Moon and Jar

Kim Whanki is one of many twentieth-century Korean artists who admired and collected Joseon decorative arts. Especially fond of porcelains, he frequently featured them in his paintings, sketches, and magazine illustrations. Moon and Jar exemplifies Kim’s keen sense of color, adroit brushwork, and use of segmentation. While the background may seem abstract, the title guides us to read the circle as the moon, its diameter echoing the jar’s. Kim has in fact been credited (anecdotally) with giving this type of vessel the name “moon jar.”

The painting treats the jar as an art object, rather than as an auspicious symbol or visual pun as in earlier Korean still-life painting, but it also carries a poignant nostalgia. Much of Kim’s collection was lost or destroyed during the Korean War (1950–53). Later, while in Paris (1956–59) and New York (1963–74), he found comfort and inspiration in Joseon objects, which he continued to collect.