Young-In literary museum was founded on the basis of the Research Institute for Korean Literature(한국문학연구소) which Professor Lee O Young established in 1969.  In the same year he gave an exhibition of the great novelist Lee Gwang Soo's relics for the first event of the institute.  However, after a while it was discovered that almost all of his relics had disappeared; it was as if a chapter tore away from the literary history of Korea. Since that time we began to collect the memorable materials that the literary artists had left.

The activities of the museum:
It has a schedule to have a regular exhibition twice a year and  writers' reading festivals in spring and autumn as well as some literary lectures.


* Surrounding environment In the surrounding area of the museum, there opens a beautiful mountain-climbing road, which are gracefully arranged together with the pine trees in the crevices of the granite mountain. It is placed in the cultural belt where Gana Art Center etc.


* History

Apr.14, 2001「Portraits of 104 Writers」 (1st exhibition celebrating the opening of the museum)
Sep.14, 2001「Writer's Painting and Calligraphics」( 2nd exhibition )
Apr.13, 2002「Pictorial-Calligraphic Folding Fan」 ( 3rd exhibition )
Sep. 7, 2002「Hand-written manuscripts and favorite objects of writers」 ( 4th exhibition )
Sep. 7, 2002 「the 1st Recital of Literary Works」
Apr.12, 2003 「Letter collections of Writers」( 5th exhibition )
Apr.12, 2003 「2nd Recital of Literary Works」
Sep. 6, 2003 「Exhibition of illustration in literature」( 6th exhibition )
Sep. 6, 2003 「3rd Recital of Literary Works」

Opening Hours
10:30 - 17:00

Admissions
3,000 for adult, 2,000 for student

Address : 474-27 Pyongchang-dong, jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-848, Korea
Telephone : 82-2-379-3182
Fax : 82-2-379-3181
http://youngin.org
E-mail : ashima@dreamwiz.com

It is a pleasure to imagine that Lee Hyo-suck's "When The Buckwheat Blooms", which reflect it's chocking whiteness in the moonlight, can be depicted in illustration of the deep imotion the readers get from their readings of a novel by means of illustration or picture may remove the happy abstract margin for them to enjoy. Though Chung Yak-Young's Jasan's Atlas of Fish(玆山魚譜) which has been newly evaluated provides a great help for the study of fishery resources in the districts along the sea coast, nevertheless it has no illustration for the map of fish. If it contains the illustrations of fish, the values and effect of the book may increase twice as much.

In the later Koryo dynasty, there existed the books of excellent illustraion such as 「大方廣佛華嚴」 written down in calligraphy using the glue mixed up with  gold powder on indigo paper, or the Chosun's 「嘉禮都監儀軌」(A book for wedding ceremony of Royale family). But these were not enough. The reason why the art of illustration in the period was not quite active was that it was not needed because of the role of calligraphy; in fact, there existed some distance between illustration and the lofty light gray shade of indian ink painting.

  The art of illustration originated when the peoples in both East and West began to draw it in order to visualize their religious contents to the maximum. In the ancient days when most of the people were illustrate, the illustration of the visual image was more impressive to the mind that a letter was.

  Then what is the value of a book? In case of belles-lettres, the contents of a book is one of the factors which determine the values of it. But the year of publication, the state of preservation, scarcity and the cover design are considered as the standards which the collectors evaluate the values of a book. If a book is the first edition, it is much more highly evaluated in value. But whether it held illustrations or not, and who draws them, are the very important factors determining the values of it. The edition in which illustraions appeared first is of couse the most valuable. Most of these books were published as a limited edition of 500-750 copies and each copy was registered for a serial number, and signed by its maker.

  Due to the deep emotion which it gives, the book itself is considered to be a work of art as a collected sculpture or architecture.

  Reflecting this trend of the time, a copy of Chancer's The Canterbury Tales was sold at the auction for $7,565,396, the highest bid price in the history to astonish the world; its coast amounts to 10 billions Won. This book is one of the extant nine(9) copies of the first edition which William Kokston published in 1442. What is the reason a copy of the book is so highly evaluated as if it were a famous painter's picture?

  The etymology  of illustraion in English or French is: "enlighten"; it is defined as the fuction of a lamp which shines on the original text. Is this a correct expression? As Dante described the illustration as "the smlie of a book," the books depicted in the bureaux of the copy writer's room in the monastery in the middle ages, were the splendidly colors copies. In the Gothic ages the monks went out of their monastery, holding up the books of illustrations woven the Bible with the classics for the lay believers.

