Christian Art of the Republic of Korea in the 21st Century: Main Trends, Goals, Discussions

The current research is devoted to the study of trends in Korean Christian art in the 21st century. In Korea, Christian art arose at the beginning of the 20th century and went through major changes. In the 21st century, it has been transformed under the influence of globalization and the diversity of artistic movements of the 20th century, and at the same time managed to become an important phenomenon reflecting the interaction of traditional values with modern expressions of faith and the means of art. The purpose of current research is to review and analyze current trends, goals and discussions arising on the topic of South Korean Christian art of the 21st century, which will provide a holistic understanding of the state of contemporary Christian art in the Republic of Korea. To realize the purpose of the study, we used such methods of art history and religious studies as the iconographic method, contextual approach and historical analysis. The source base for this research consists of 45 works by Korean artists created from the beginning of the 20th century to the present. Most of the paintings are in state museums and private collections. The theoretical basis of the research was the research of Korean scientists on Korean contemporary Christian art. The main conclusions of the research show that in South Korean Christian art, trends and goals remain in Koreanization of biblical stories and heroes, creating images of Korean martyrs, and reflecting sociocultural, religious and political tendencies of society. Among the discussions, we identified discussions about financial support for artists, limitations of topics, problems of attracting new religious artists and commercialization. In terms of art, there is a variety of styles, but the overall level is low. In general, contemporary Christian art in the Republic of Korea in the 21st century is going through a difficult stage and stagnation, but it will not lead to the complete extinction of religious painting in the country. Keywords: contemporary Korean art, contemporary Korean Christian art, Korean Christian art, Korean Catholic art, Korean Protestant art, goals of Korean Christian art, trends in Korean Christian art, discussions around Korean Christian art