Keith Robertson, Elspet: Elizabeth Keith‘s Korea As It Was

This book is a valuable collection that brings together paintings by Elizabeth Keith, a Western artist who captured the fading sceneries of the old Joseon in vivid colors, along with anecdotes and explanations. This is based on the book by Keith, Old Korea: The Land of Morning Calm, published in 1946 in the United Kingdom, with a rich addition of a total collection of Keith‘s Korea-inspired paintings and research by Professor Young-dahl Song, who specializes in Keith‘s artworks as a collector and scholar. It took him almost 30 years to complete his Keith collection. Despite her world acclaim, Elizabeth Keith was little known in Korea. We can have a brighter picture of the late Joseon Dynasty years, as she photographically painted these sceneries with in-depth understanding and deep affection for the Korean culture and Koreans. This book digitalized 85 artworks by Keith on Korea, from watercolor paintings to woodcut prints in super high-definition quality, and also printed them on quality pieces of paper that are fit for art brochures in order to present them in forms that are as original as possible. Also, the stories and explanations told by Professor Young-dahl Song, who has studied Keith‘s life and artworks for several decades, offer further understanding of readers. By publishing this English-language book, which redefines the relations between Keith and Korea in the richest way possible, readers in the English-speaking territory can now enjoy a look into the old landscape of Korea, which was loved by Keith but being forgotten. Readers can also enjoy appreciating Keith‘s exotic paintings that were reborn in the best-ever color and quality.