Mount Geumgang and Mount Huang are spiritual landmarks for both Korea and China, and both became subjects of landscape painting during the late Joseon Dynasty and the late Ming and early Qing periods. In the early 20th century, paintings of these two mountains experienced a notable resurgence in both countries. This phenomenon, which unfolded concurrently in both countries, is fascinating for its reflection of the shared modernization process in both nations. This process involved the expansion of travel and tourism culture, driven by advancements in transportation, as well as national projects aimed at land development.
The reasons behind the widespread popularity of paintings depicting these two mountains in the early 20th century share several contextual and characteristic factors. First, both mountains underwent a shift in status from “sacred sites” to modern “prominent mountains” due to government policies promoting tourism. Second, despite the mountains’ reemergence as modern tourist destinations under government initiatives, the artists who painted them did so with a strong sense of nationalism. Third, the artistic approach known as “sketching from life” became highly significant in both the Korean and Chinese art scenes during this period. Consequently, the artists of both countries traveled to Mount Geumgang and Mount Huang to observe and capture their landscapes firsthand. Fourth, photography and other visual media were closely linked to this process. With the rise of the tourism industry, the publication of related materials proliferated, spreading photographs of these mountains, which were then reinterpreted into paintings through the hands of artists.
A key point here is that this connection between photography and other visual media led to a transformation in the traditional status of landscape painting. Landscape painting had long reflected the tastes of literati and occupied the highest value among various genres of painting. However, the fusion of landscape painting with modern visual media such as photography resulted in a significant shift, where landscape painting no longer held an exclusive status but was viewed on equal footing with other genres. This reconceptualization of landscape painting is an important modern change.
While both Mount Geumgang and Mount Huang share these commonalities, they also exhibit distinct differences. One clear distinction is the strong traditional continuity in paintings of Mount Huang compared to those of Mount Geumgang. Paintings of Mount Huang from this period typically adhere to traditional landscape formats, including inscriptions and seals and dividing the composition into foreground, middle ground, and background. In contrast, paintings of Mount Geumgang often lack inscriptions or seals, and the landscapes are depicted in expansive compositions that emphasize the foreground. This distinctive characteristic of Mount Geumgang paintings may have been influenced by contemporary Japanese painting, particularly through events such as the Joseon Art Exhibition (Joseon Mijeon). Japanese artists actively painted Mount Geumgang at this time, and their images were widely circulated, distinguishing the depiction of Mount Geumgang from that of Mount Huang.
This difference aligns with the broader distinction between traditional painting in Korea, referred to as “East Asian painting,” and in China, simply called “Chinese painting.” This example highlights how a comparative perspective, considering the socio-cultural and political contexts, allows for a clearer understanding of the contemporary art scenes in both East Asian nations, which appeared to follow similar modernization processes.