Do you see what I see?

With the invention of ch’aekkado, artists started to experiment with new Western techniques they picked up in China or from imported books. These techniques included linear perspective, chiaroscuro (the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, see fig. 1) and trompe l’oeil (“fool one’s eyes”, which refers to hyper-realistic optical illusions of three-dimensional space, see fig. 2). Such elements were not found in Korean painting before this time, and we see how ch’aekkado opened up a space for painters to explore these techniques. Trompe l’oeil especially stirred up lots of reactions from its onlookers. Sunglim Kim and Joy Kenseth, “From Europe to Korea: The Marvelous Journey of Collectibles in Painting,” in Chaekgeori: The Power and Pleasure of Possessions in Korean Painted Screens, eds. Byungmo Chung & Sunglim Kim (Seoul: Dahal Media, 2018): 18-32.

Whenever King Chŏngjo showed his court such a hyper realistic ch’aekkado, he enjoyed tricking his ministers and seeing their reactions. In a recorded dialogue between Chŏngjo and his subjects it is written: “Looking back at [the] bookshelf behind the throne, His Highness asked his officials, ‘Do you see them?’ ‘Yes, we see them,’ answered the officials. Then, His Highness smiled and said, ‘These are not real books, but paintings.’” The original text reads: 顧視御座後書架，謂入待大臣曰，卿能見之乎？對曰，見之矣，笑而教曰，豈卿真以爲書耶? 非書而畫耳。Both the Chinese text and the English translation I have taken from Sunglim Kim, “Chaekgeori: Multi-Dimensional Messages in Late Joseon Korea,” Archives of Asian Art 64, no. 1 (2014): 7 & 30. By introducing new techniques to his court, Chŏngjo profiled himself as an accomplished literatus and as a leader who kept up with the times, which strengthened his authority. Ibid., 7.