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

Christina Han

Christina Han Wilfrid Laurier University

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.

한국 근대 여성주의 운동 : 오귀숙 (1906–1996)의 예술과 삶

초록

이 논문은 한국 근대기를 대표하는 기생 화가로 알려진 오귀숙의 예술과 삶을 살펴본다. 현존하는 오귀숙에 관한 연구는 단편화된 정보를 기반으로 그녀의 1920 년대의 예술 활동에 초점을 맞추었다. 새로 발견된 오귀숙의 서화와 글 그리고 그녀의 가족과 학생들과의 인터뷰를 통해 얻은 새 자료를 바탕으로 이 논문은 전통과 현대, 예술과 젠더의 상호관계 속에서 활동했던 여류화가의 일생을 조목한다. 또한 그녀를 한국 전통 여성의 유물로 여겼던 남성 추종자의 젠더화 담론과자신을 여성 인권과 교육 옹호에 전념한 현대 여류화가로서 인식했던 오귀숙 자
신의 논의을 비교 분석한다.

키워드: 오귀숙, 기생, 한국 근대 여성주의 예술 활동, 신여성

Author Biography

Christina Han, Wilfrid Laurier University

Christina Han is an Assistant Professor of Asian History at Wilfrid Laurier University, Brantford, Canada. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in East Asian Studies at the University of Toronto, Canada. She is also Curatorial Consultant and Research Associate for the Korean Collection at the Royal Ontario Museum. She curated the museum's permanent Korea Gallery and a special exhibition in 2005 titled, Korea Around 1900. Her research focuses on the cultural and intellectual history of Korea and China. Her publications include: Korea around 1900: The Paintings of Gisan (2005), Solitary Cloud: Poetry of Ch'oe Ch’iwŏn (2016), and several articles on Korean and Chinese art history. Dr. Christina Han can be contacted at chan@wlu.ca