| Creator | Bruno Barbey |
| Title | KOREA. SOUTH KOREA. Seoul. Kyeongbok palace. Guards exchange. 2007. |
| Date | 2007 |
| ARTstor Collection | Magnum Photos |
| ID Number | PAR332091.jpg |
I was drawn to choosing a picture from South Korea because I recently returned from a study abroad trip there. This one in particular stood out to me because of the fakeness of it. This picture is taken at the front gate of the Gyeongbokgung (Gyeonbeok palace), a huge palace in the heart of the busy metropolis of Seoul. No royal family lives in that palace. Very little of the palace even remains, between the destruction caused by fires and by the Japanese occupation, so many of the buildings that are on the palace grounds are built within the last 20 years, and much of the palace remains empty. And at the front gate, you have hired guards, who guard nothing - who are in fact guarded by their own safety rail (seen along the bottom of the picture). In the background, you have the corners of the next gate cut off by the vertical columns of the front gate, so you cannot see the majesty of the building, nor the fact that the roofs are designed to mimic the curves of the mountains behind them (mountains you cannot even see). On either side of the picture, you see modern tourists streaming past. Overall, the picture seems to communicate to me the sharp divide between past and present, the constraints that are placed around traditional culture by modern Korean culture. The historical places are hemmed in by the modern city, and must be protected from any further encroachment. But already, the wings of traditional have been clipped for the sake of modernity and commerce.
I seems like tradition is a strong influence there.
ReplyDeleteDid you do the GSLIS program in S. Korea?
I actually just returned from the Seoul GSLIS trip (which was incredible!). While I was there, I went to all of the palaces. Gyeongbokgung was, I felt, the least authentic, but its also the most conspicuous. It is right at the end of Sejong-ro, a major thoroughfair in the heart of Seoul, surrounded by high rises, government buildings, and there's a large walking space promenade that leads right up to the front gates, which has statues and an arts center and all kinds of things. So Gyeongbokgung is very showy.
DeleteTradition is indeed a strong influence, and its especially noticeable in group social interactions. But in terms of more material culture, they do still recognize and respect the past traditions, and there are performances of classical dancing and music. There are also shopping districts that specialize in traditional wares, though those are a little tourist-trappy these days.
I am drawn by the colors. The men in red are in stark contrast to their background, but the men in blue almost fade into the shadows. Do you have any idea what the significance is of the colors?
ReplyDeleteI'm going off what I know from watching lots of historical dramas and a bit of basic, for-fun research about clothes and class structure. Within the palace structure, class if very important, and was clearly marked by clothes. The lower officials, including servants, eunuchs, and lesser noblemen, wore darker colors, often blues and greens. Brighter and richer colors are reserved for higher class individuals. For example, ministers (of war, of state, etc.) would dress in red robes with an elaborate embroidered panel on the front. Those nobles who worked under the minister would wear deep blues and greens and sometimes purples. The king also wore a loooot of red and gold. So, I assume the same general structure applies to the guards for the palace - red would be officers, who often came from noble families or were sons of nobles, and the blues and greens are for the run of the mill soldiers. My guess is that the man in the red hat is the highest ranking officer in this photo, followed by the two soldiers in red with black hats, and then followed by the blue-robed soldiers.
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