External Growth and Internal Crisis: Western Art History in the Adolescent Stage(2011-2014)

Abstract

The article reviews the current state of Western art history in Korea, focussing on the latest years from 2011 to 2014. When we survey the published results of these 4 years, we can find out that this relatively new discipline has grown quite rapidly even in comparison with the phase of the previous years. 310 articles were published in the field of Western art history excluding the theses and dissertations for degree. A lot more significant change rather than the quantitative growth has occurred in the aspect of specializations and concentrations. Although still limited in numbers, new scholars were supplemented in the minor fields like Ancient and Medieval periods, Northern European Renaissance and Baroque art. Also there are several attempts of interdisciplinary studies and expanding disciplinary boundaries, especially in the established major field of comtemporary art history. It is paradoxical, yet true to say, that such an external growth provoked internal crisis in the discipline. The Korean scholars in the field of Western art history are forced to trace various conflicting theories, methodologies, and perspectives which they absorbed from abroad simultaneously back to the historiographical contexts, and to rebuild their own concept of the disciplinary identity.