The Gimpo Folk Painting Society, which was immersed in the charm of folk paintings and started out with only an interest in drawing traditional folk paintings, achieved another great feat last fall, following the holding of a props exhibition and winning the grand prize at the 3rd Sehwa Exhibition.
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The 2023 Seoul Hanji Cultural Festival, hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and organized by the Traditional Hanji Craftsmen’s Association, marked the grand finale of the exhibition by unveiling the 23-meter-sized Banchado of King Jeongjo’s tomb created by the society. The leader of the work Hyewon Lee said “At first, I couldn’t dare. Not only was the scale of the work so large, but it also required the energy of many folk painting artists. I am very grateful to the artists who took time out of their busy schedules to participate. Since this is the part where everyone joins forces to create a single record, we were able to complete the banchado together by sometimes suppressing each person’s individuality so that it does not stand out, or by encouraging and giving advice.
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After it was completed, when it was unveiled for the first time at the Gamgodang-gil Hanji Festival, I was truly moved. In addition, it was rewarding and happy to see so many people appreciate the Neunghaeng Banchado, especially through the Seoul Hanji Cultural Festival.” For this Banchado, they prepared high-quality Hwangchokgyu paper, dyed it with gardenia and coffee beans, made glue, divided each page, made candles, raised the undercolor, and wrote Chinese characters without putting any effort into it. This work by the Society is very meaningful and memorable in that it was able to capture the extensive journey of King Jeongjo during the Joseon Dynasty on paper and share it with the general public.
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Banchado is a painting depicting scenes of various royal ceremonies and refers to a chart recording the order in which civil and military officials who participated in the event are lined up according to their duties and ranks. King Jeongjo, the 22nd king of the Joseon Dynasty, visited Hwaseong (Suwon) and Hyeonryungwon (Crown Prince Sado’s tomb) with his mother, Hyegyeonggunghong, in February 1795 to commemorate the 60th birthday of his father, Crown Prince Sado, and recorded the process in detail and compiled ‘Eulmyojeongguiwe’.
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This book depicts the king’s entourage leaving Changdeokgung Palace and heading to Hwaseong, accompanied by 1,779 people and 779 horses. This Banchado, drawn by leading scholars of the time such as Kim Hong-do, majestically expresses the dignity and order of the dynasty, while also standing out for its optimistic and free-spirited depiction of characters. This banchado, which is a royal record painting and reminiscent of a large genre painting, has valuable historical value as it allows us to examine the formality, attire, costumes, and band composition of the procession at the time.
