Depictions of female nudes in Korea in the 1930s and 1940s

Nude painting has a long tradition in Europe. What about nude painting in East Asia - particularly Korea and Japan? Is there an equally deep-rooted tradition of nude painting there, especially of female figures? The fact is that nude painting has been increasingly prevalent in both Japan and Korea since 1910, but there are not many academic studies dealing with the beginnings of this genre in Korea. The beginning of the 20th century in Korea was a difficult political period, but it promoted female nudes, with Japan playing a decisive role in this. The models for this can be found in European art history. This publication examines the unique development of Korean art during the modernisation phase from the perspective of a transcultural phenomenon and uses comparative analysis to provide insight into selected depictions of female nudes.