Early Modern Korean Feminist Activism: The Art and Life of O Gwisuk (1906－1996)

Abstract

In this essay, I investigate the art and life of O Gwisuk, who was best known as a representative gisaeng (professional female entertainer) painter of early modern Korea. Existing scholarship on O, which is based on fragmented information, has largely focused on her artistic activities in the 1920s. Drawing on the newly discovered art and literary works of O, as well as interviews with her family and students, this paper paints a complex picture of an artist whose life and career manifested an intricate interplay of tradition and modernity, art, and gender. I compare the gendered discourses produced by O’s male admirers, who viewed her as a relic of traditional Korean femininity, to O’s own perception of herself as a modern woman artist who dedicated her life to advocating women’s rights and education.