Saturday University Lecture Series: Color in Asian Art - Material and Meaning

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Dip into dimensions of color and pigment in Asian art with eight in depth talks. From legend and ritual, to trade and cultural exchange, to technical innovation and changing artistic practices—the use of bold colors has been considered alternatively excessive, precious, or brilliant throughout history. What rare pigments and closely guarded techniques produced some artworks, and what artistic innovations and social changes produced others? Join us to enjoy a spectrum of talks on colors produced from the earth, sea, fire, plants, and insects.

Korean Culture in Five Colors
Sunglim Kim, Dartmouth College

Explore the traditional five-color system of East Asia in its Korean expressions, which identified the elemental colors as white, black, blue/green, red, and yellow. Kim’s talk investigates the pigments used, color associations, and their use in various art media including painting, ceramics, textiles, architecture, and even food.

About the Presenter

Sunglim Kim is Associate Professor of Korean Art History at Dartmouth College, specializing in material and visual culture of Premodern Korea. Her book, Flowering Plums and Curio Cabinets: The Culture of Objects in Late Choson Korean Art, was published in 2018. She also co-organized a 2016-17 traveling exhibition, The Power and Pleasure of Possessions in Korean Painted Screens, and co-edited the exhibition catalogue. She is currently working on a second book, on the subject of women, art, and gender in modern Korea.

OTHER LECTURES IN THIS SERIES

OCT 3

Dragon's Blood and the Blood of Dragons

OCT 10

The Colors of Space and Time

OCT 17

Shades of Green and White

OCT 24

Pigments and Artistic Interventions

OCT 31

Indigo in Two 15th-century Chinese Paintings

NOV 7

Korean Culture in Five Colors

NOV 14

Colors of the Earth, Colors of the Sky

NOV 21

Turquoise, The Sky Blue Stone

QUESTIONS? CONTACT US

gardnercenter@seattleartmuseum.org