Appropriation and Innovation in Japanese and Korean Art

In East Asia, as in other parts of the world, artists often honed their craft by copying the works of past masters. Referring to or incorporating the idioms of these artists of the past was often viewed by contemporary audiences as a necessary criterion for a work of artistic sophistication. Thus, innovation was tied to the reinterpretation of historical models. In engaging tradition, artists in Japan and Korea drew from not only the work of their own artistic schools but also those imported from China. As a result, in Japan and Korea even the most contemporary artwork can be imbued with layered references to the past.