Used to think that portraits weren’t as interesting as landscape paintings or sketches of folk scenes. But after watching the SBS drama, Painter of the Wind, I’m now more inclined to give this genre more than a cursory glance. Pity that I hadn't seen the drama series before I visited Gyeonggijeon in Jeonju. I would've spent a more enriching time there if I had known the following earlier:
Royal portraits ( eojin or ojin) were particularly important during the Joseon Dynasty as it had embraced the Confucianist tradition of ancestral worship. The Joseon kings had their visages depicted in portraits as a way of representing their “aspirations for the perpetuation of their dynasty”. When ordinary citizens bowed before the portrait of the king, it was as good as pledging allegiance to him. That's why Yi Song-gye, a.k.a. King Taejo, founder of the Joseon Dynasty, sought to validate his rise to power by a coup d’etat by commissioning no less than fourteen official portraits.
Here's what I've gathered so far about the do's and don'ts of admiring portraits of the royalty in Korea.
1. DON'T march up to the shrine and hop over the low hurdle as if you're about to say Howdy to King Taejo. Instead, approach the shrine INDIRECTLY as a sign of respect. I guess eyeballing the royal portrait head-on is a no-no as it can be interpreted as a sign of impertinence. That's why that low barricade is there in front of the entrance - to signal to visitors that they need to approach the portrait in an oblique fashion by using the side entrances.
2. Observe first the backdrop of the portrait. According to an article in the Spring 2006 edition of Koreana, the "panels depicting the sun, moon and five peaks..( are) in accordance with the traditional practice.... In this way, the portrait of Taejo is being respected as if he were still the ruling sovereign". Strange thing is - I can't see any moon or mountains? We could be talking about different copies of portraits - the artists tended to make changes according to trends or personal preferences whenever they made reproductions so copies were never fully alike.
Also, the contrast between the simple lines of the figure and the details in the clothes, throne and carpet are intended to underscore the "authority and dignity of the king".
3. Note the position of the subject in the portrait. In most Joseon Dynasty portraits, the subject is seated at an angle but one has a straight-forward view of King Taejo. Some experts believe the perspective was meant to set him apart from the rest as the founder of the Joseon Dynasty.
4. Next, pay attention to the black headpiece perched on the head of the monarch. The ikseongwan has flaps sticking out from the back which symbolize a cicada's wings. Its "piercing sound is said to be expressive of sovereign dignity and its metamorphosis a symbol of rebirth".
5. Consider now the emperor's clothes...oops.. I mean, the king's clothes. He's decked out in blue ( "a carry-over influence of the Goryeo-style protraits") unlike late Joseon kings who preferred red.
6. Finally, take a close look at the face of King Taejo. Look out particularly for the mole above his right eyebrow. Portrait painters were careful to present unidealised faces of their sitters as the complexion reflected the personality of the subject. Verisimilitude of visage was so important to the Joseon kings that King Yongjo proclaimed that if a single strand of hair in the painting was different from the original, he would not consider that portrait to represent his ancestor.
So the scars, moles, pockmarks and other distinctive facial features had to be depicted as accurately as possible by the Joseon painters. Indeed, so faithful were they that Dr Lee Sung-nak was able to present a research paper, " An Analysis Of Skin Ailments Shown In The Portraits of the Chosun Dynasty"!
Note: All quotes here are from Koreana, Spring 2006 edition. Source:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2009/12/148_7813.html
http://www.clickkorea.org/arts/curator/file/2-2_Portraits%20of%20the%20Choson%20Dynasty.pdf
http://koreana.kf.or.kr/pdf_file/1992/1992_AUTUMN_E034.pdf
