11Founded in 1392, the Chos n dynasty developed a vigorous Neo-Confucian culture for over five hundred years. Entering its late years. however, as 19th-century Chos n society moved rapidly toward the modern age under Western influence, it experienced many changes in its dynastic system.
1The breakdown of social barriers between upper-class yangban(aristocrats) and lower-class sangmin(commoners) was particularly significant, for it caused disarray in every aspect of Chos n culture. For example, painting, which had previously been a privileged pastime of the yangban class, expanded, and there emerged a great number professional painters from the commoner class.
1Within this expanded base of painting activity, the tradition of literati painting was maintained by amateur yangban scholar-artists, whose education gave them mastery in the prerequisite genres of poetry, calligraphy, and painting essential to the production of literati art.
1Literati painters presented the world not as it appears but in its idealized form. Using ink and favoring light coloring, they avoided the sumptuous beauty of the external world, and strove to portray their scholarly idealism and aristocratic refinement in their painting. In these literati paintings we see the feelings and aspirations of late Chos n scholars, their subjective view of life and nature, and their utopian dreams for a new and better world.

11We hope the present exhibition of Chos n literati paintings will provide American museum audiences with an opportunity to be delighted by delighted by the charm of late Chos n expressiveness and to experience the tranquillity of Korean intellectualism. Many thanks to the Hyundai Group, the sponsor of this exhibition, to Dr. Lee Ki-seo, the director of the Korean Studies Institute, who envisioned this great American tour, and to Professor Kim Jae-youl who arranged the schedule for the exhibition in cooperation with the participating American universities.
1We also thank Professors Kwon Young'pil, Byun Young-sup, and Yi S ng-mi, who provided scholarly imput on Chos n literati painting and wrote excellent essays and entries for the catalog. For their supervisory efforts, Professor Yoo Young-dai, and three able members of my staff, Kim Woo-lim, Kim Sang-duk, and Bae Sung-hwan, are also greatly appreciated.
1A special note of thanks is made to the universities in the United States which gladly welcomed this exhibition to their campuses.
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