Minhwa artist Kim Kyung-hee stands subsequent to her work “Paljundo,” that includes eight horses throughout an interview with The Korea Instances in her Seoul residence studio, Dec. 26, 2025. Korea Instances photograph by Kim Se-jeong
When Kim Kyung-hee first picked up a standard Korean paint brush, she wasn’t chasing a lifelong dream. A former stay-at-home mother with a grasp’s in Western portray, she was recovering from sickness and trying to find one thing to anchor her once more.
What she discovered, unexpectedly, was minhwa — a once-dismissed type of Korean people portray rooted in on a regular basis hopes and symbols of fine fortune.
“Throughout that interval of relaxation, I requested myself what I actually needed to do,” she recalled in an interview with The Korea Instances at her residence studio. “That’s after I enrolled in a people portray class.”
That call reshaped her life. Right this moment, Kim is a full-time minhwa artist whose colourful work echo centuries of custom whereas connecting with a brand new technology of viewers.
“Hojakdo” is a well-liked model of minhwa that includes a tiger and magpies. Courtesy of Nationwide Museum of Korea
Minhwa flourished throughout the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), created primarily by nameless, non-elite artists. Not like courtroom or litrerati portray, it was intently tied to on a regular basis life, beliefs and rituals, typically adorning abnormal properties.
Frequent topics embody animals, flowers, birds, fish and books — all imbued with auspicious meanings. These pictures had been believed to convey luck, chase away misfortune and have fun milestones resembling weddings and birthdays.
Stylistically, minhwa is characterised by daring colours, flat spatial composition, a single perspective and playful distortions of actuality, giving the works a vigorous, expressive high quality.
For lengthy, minhwa was thought of part of boring custom that no one paid consideration to. That started altering lately as hallyu, or the Korean wave, raised the attention of conventional Korean tradition in and out of doors the nation.
In 2025, the shift was accelerated with the recognition of the Netflix animated movie “KPop Demon Hunters.”
Derpy, a blue supernatural creature within the movie, evokes the humorous tiger figures that ceaselessly seem in “hojakdo,” a preferred model of minhwa, typically alongside magpies perched on a pine tree.
“Chaekgado,” a portray depicting books, a bookcase and stationery objects, by minhwa artist Kim Kyung-hee / Courtesy of Kim Kyung-hee
For minhwa artists like Kim, the pattern is a nice shock.
“I’m pleased to see a brand new motion during which custom is considered as one thing enticing reasonably than troublesome,” the 55-year-old stated. “I imagine guiding this public curiosity past a passing pattern — towards a deeper appreciation of conventional aesthetics — is a significant accountability for me as an artist.”
Though she got here to minhwa with coaching in Western portray, the style initially felt unfamiliar. “I couldn’t perceive why minhwa didn’t use shading, for instance. I bombarded the teacher with questions,” Kim stated with amusing.
What started as curiosity quickly grew to become one thing extra. “With minhwa, I skilled a degree of immersion that fully drew me in,” she stated. “Over time, it grew to become each a sanctuary and a driving drive in my life.”
Now, she is an award-winning artist with worldwide exhibitions. Final 12 months alone, she received a prize on the Korean People Portray Awards organized by the Chosun Minhwa Museum in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province, adopted by an Excellence Award from Seoul-based Ikseon Arts Heart.
Her works have been exhibited internationally in China, Switzerland and Singapore, with two solo exhibitions thus far. One other present is scheduled for Japan this summer time.
“Chochungdo” a portray by Shin Saimdang, a celebrated feminine artist within the Joseon Dynasty / Courtesy of Nationwide Museum of Korea
Varieties of minhwa
Minhwa is broadly divided into greater than a dozen varieties in accordance with material and theme. What issues most will not be the precise depiction however the symbolism behind every motif.
“Sansuhwa” depicts landscapes — significantly bushes, waterfalls, rivers and clouds — typically accompanied by boats, fish and fishermen. Quite than emphasizing inventive realism, every factor carries symbolic meanings that had been broadly understood and valued by abnormal folks, the first viewers for such works.
