Research and significance on the Korean Stone Art History of Chowoo and Soomuk

Chowoo Hwang Su-young(1918~2011) and Soomuk Chin Hong-sup(1918~2010) both learned from Woohyun Ko Yu-seop, a pioneer and an early luminary of Korean art history. They were scholars who laid the groundwork for art history of today. Ko Yu-seop was from Incheon, but worked as the director of the Museum at Gaeseong, where Hwang and Chin were friends from childhood. The researches they made from Gaeseong helped to establish Korean art history as an academic field, and for this, they are often referred to as “Gaeseong Samgeol (Three Heroes of Gaeseong).” Their friendship that started at Gaeseong could be described as fortuitous. Hwang first understood the value of art history when on field research with Ko, and decided firmly to pursue the subject as he prepared and read the eulogy for Ko after his sudden death. As for Chin, he was much impressed by monuments around Gaeseong when on surveys with Ko and by what he learned about Korean history and art from him at the Gaeseong Museum. It was only natural that Chin took interest in art history and deeply felt the need for art historical research after finishing college. Hwang and Chin were pioneers of Korean art history who followed in the footsteps Ko, their teacher. They were mainly concerned with stone sculptures, forming the basis of art history today, and securing its position as an important part of Korean art history. Both Hwang and Chin’s main areas of interest were stone stupas and Buddhist sculptures from Three Kingdoms Dynasty, Unified Silla, and Goryeo, the same as Ko. Their method was fundamentally empirical but they did not disregard artistic style and written documents that were necessary for understanding and studying Stone sculptures. The two scholars’ achievements made it possible to determine the dates of stone sculptures and to understand the stylistic development and changes that set up a systematic method for stylistic analysis. Their achievements are significant as the basis and the fundamentals of Korean art history.