Prof. Yoo Hong-jun wants to be known as the compiler of Korean art history

Art historian Yoo Hong-jun, a professor at Myongji University, has released the final volume of his publication series, "Story of Korean Art." This comprehensive set covers the complete history of Korean art and has sold over 3.8 million copies.

Art historian Yoo Hong-jun talks about his new release, “Story of Korean Art,” on Oct. 17 during a press conference in central Seoul. [YONHAP]

Art historian Yoo Hong-jun, a chaired professor at Myongji University, recently released the sixth and final volume of his publication series, “Story of Korean Art,” which began in 2010. It took Yoo 13 years to compile all his knowledge about Korean art and history and fit it into this multivolume series that has 2,500 pages and 2,650 images.

Yoo, who teaches art history at Myongji University, served as the chief of the Cultural Heritage Administration from 2004 to 2008. He majored in aesthetics at Seoul National University for his bachelor’s degree and then received a master’s degree in art history at Hongik University. His Ph.D. was at Sungkyunkwan University with philosophy of art.

Yoo has published numerous books dealing with specific periods of Korean art, but his latest release is the first comprehensive set that covers the complete history of Korean art, from the prehistoric period to the end of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), touching on all forms of art that existed in the country, ranging from ceramics and architecture to Buddhist art and tomb sculptures.

“Story of Korean Art” is a six-volume series on Korean art history written by Yoo Hong-jun. [JOONGANG ILBO]

“I feel like I finally finished my homework as an art historian,” Yoo said during a press conference for his new release on Oct. 17.

His most popular series, which deals with the cultural heritages of Korea, Japan and China, titled “My Exploration of Cultural Heritage,” sold more than 3.8 million copies in total — an unprecedented feat in the liberal arts category. However, Yoo said he wants his latest release to be his representative work and that he wants to be “remembered as an art historian who compiled the history of Korean art.”

As Yoo studied in the college of fine arts, he said it was very challenging for him to write volumes four to six of “Story of Korean Art.” The last three books each touch on Joseon Dynasty’s sculpture, crafts and architecture.

“As there was no book that dealt with each field in detail, I had to do my own research to complete the books,” he said.

Yoo said he is especially attached to the fifth volume, which deals with Joseon Dynasty’s ceramic arts. Unlike other volumes, which deal with multiple genres in one book, the entirety of the fifth volume only talks about ceramics, according to Yoo.

“Unlike the West, ceramic art has a very large presence in Eastern art,” Yoo said.

“Although my research focus in college was in the history of painting, I believe the quintessence of Korean art history is in ceramic art.” Chinese and Japanese ceramic arts are also covered in the fifth volume.

“I wanted readers to understand the history of ceramics of the Joseon Dynasty within the context of world art history, and be able to compare and contrast them.”

In the sixth volume, Yoo used a different classification system to guide the readers through Joseon Dynasty’s craftmanship. Instead of classifying by genre based on the materials used, like he did in previous volumes, he classified them according to their purpose.

“Using the conventional classification for metal crafts results in everything getting mixed up,” he said.

“For example, using the conventional classification system, the state seal used by the king, the bells used in Buddhist temples and charcoal braziers used by villagers all appear in the same chapter. If you follow this system, it’s not easy to come up with an interesting storyline.”

Yoo said he hopes to see younger art historians create an even more intriguing classification system.

“In the west, art history is traditionally categorized into different periods, such as the Ancient Greek Period, the Renaissance or the Baroque, whereas in Korea it’s categorized into different genres, such as ceramics, paintings or sculpture,” he said.

“I think it’s better to come up with a more interesting storyline if we also categorize it into different periods," Yoo added.

"For instance, because humanism was being widely spread during the Renaissance era, it inspired the painters to start painting humans instead of God. If we apply this method to study Korean art history, we may come to a new approach, such as researching how Silhak, the Realist School of Confucianism in the 18th Century, influenced Joseon painting."

BY HONG JI-YU [kjdculture@joongang.co.kr]