Seen is an unattributed “hwajodo” portray from the late Joseon period. Many minhwa works are nameless, reflecting their origins amongst abnormal folks reasonably than courtroom or elite artists. Courtesy of Gyeonggi Province Museum
“Jangsaengdo” is one other well-known kind of minhwa, that includes motifs symbolizing longevity resembling deer, rocks, pine bushes, turtles, bamboo, the solar, the moon and clouds.
“Hwahwedo” focuses on flowers, representing wealth (peonies), fertility (lotus flowers) and youthfulness (roses).
“Sogwado,” portrays vegatables and fruits symbolizing fertility (pomegranates and peaches), everlasting life (nectarines) and prosperity for descendants (grapes).
“Hwajodo” depicts flowers and birds, symbolizing longevity (cranes), profession success (cranes), purity (herons) and marital concord (wild geese and mandarin geese).
Extra kinds embody “chuksudo,” which options family animals symbolizing prosperity and security; “eohaedo,” which depicts fish symbolizing prosperity and profession success; “chaekgado,” that are work of books, bookcases and stationery objects; “chochungdo,” which portrays vegetation and bugs; and “munjado,” a mix of portray and calligraphy.
Whereas most minhwa painters stay nameless, some had been well-known and extremely educated. Shin Saimdang (1504-1551), a celebrated artist, poet and calligrapher and the mom of Confucian scholar Yi I, was recognized for her chochungdo work, distinguished by eager statement and meticulous method.
Regardless of her training and social standing, her work was nonetheless categorized as minhwa largely as a result of she was a girl, reflecting the Confucian social hierarchy of the Joseon period.
Artist Kim Kuyng-hee’s two “chaekgeori” (books and issues) work utilizing the identical template. Whereas the portray on the left contains a dragon, the portray on the proper has a carp. Courtesy of Kim Kyung-hee
Template and goal
In keeping with Kim, two parts are important to understanding minhwa.
First, many people work start with templates.
“After I paint minhwa, I begin by tracing a primary template,” she defined. “I then make it my very own by including or eradicating topics, in accordance with my interpretation.”
For instance, one in every of Kim’s “chaekgeori” (books and issues) work options books and different literary objects with a carp. However in one other virtually similar model, she changed the fish with a dragon.
“I painted them for 2 completely different exhibitions. For the exhibition in Switzerland, I added the carp. However I changed the carp with a dragon after I was engaged on work for an exhibition in China.”
Kim Kyung-hee’s “hwahwedo” portray that includes lotus flowers / Courtesy of Kim Kyung-hee
The second defining characteristic is goal.
“Minhwa is basically about wishing for luck,” Kim stated. “Each topic carries that means — fish symbolize prosperity and fertility, tigers supply safety and books signify success in a single’s profession.”
Artwork historian Yoon Yeol-soo of Dongguk College famous this in his 2022 e book on minhwa.
“Whereas an paintings usually displays the creator’s particular person worldview, minhwa embodies the collective aesthetic and shared values of abnormal folks. It was not painted solely as artwork, however as a response to on a regular basis wants,” he wrote.
Kim paints a variety of topics, however she is especially drawn to peaches and horses, with the latter gaining extra resonance this 12 months, the 12 months of the Horse.
“Horses aren’t generally present in conventional minhwa,” she stated. “However I really like their dynamism. They be happy — capable of go anyplace.”
The artist expressed frustration at how minhwa has lengthy been perceived in Korea.
“As a result of it’s accessible and doesn’t require formal training to start, folks are likely to look down on it,” she stated. “However like some other artwork kind, it calls for deep understanding and dedication.”
Kim, who now teaches at a group middle in Seoul, the place she has about 24 college students, has observed renewed curiosity amongst them as effectively. She hopes this rising enthusiasm will result in a reassessment of the artwork kind.
“I remorse that minhwa has typically been handled as a memento,” Kim stated. “It deserves rather more respect.”