  As seen in the Chartre church, the greatest cathedral in France, the building and the stain glass  corresponded to a book and an illustration respectively. The building is rising up toward the God, and the Catholic church building which consists of many symbols evokes a deep emotion with a feast of glittering lights which come through the stain glass. Even those who are illustrate find their pleasure in deciphering the message of the Bible through the illustrations which shine with many colors. As about 300 sheep skins were needed to make a copy of the Bible, so a myriad panes of the stain glass were used to enfold the window of 2 thousand square meters.

The craftmen who could color the glass in those days could be cliamed to be the true aritsts who devoted themselves to expressing the contents of the Bible. The invention of the art of printing not only changed the method of publishing a book but transformed the subject of publishing culture. The work of making a book was moved from the monastery monks(in the past) to the printing company. According to the history of illustration, its development went along with that of the woodcut print. Using the traditional woodcut print, Thomas Bewick(1753-1828) created a style of painting for the harmony of black line and white balnk space. By this skill, the books of excellent illustrations such as Poems by Goldsmith and Parmell and History of British Birds published.

  Many of those books of illustrations have been well-known for their contents. Though the illustrations were inserted in the books in order to nevertheless they were only for the books themselves. In some case,  the values of the books increase, simply because the illustrations function enough independently.

We read a book alone. Since illustration presents the feeling of third person in the process of our reading with a common chord established between author and reader, another special enjoyment can be gained from illustration. Even though the world of illustration is an independent area, it can give a greater effect and deep emotion when it combine with literature.

Since there are many writings concerning fans, I will limit my remarks to pictures, drawings and calligraphy tendered on folding fans.

"Samguk saki"(History of the There Kingdom.") tells us that Kyonwhon of late Paekche sent a peacock fan to Taejo, founding king of Koryo, in 918 upon being informed that the letter had ascended the throne. The history of fans in Korea thus dates back more than 1,000 years, although fans must have existed from prehistoric times.

In China, there are many stories associated with fans begining with the <Lichi>. China precedes Korea in written records concerning calligraphic and pictorial fans. The first reference to calligraphic fans in China concerns Wang-chih(307-365), who spotted and old woman's selling fans and made a calligraphic inscription on one of them. As for pictorial fans, it is said that Wang Hsien-chih, son of Wang Hui-chih dropped his brush on a fan while calligraphcally inscribing it by royal order, so he preceeded to draw a horse and a cow on it to cover the ink blot. Be that at it may, it is evident that fans of the time were not those of a folding style.

Records which note folding pictorial fans appear first in China, the 《Tuhuachienwenchih》 written by Kuo Jo-hsu of Northern Sung (1074). He says that envoys from Koryo used folding fans, and that the Chinese were charmed by the beautiful drawings of landscapes, flowers and plants, water birds and lotus rendered on them. In other words folding fans, called 《Jopson》 seem to have been invented in Koryo. The Chinese Hsu Ching mentioned also the folding pictorial fans of Koryo. And reference to Koryo's calligraphic-pictorial fans was left behind by Korean poet Lee Kyu-bo(1168-1241) in his 《Tongguk isangkukchib》. Pictorial or calligraphic fans were mutually exchanged among Koryo's high society. They also found their wat to China and Japan playing a role in promoting culture exchange among the east Asian neighbors.

  There are many records today concerning pictorial-calligraphic fans of Chosun dynasty(1392-1910), and also many fan artfacts still extants, but fans themselves crafted prior to the Japanese invasion of Korea in the sixteenth century are not extant today.  What remain are mostly folding pictorial fans made since 1600. There are few good folding pictorial fans still extants, although over ten artists left behind drawings (prior to addition of bamboo spokes). The most famous artists are Yoon Tu-Suh (1668-1715), Chong Son (1675-1759), Kang Se-hwang (1713-1791), Kim Hong-do (1745-1818), and Kim Cung Hee (1786-1857). Most of the drawings are in well-preserved condition since from the beginning. They were made not for fans of practical use but rather as works of art. In many cases, collectors of the past would detach the drawing the latter. Such paper of pictorial or "Musun" ("Shaman's fan") used by shamans contained drawings of Buddah and Heavenly Emperor, mountain spirits. tigers, peaches, fairies, the sun and the moon.

Pictorial and calligraphic works for folding fans have been produced in this century mostly by artists answering requests from friends or art lovers. The scale of drawings for folding fans is naturally small but most artists have adapted well to the limitations, evincing their full aesthetic concept and talent.

These artists briefly noted demonstrate not only a lofty spirit and outstanding aesthetic themselves, but also the high artistic sensibility of Koreans in general.