Celebrating Day with Culture, Gyeonggi Museum of Art is launching a special-themed exhibition focusing with historic relics that frequently appear in the history textbooks in order to approach a step closer to the audience in a friendly way.

<Portrait of Song Si-yeol>, which is included in the exhibition, is a portrait of Yoo Bok-bon, wearing Shenyi and a black headgear. The colors used in the face and expressions show the style used in the late Joseon era. In particular, the late Joseon style is observed more apparently from the fact that the garment was depicted in a three-dimensional fashion by applying light water ink underneath the drawing lines in comparison to the simple expression of the face.
For portraits of individuals, Song Si-yeol has the greatest number of portraits still in existence. This is because his portraits were enshrined in seowons and youngdangs across the country as he was canonized into Munmyo after the 18th century. He was a great scholar respected as a sage in the east after Zhu Xi. In particular, King Jeongjo (ruled from 1776 from 1800) had high regard for him, calling him ‘Songja’ and promoting him as a teacher of the nation. King Jeongjo also consolidated his literary works and materials to publish ‘Songjadaejeon’. The late Joseon era was the period when the Korean literature and culture blossomed as the country was recovering from the shadows of the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592 and the Qing invasion of 1636. Song Si-yeol (1607~1689) is a thinker and calligrapher who represent the era. He was also a prominent politician who had the whole era in his hand.
He studied under the guidance of Sage Kim Jang-saeng (1548~1631), and received teaching from his son, Kim Jip (1574~1656). Song Si-yeol achieved the highest academic achievement in the era, and became the greatest scholar of the time. As a scholar of the Kiho school, which inherited the academic traditions of Yulgok Yi I (1537~1584), and a follower of the teachings of Chu-tzu, he practiced the teachings of Chu-tzu all his life as the basic principles. Song Si-yeol was a people’s leader who applied and practiced the ideals of Neo-confuciansim to the realities of Joseon. He was a great scholar who was called ‘Songja’ by younger students with the ultimate form of respect.
When there was a mass appointment of officials after the Injo Coup, he was recommended by Choi Myeong-gil as a teacher of Bongrimdaegun. As Bongrimdaegun later became King Hyojong of Joseon, he received cordial treatment, and debuted in the political world and accomplished his political philosophy. In particular, as he pushed the theory of Kinyeonseol at the first round of Yeosong, he rose firmly as the political leader of the Seo-ins. Afterwards, he served as Juachamchan, Wooeuijung and Juaeuijung. In addition, Song Si-yeol was called ‘Yangsong’ along with his cousin, Song Jun-gil (1606~1672). The two remained academic and political partners for life.
He also created the ‘Yangsongche’ font by mixing Ahn Jin-gyoung’s chirography to the font of Seokbong, a master calligrapher in the late Joseon era, and adding vigorous weight and elegance. Not only the Seo-ins who follow him used the Yangsongche font, but it was also used widely as it was promoted as a textbook of Seobeob by younger students.

The portrait of Song Si-yeol will be exhibited at the entrance of the permanent exhibition room at the Gyeonggi Museum of Art until August 31, 2019 (Sunday).

The year 2019 is the 100th anniversary of the March 1st Movement. In 1910, Japan integrated Korea with its nation with force, but the people of Korea did not succumb to this with the hope of regaining independence. In the 1910s, Korea and the world was experiencing an era of chaos. Internationally, World War 1 broke out due to the conflict between powerful imperialist states. Domestically, a brutal fight against the Japanese occupation took place. By the end of World War 1, as the news of President Wilson of the United States advocating for ‘the principle of national self-determination’ was delivered across the world, Korean independence fighters in Korea and other countries rekindled the hope of independence. The hope led Korean religious leaders including Catholic and Protestant priests and Buddhist monks to plan a manse movement.
March 1st Movement that occurred in 1919 was the biggest independence movement of Korean people against Japanese occupation. Through the March 1st Movement, people of Korea united with one heart and various groups fighting for independence could joint forces together to establish the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. The establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea has significance in that it was the first Korean government that adopted the system of a democratic republic. After the independence, founders of the Provisional Government chose various political routes, but the system of democratic republic still remains unchanged.
The exhibition focuses on the historical background, order of progression and historical meaning of the March 1st Movement. We can imagine the people who risked their lives to regain the lost territory and sovereignty, and how loud and desperate people’s voice shouting “Korean Independence Manse” on the streets would have been. We hope the exhibition will offer an opportunity to remember how the people who were shouting on the streets were the driving force behind democracy that we enjoy today 100 years later.