For the subject of Korean modern and contemporary art, the only textbook in English available for students, teachers, and scholars has been Youngna Kim's 20th Century Korean Art.Footnote ¹ We can now welcome Charlotte Horlyck's long-awaited contribution, Korean Art: From the 19th Century to the Present. With 171 illustrations (133 in color), Horlyck's work not only introduces readers to the major developments in modern and contemporary Korean art but also offers a detailed analysis of the intertwined relationship between politics and art. For example, Horlyck shows how socialist realism emerged as orthodoxy in North Korean art in the post–Korean War period at the same time as the promotion of abstract art as a reflection of anti-communism in South Korea (pp. 71, 107). Focusing on the political events since the late nineteenth century, Horlyck examines how the search for, struggle over, and interpretation of national identity became a major concern. She also extends the chronological scope to the 2000s and connects the issue of identity to current circumstances characterized by challenges to, or even ignorance of, this theme.

In the preface, Horlyck notes how the controversial distinction between the modern (kŭndae) and contemporary (hyŏndae) eras depends on divergent interpretations of the social, cultural, and economic impact of Japan's colonization of Korea (1910–45). The first two chapters then cover the same content found in Kim's book but treat it more broadly and comprehensively. Chapter 1 describes Korean artists’ early encounters with the outside world after the Treaty of Kanghwa (1876); the preliminary adoption of Western painting techniques; participation in world's fairs; the Chŏson Art Exhibition (Chŏson Misul Chŏllamhoe) first organized by the colonial Government-General in 1921; and the promotion of so-called “local color” (hyangt'osaek) paintings that usually depicted idyllic, calm, and romanticized rural scenes (p. 38). Chapter 2 examines pursuits of new artistic forms and media in the colonial period by Korean artists, most of whom studied abroad in Tokyo under Japanese artists trained in Paris. In addition to considering the major figures Ko Hŭi-dong (1886–1965), Na Hye-sŏk (1896–1948), and Kim Ŭn-ho (1892–1979), Horlyck analyzes lesser-known artists such as Pae Un-sŏng (1900–1978), who left Seoul for the North after the Korean War (p. 47).

Horlyck's major contribution lies in her thorough description and analysis, in chapter 3, of various art associations and alliances. She views the 1950s to 1970s as a period of struggle. Starting in 1948, under the dictatorship of Kim Il-Sung (1912–94), artists in North Korea were instructed to practice socialist realism while producing a unique genre of colored Korean ink painting, Chosŏnhwa (pp. 87–96). The art scenes in the South, by contrast, engaged with abstract paintings, thereby continuing the interest of artists who had studied in Japan in the 1930s (chapter 4). South Korean artists also tried to develop relatively new forms, such as Korean Informel and tansaekhwa (monochrome painting), to counter the nationalist trend and government-led juried shows (p. 97). Chapter 5 discusses activities and works from the minjung movement, an upheaval of workers and students who struggled against the military dictatorship following the Kwangju Uprising of May 1980. In addition, Horlyck explores the rise of female artists such as Kim In-sun (1941–), Yun Suk-nam (Yun Sŏng-nam; 1939–), and Park Young-sook (Pak Yŏng-suk; 1941–), who critiqued the status of women in a society deeply rooted in patriarchy and gender inequality. The discussion continues to the cultural projects launched for the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and government support for the Kwangju Biennale and the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in the mid-1990s, which resulted in worldwide recognition for contemporary South Korean art in the global art market.

In the final chapter, Horlyck concludes with an overview of current art (as of 2017). Members of the so-called “386 generation”—born in the 1960s and witnesses to the political transition from dictatorship to democracy—practiced post-minjung art, pop art, video art, mixed-media installations, conceptual art, performance, and photography. This chapter includes analysis of cultural projects and art institutions, anti-institutional art movements, works reflecting the country's political history and rapid urbanization, works on memory and identity, and art questioning the relationship between individual and collective identity (p. 193). Finally, Horlyck discusses projects by younger artists who have cultivated an anti-aesthetic style and have focused on individual, everyday memories rather than engage in social, cultural, and national issues.

As a specialist, I would like to have seen more biographical information on each artist and more analysis of the context and content of some images that are only briefly mentioned. Nevertheless, I find the book extremely engaging and a remarkable accomplishment. In its extensive overview of modern and contemporary Korean art, Horlyck's study incorporates up-to-date research and deft analyses of individual works. Her holistic, sociohistorical perspective will help students, teachers, and scholars ground their understanding of major art movements within the history of Korea and encourage further research. I hope Horlyck follows up with a revised edition that incorporates new scholarship and newly emerging art movements.