Jinju National Museum

Ink-and-wash paintings using gradations of ink are often regarded as classic examples 

of ancient Korean paintings. However, polychrome paintings have been the most com mon form created in Korea from ancient times until today. An impressive array of poly chrome paintings has been created, including Goguryeo tomb murals (which are consid ered the oldest known form of Korean painting), Buddhist paintings, portraits, landscape 

paintings, and decorative paintings. They were produced for various uses and in different 

formats, such as painting albums, hanging scrolls, and folding screens. A wealth of the 

existing Korean masterpieces are polychrome paintings.

Unlike ink-and-wash painting, which was enjoyed mainly by the literati, polychrome paint ings were favored by people from diverse social classes ranging from the royal family to 

commoners. Such polychrome paintings brilliantly illustrated visions of Buddhism, Daoism, 

and folk beliefs, realistically depicted people’s faces, captured scenes from banquets, refl ect ed the villages where people lived, and embodied people’s heart-felt wishes for wealth, fame, 

prosperity, health, and longevity.

This exhibition invites visitors to appreciate the beauty of various Korean polychrome 

paintings accompanying the lives of ancient Koreans and their wishes embedded in 

these paintings.