Digital Commons@RISD Home > Division of Liberal Arts > Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive) > Special Volumes
Abstract
In Korean traditional aesthetics, discussions on newness are rare. The tendency to value old things and recognize them as standards is deeply rooted in Korean culture, and such customs seem to be no exception in aesthetics. It cannot be denied that Korean arts also has a social tendency towards tradition, which has been dominated by morality, and thus reflects past-centered or past-recalling ways of thinking rather than dynamic or forward-looking ways of thinking. Then, what does artistic creation mean in Korean culture? Is creation possible? In my view, the logic of change and development does not seem to gain much support in Korean thought. I will examine the ideas of newness by two Korean literati, Lee Gyubo and Park Jiwon, and reconsider the meaning of artistic creation. In Korean culture, artistic creation is focused on the preservation and transmission of valuable standards, rather than new changes or developments, and looked-for encounters with prominent personalities.