|
Paintings
Bronze Age depictions of humans
and animals, in the form of petroglyphs, offer the earliest
evidence of painting in the Korean peninsula. But it
is in the wall paintings of tombs of the kingdom of
Koguryo (37 BC~AD 668) that are found the true beginnings
of painting. Although few paintings survive from the
Three Kingdoms period or the subsequent Unified Silla,
Buddhist devotional works produced during the Koryo
dynasty (918 ~1392). Recently, some Buddhist paintings
from the Koryo period, such as the famous Water-moon
Avalokitesvara,' have provided a glimpse of the advanced
level of the period's painting.
Unidentified
Artist (early 14th century)
Water-Moon Avalokiteshvara
Koryo dynasty (918~1392)
Hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, 113.7 x 55.3
cm |
This superb painting depicts one of the most
popular Buddhist deities during the Koryo period
(918~1392). The usual attributes of this deity
are present in this portrayal: the image of Amitabha
Buddha in his crown and the willow branch that
symbolizes healing, displayed in a kundika bottle
placed in a clear glass or crystal bowl. Avalokiteshvara
is attired in beautiful robes and sashes, with
intricate gold details on his jewelry and clothing.
Holding a crystal rosary in his right hand, he
is seated on a rocky outcropping with his right
leg crossed and his left foot placed on a lotus-flower
support.
At the top of the painting, above the nimbus
and aureole, is a depiction of a moon, where a
hare pounds the elixir of immortality under a
cassia tree, a theme based on a well-known Chinese
legend. Shown in worship of the deity are the
boy Sudhana, who appears in the sutra on which
the Water-Moon iconography is partially based,
and a retinue of officials and supernatural beings
offering precious gift
|
Evidence of painting in Korea
is more complete for the Choson dynasty (1392 ~1910).
Early Choson painting is represented by the landscapes
of the preeminent painter An Kyon (act. ca. 1440), who
drew upon Chinese themes, techniques, and critical traditions.
From his innovative interpretations of these sources,
An Kyon developed a distinctively Korean landscape idiom
that was continued by his many followers.
|
These landscape paintings reflect the style of
the school of the influential court artist An
Kyon (act. ca. 1440) in their dramatic brushwork
and use of discrete landscape elements to define
space.
Depicted are two scenes from the Eight Views
of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers, a Chinese pictorial
and poetic theme that was popular in the Choson
dynasty (1392~1910 AD). The theme celebrates the
landscape of the Lake Dongting region, in the
modern Chinese province of Hunan, into which the
two rivers flow.
The poems extol the region's luxuriant beauty
and romantic aura as a place of retreat and reclusion,
aspects that are traditionally associated with
the legend of Qu Yuan, a statesman of ancient
China who was banished to the south because of
false accusations against him, and finally, in
despair over his fate, drowned himself there.
|
Unidentified
Artist (late 15th~16th century)
Wild Geese Decending to Sandbar
Choson dynasty (1392~1910) |
|
Works that can be confidently
assigned to individual artists become more numerous
in the mid- and late-Choson period. Among the most important
of these painters is Chong Son (1676~1759), traditionally
acknowledged as the leading exponent of true-view landscapes,
a new trend in painting in Korea in the eighteenth century
that advocated the depiction of actual Korean scenery
as an alternative to the classical themes of Chinese
painting.
Chong
Son (1676~1759)
Chongang-sa Temple
Choson dynasty
Fan mounted as a hanging scroll, ink and light color
on paper, 22.7 x 61.5 cm
The National Museum of Korea, Seoul
Chong
Son (1676~1759), one of the most important painters
of the eighteenth century, synthesized in his long career
diverse artistic sources into a style of great originality
and individuality. His innovations and range are evident
in his numerous depictions of Mount Kumgang (Diamond
Mountain), a celebrated mountain range in KangWon Province.
In addition to overall views of the region, he produced
a number of small scenes portraying the many famous
sites at this popular destination, one of which is this
view of the Chongang-sa Temple.
Other subjects favored by Choson
painters include scholarly themes, such as plum and
bamboo, and portraits. Genre painting, whose acknowledged
master practitioners were Kim Hong-do (1745~1806) and
Sin Yun-bok (1758 after 1813), portrayed the daily life
of the Korean people in all its variety and liveliness.
The intellectual
ferment in Korea during the eighteenth century included
a renewed emphasis on the continuation and establishment
of native traditions of philosophy, history, and
art. An important result of this emphasis was the
flourishing of a unique tradition of genre painting,
as exemplified by Kim Hong-do (1745~1806).
Renowned for his versatility as well as his prodigious
talent, he excelled in landscapes, portraits, Buddhist
and Daoist themes, and paintings of plants and animals.
Kim depicted the daily life of all classes of Choson
society, leaving an abundance of pictorial evidence
of this period of Korean history.
|
Kim
Hong-do (1745~1806)
Genre Paintings: Dancer and
Musicians Choson dynasty Two leaves from an
album of twenty-five; ink and light color
on paper, 28 x 24 cm
The National Museum of Korea, Seoul
Treasure no. 527 |
|
| This album leaf, among the most famous
of Kim's genre paintings, portrays a facet of village
life with an unerring candor and a sense of humor.
Such lively animated compositions demonstrate Kim's
unique talent for sensitive observations of individual
personalities and narrative detail. |
 |
Typical of Sin Yun-bok (ca. 1758 after 1813)
genre paintings is this depiction of a kisaeng,
or courtesan, enjoying a quiet rest from practice
on a reed instrument (saenghwang) as she smokes
a long tobacco pipe.
Her sprawled knees and careless hairdo create
an effect of voyeurism that enhances the eroticism
of the lush garden filled with lotus flowers.
The plant's large leaves and blossoms provide
a perfect vehicle for the sensual air and subtle
colors of Sin Yun-bok's limpid, exquisitely detailed
painting style.
|
Sin
Yun-bok (ca. 1758
after 1813)
Woman by a Lotus Pond
Choson dynasty dated 1805
Album leaf; ink and light color on silk, 29.6 x
24.8 cm
The National Museum of Korea, Seoul |
|
