Orientations | Volume 51 Number 3 | MAY/JUNE 2020 2 Courtesans and Commoners: Satire and Eulogy in 18th Century Joseon Genre Paintings Mia Y. Ma K orea’s tradition of paintings of daily life can be traced back to the Three Kingdoms period (57 BCE–668 CE), with such images generally depicting the exclusive and luxurious lives of the upper classes (Huh, 1994, p. 58). However, in the 18th century the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910) witnessed the flourishing of a new genre, which focused on the lives of the common people. This emerging shift in artistic taste is thought to have been a response to broader changes in the sociopolitical climate, brought about by the fall of China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644) (Chung Y. M., 1993, p. 59). The main focus of this article is the genre paintings of two artists, Kim Hongdo (Gim Hongdo; c. 1745– after 1806) and Sin Yunbok (c. 1758–?), in relation to Korea’s radical Sirhak (‘practical learning’) social movement and its conflict with the traditional Confucian moral doctrine underpinning the country’s strict class distinctions. Although their genre scenes have different focuses and political implications—the former mainly depicting the welfare of commoners and the latter satirizing affairs between gisaeng (female courtesans) and profligate yangban (aristocrats)—the two artists’ works have equal significance in terms of artistic innovation and as social documents of the late Joseon dynasty. The political and cultural ties between Ming China and Joseon Korea were close, both countries operating within the framework of Confucian philosophy. In 1644, the conquest of China by the Manchus , who were descendants of the non- Confucian Jurchen people of the Jin dynasty (1115– 1234), marked a turning point in terms of both the world order of East Asia and the ways in which the Korean people viewed their own cultural identity. Around this period, Joseon scholars were questioning for the first time the central status of China as the leader of civilization and were beginning to believe that Korea was the only authentic and sincere adherent to Confucianism (Hyun, 2004). This trend was mirrored in literature, poetry and visual arts, which shifted towards the themes of Korean natural landscapes and the Korean way of life. The emphasis on originality, perception and self-reflection came as a breath of fresh air for 18th century Korean culture (Huh, 1994, p. 60). This ideological transformation was also closely associated with Sirhak. The movement originated with a group of scholars who criticized the yangban class for exploiting lower-class labourers and leading extravagant lives without contributing anything to the country’s welfare. The Joseon caste system was composed of six classes: yangban (aristocrats), chungin (middle class), sangmin (commoners), cheonmin (vulgar commoners), baekjeong (untouchables) and nobi (slaves). Interestingly, the scholars who advocated the well-being of the common people belonged to the yangban class. In order to improve living conditions for the wider population, they argued, the government should adopt an empirical and practical approach in which technology, agriculture, commerce and education would be further developed (Kim K. P., 1983, p. 37). One of these radical scholars, Yun Chung (1629–1714), stated: ‘… the people can exist without the King, while the King