeol Gyeongdo’ and ‘Geumgangsan Manbulsoseunggyeongdo,’ almost 9 meters wide, were completed based on sketches drawn from Bayoyang scenic tours. ‘Total Suksongjeongjeol Gyeongdo’ depicts dense stone pillars along the coastline viewed from the sea, while ‘Geumgangsan Manbulsoseunggyeongdo’ intricately portrays the grand and colorful Outer Geumgang area. The museum noted, “Geumgangsan is a new subject for court paintings, reflecting both its mystical quality as a symbol of the national spirit and its development as a tourist destination during the Japanese colonial rule.”
At the Daejojeon section, visitors can see facing each other parts ‘Bonghwangdo’ (phoenix painting) and ‘Baekhakdo’ (crane painting).
The phoenix painting by Oilyeong (1890-1960) and Lee Yongwo (1902-1952) symbolizes the prosperity and thriving descendants of the royal family, making it a recurring theme in palace decorations. Both artists were graduates of the first class from Seohwa Art Association, Korea’s first modern art education institution established in 1911, and studied traditional painting techniques from artists like An Joong-sik (1861-1919).
‘Baekhakdo,’ depicting 16 cranes flying under a full moon, is Kim Eun-ho’s (1892-1979) work, noted for its colorful and intricate details. The exhibition will also unveil preliminary sketches he made during the planning phase of the artwork.
The two murals decorating Gyeonghunggak are not to be overlooked.
The museum has previously presented the Daejojeon murals in 2015 and the Huijeongdang murals in 2017, but the Gyeonghunggak murals are being shown for the first time.
‘Joilsongwando’ by No Suhyeon (1899-1978), located on the east wall of Gyeonghunggak, captures the mystical celestial world under the rising morning sun with delicate brushwork. On the west wall, Lee Sangbeom’s (1897-1972) ‘Samsongwanpado’ embodies a story from the Northern Song Dynasty literati Su Shi’s ‘Dongpajirim.’
The museum explained, “Considering the symbols of longevity like otherworldly peaches carried by boys with tortoises and immortals boasting their age, the paintings wish for the emperor couple’s longevity and peace.”
There are things to ponder beyond the Changdeokgung murals painted by representatives of our modern art scene.
Painters such as Kim Eun-ho, No Suhyeon, and Lee Sang-beom were listed in the ‘National Biographical Dictionary of Collaborators’ published by the Institute for Korean Historical Studies in 2009. Despite being acclaimed as top artists and striving to uphold the tradition of Korean painting, their later activities and the historical context of the post-1920 era raise questions.
A museum official stated, “We hope this special exhibition will serve as an opportunity to widely promote not only palace architecture and court paintings but also the excellent value of modern Korean art.”
The exhibition will run through October 12.