What is the Symbolism in Minhwa Korean Folk Art?

I’m a fan of Korean Minhwa Folk Paintings.  Minhwa were painted by enthusiastic amateurs and so they are not signed and remain anonymous. But the naive style makes them easy to enjoy from a purely aesthetic point of view.

For example, chaekgeori are still-life paintings using subjects from the scholar’s room such as books, bookshelves, and brushes. Munjado are paintings of Chinese characters combined with symbolic images promoting Confucian values. Then there are Buddhist and Taoist paintings, Shamanistic paintings, and scenes from stories in the Chinese classic novel, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Here’s a detail from a 19th century chaekgeori painting. If I went back to Art College now, this is the kind of still-life painting that I’d do! I love the glasses.

Minhwa paintings have a freer style compared to the formal court painting. But they still have symbolic meanings. (They are not just a bunch of random objects plonked together!)

But at first glance it may seem that way.

So walking around a Minhwa exhibition, you might find yourself asking questions like, WHY is there a watermelon on the bookshelf? Or, WHAT is that deer doing in the front room?

see more from dramasrok about life in Korea on Facebook Pinterest and Instagram 

see more posts on Korean Art and Calligraphy

SYMBOLIC MEANING OF A DEER IN MINHWA

Chinese Art by Patricia Bjaaland Welch (Tuttle Publishing) is a fantastic reference book on symbolism in Chinese art (which of course also influenced the Joseon dynasty). And according to the entry on deer, the sound of the Chinese character that means “deer” (lù 鹿) can also mean an ‘official’s salary‘ (lù 禄).

So a picture of a deer represents the desire to pass the civil service exam and get an official position with the nice salary. Now it all makes sense!

But the deer can have other meanings too, depending on what it appears with in the painting. It can represent longevity or immortality.

Peaches in Minhwa paintings apparently symbolise long life! I think these are peaches, don’t you?

see more from dramasrok about life in Korea on Facebook Pinterest and Instagram 

文字圖 문자도 MUNJADO – Characters and Painting

Munjado was a style of painting in the Joseon period using Chinese characters with symbolic paintings reflecting 8 Confucian values. The 8 characters could be put together to make 8 panel screens which middle and upper class families often had in their homes.

So let’s have a look at the 8 values of Confucianism and how they are symbolised in Munjado paintings.

THE 8 VALUES OF CONFUCIANISM

Filial Piety, Sibling Affection, Allegiance to the King, Trust between Friends
Propriety, Loyalty, Integrity, a Sense of Shame

see more from dramasrok about life in Korea on Facebook Pinterest and Instagram 

孝 FILIAL PIETY

Filial piety is at the top of the list of Confucian values. And it meant not only looking after your parents while they were alive but also taking care of their grave after they died and holding regular ancestral rites.

SYMBOLS:  carp and bamboo shoots

The carp and bamboo shoots appear in famous stories used to teach filial piety in Chinese literature. There’s one about Meng Zong one of the 24 paragons of filial piety in the novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

One day he went out in the winter to find bamboo shoots to feed his sick mother. But there were no shoots so he began to cry. His tears made the bamboo shoots grow and he was able to take them home. 

Wang Xiang was another of the 24 paragons of filial piety. Even though his step-mother treated him badly, he went out in winter to catch carp for her. When he lay on the ice, it melted so he could break through it and catch the fish. Now that’s filial piety!

In this detail of a munjado painting, the carp is taking the place of the top part of the Chinese character for filial piety 孝

see more from dramasrok about life in Korea on Facebook Pinterest and Instagram 

悌 SIBLING AFFECTION

Younger and older siblings should respect and be kind to each other.

SYMBOLS: wagtail birds, doves, and flowers of the dwarf flowering almond tree

Two birds will share one insect for dinner so this represents sibling harmony. So the message is be fair to your brothers and sisters and don’t grab everything for yourself! 

There was so much to see at this Minhwa exhibition that I didn’t notice or realise the significance of the two birds on the left in this painting sharing the butterfly!

see more from dramasrok about life in Korea on Facebook Pinterest and Instagram 

忠 ALLEGIANCE TO THE KING

This character represents dedication, loyalty, and working hard to succeed.

SYMBOLS: carp, dragon, prawn, bamboo

There’s a legend of the carp that turned into a dragon. The story goes that carp competed to swim against the waves of the Yellow River to reach the Dragon Gate. It was very tough and not all the fish could make it. But the successful ones were rewarded by being able to turn into dragons!

In this painting the Chinese character is made up of a fish at the bottom and a dragon at the top. So the idea represents success. And success meant passing the civil service exam and serving King and Country.

see more from dramasrok about life in Korea on Facebook Pinterest and Instagram 

信 TRUST BETWEEN FRIENDS 

Be honest and trustworthy.

SYMBOLS – bluebird, wild goose, peach,

The symbolism here is connected to Xi Wangmu Queen Mother of the West, a goddess from Chinese mythology who was said to give peaches to her guests which would make them immortal. 

The goose was a messenger of the Queen Mother of the West. So the image of the bird with a message in its beak became a sign of trust. 

see more from dramasrok about life in Korea on Facebook Pinterest and Instagram 

禮 PROPRIETY

Propriety in all relationships. Keep Decorum and good Manners. The Book of Rites, a Confucianist classic, is devoted to this. No fighting or arguing. And no flirting between men and women. oh. 

SYMBOLS: Connected to writing and mathematics

This one’s a bit complicated since it’s connected to The Yellow River Map and Lo Shu Square in Chinese philosophy. I’ll have to come back to this later!

See more posts on Korean Art and Calligraphy

義 LOYALTY

This also includes duty, sacrifice, and selflessness

The information board at the exhibition explained that the ideal of duty and sacrifice is expressed in the Oath of the Peach Garden a story from The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, where three men take an oath of fraternal loyalty. 

see more from dramasrok about life in Korea on Facebook Pinterest and Instagram 

廉 INTEGRITY

Be incorruptible. Be frugal and content with what you have. 

SYMBOLS: phoenix,

The story behind this is also a bit vague. Apparently the character for integrity is symbolised by the story of a kind of phoenix who flew thousands of ri and never stopped to eat millet or anything even though it was hungry…

And I’m no bird expert but I think the feathered friends in this painting look more like pheasants? Maybe it’s all open to interpretation.

see more from dramasrok about life in Korea on Facebook Pinterest and Instagram 

恥 A SENSE OF SHAME

To know when you are behaving shamefully and to understanding the consequences of your non-virtuous actions.

Shameful actions are basically actions that don’t follow any of the other values.  Read more about the 8 virtues here. The consequences could be that the whole family is ruined by your actions. (There are often scenes in historical dramas where an official is convicted of a crime and the whole family is punished) 

The paintings around this character are based on the story of Boyi and Shuqi two brothers who starved themselves in protest of the shameful behaviour of the Emperor. 

There is so much to learn about Minhwa, but it’s a fascinating subject. I still have a lot of unanswered questions. So I’ll update this post when I find out more!

see more from dramasrok about life in Korea on Facebook Pinterest and Instagram 

Related Posts:

Korean Art and Calligraphy