An Exploration of Western Graphic Design Art Movements Through the Korean Lens

Art history has historically centered around Western and European art. This creative thesis explores what Western graphic design movements could look like merged with Korean themes and subject matter. The movements in question include Art Nouveau, Plakatstil, Constructivism, Pop Art, and Memphis Design. What would Alphonse Mucha’s allegorical beauties look like if they were Asian? What would Korea look like represented through Ludwig Hohlwein’s reductive planes of color? Who would the celebrity-obsessed Andy Warhol make art about if it was a Korean actress? Each movement is combined with Korean events that occurred within the art movement’s lifespan. This amalgamation not only serves to put Korean history into chronological perspective but also shows the Westernization of Korea as the timeline surveyed begins before Japan’s colonization of Korea in the early 1900s and ends after Korea divides into two separate governments in 1984