Exhibition brings best of National Gallery, London to Seoul

Korea and the United Kingdom have shown over the years that they share a special friendship, especially in the cultural sector. Recent examples are holding a Hallyu exhibition at the V&A Museum in London, displaying English artist David Hockney’s...

"Boy Bitten by a Lizard" (c. 1594-95) by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA]

Britain and Korea have shown over the years that they share a special friendship, especially in the cultural sector. Recent examples are holding a Hallyu exhibition at the V&A Museum in London, displaying English artist David Hockney's artworks at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in eastern Seoul and the Frieze Art Fair choosing Seoul as its first venture in Asia last year.

This year also marks the 140th year of the two countries' diplomatic relations. It was the perfect timing for Britain's National Gallery to bring 52 works from its remarkable collection of 2,600 European paintings to Seoul for the very first time in its 200-year history.

On view at the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan District, central Seoul, are works from the Italian Renaissance through the European Baroque to early 20th-century Post-Impressionism. The exhibition, titled "Eyes on Us: Masterpieces from the National Gallery, London," includes pieces by art masters like Sandro Botticelli, Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

The exhibition has toured other nations like Japan, Australia and China before making its stop in Korea. The previous show in Shanghai was comprised of the same paintings but under a different theme and was arranged in chronological order.

The show traces how the focus of art has shifted from religion to people and their everyday lives, but at the same time, aims to be a "National Gallery miniature," Christine Riding, the head of the curatorial department at the London museum, said.

"It's almost impossible to think of how you would select 52 paintings to represent the entire tradition of Western art," Riding told the press on Thursday at the National Museum of Korea. "But what we really felt first and foremost is that we would select paintings that were very representative […] We wanted to show all the major trends, the major artists, but also a journey from a focus on the elite and religion [toward] something that was much more democratic and much more open; and that exhibition here, I think it's really done that brilliantly."

"Three Miracles of Saint Zenobius" (c. 1500) by Sandro Botticelli [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA]

Modern and contemporary art may now freely touch on endless themes stemming from the artists' imagination, but before the 15th century, this was not the case. The primary focus of European art was on God and the church, and it was only during the transitional period of the Renaissance that artists started paying attention to the real world.

Giovanni Bellini's "Virgin and Child" (1480-90), depicting the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus, shows one profound change after the Renaissance in how it emphasized and depicted maternal love.

″Virgin and Child″ (c. 1480-90) by Giovanni Bellini [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA]

"A painting of the pair from the Middle Ages would have had sacred halo effects behind the Virgin Mary to stress the holiness," the National Museum of Korea's curator Sun Yu-ee said. "But in the Renaissance version, you can see that it has a more natural background like clouds in the sky and man-made buildings. Rather than making them appear intimidating or authoritative, they seem warmer and more humane. The facial and outer appearances also have gotten more voluminous and much more realistic than before."

This is why artists began painting more portraits, precisely capturing the details of the human body and attempting to manifest each figure's personality.

Jan Steen's "The Interior of an Inn ('The Broken Eggs')" (c. 1665-70), based on the Dutch Golden Age artist's actual experience of running an inn, is a comical yet vivid representation of people drinking.

The painting is entertaining with its amusing details, such as how Steen himself appears and how it subtly alludes to sexual metaphors, such as the suggestive facial expression of one of the featured characters.

“The Interior of an Inn (‘The Broken Eggs’)” (c. 1665-70) by Jan Steen [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA]

The Impressionists of late 19th-century France utilized the effects of light and color to paint natural moments luminously. Monet was one of the leading artists of that era.

The large oil painting "Irises" is one of 20-something paintings of the titular flower that Monet painted from around 1914 to 1917.

"Irises were one of Monet's favorite flowers," Sun said. "It was a time in which he was allowed to draw whatever he loved, however he wanted to. This particular piece was found in Monet's studio after he died, so it's unknown whether it was already finished or not."

While art used to be monopolized by the upper class, the fact that motifs steered away from religion to humanity greatly contributed to expanding its audience to the general public.

"Irises" (c. 1914-17) by Claude Monet [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA]

"Ultimately, what I personally would love is for people to walk around the exhibition and find their own favorites among these 52 particular paintings," Riding said.

She said the exhibition is not just about learning what Western art is about and what these movements were but for people to find a work that "speaks to them because of an emotion it's showing or a color that they adore."

"Eyes on Us: Masterpieces from the National Gallery, London" continues until Oct. 9. The National Museum of Korea is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. Hours extend to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Tickets are 18,000 won ($13) for adults.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]