11Korean scholar-painters of the Choson period (1392¡­1910) were innovative and eclectic artists who did not restrict themselves to the narrow range of styles and subject matter in the orthodox lineage of literati painting (wen-jen hua) that developed in China and was transmitted to Korea.
1In addition to pursuing the orthodox literati mode, Korean scholars also developed a native style of "true-view" landscape painting, accomodated the antithetical styles of the Che school of China, and incorporated Korean humor into their works. However, being men of letters who were imbued with the 'fragrance of writing' and the 'spirit of books,' Korean scholar-painters naturally found their deepest spiritual and intellectual affinity in the ideals and styles of literati painting.

11What is literati painting? It is painting that is produced by scholars as a pastime to express their feelings away from the rigors of study and officialdom.
1Although it was an amateur avocation, it was done in accordance with styles that had to be learned and imitated. Such a concept of painting first developed in China during the Northern Sung period (960¡­1127), and was later established as the orthodox tradition of painting during the Ming period (1368¡­1644) by Tung Ch'i-ch'ang (1555¡­1636), in his theory of the "Northern and Southern schools" of painting.

11During the early days of the Choson dynasty which inherited the painting styles of the Koryo period (918¡­1392), the painting of the 'Four Gentlemen' (plum, orchid, chrysanthemum and bamboo) became fashionable, especially the painting of bamboo. This early tradition of scholarly painting, which is closely linked to the art of calligraphy, prevailed all through the Choson period, and led to establishment of a characteristic style of "Choson ink bamboo.
1" This Korean style of painting bamboo in monochrome ink can be seen in the current exhibition in the works of Yu Tok-chang (1694¡­1774), Im Hui-ji (b. 1765) and Sin Wi (1769¡­1845).

11In landscape painting, classical Chinese literati modes of landscape art such as that of the Sung literatus Mi Fu (1051¡­1107) were introduced to Korea from China as early as the late 15th century by a group of painters of the Choson Royal Academy of Painting. But it was only in the 18th century, during the reign of King Yongjo (r. 1725¡­1776) that the literati landscape style of the so-called "Southern school" in China, particularly of the Suchow (Wu) region, became fashionable in Korea. This boom in literati-style landscape painting was facilitated by the introduction of printed books such as the Painting Manual Compiled by Mr. Ku, the Painting Models for T'ang Poetry, and the Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting and original Chinese paintings.
1 The painters most active during this early period of Southern school landscape painting in Korea include Sim Sa-jong (1707¡­1769), Kang Se-hwang (1713¡­1791) and Yi In-sang (1710¡­1760). Sim Sa-jong made important contributions to the establishment of this new style of literati landscape which came to be called the "Choson Southern school" with his characteristic ink method. In contrast, Kang Se-hwang's landscapes demonstrate a more typically Chinese style of Southern school painting, but the trend during the 18th century was toward the Koreanization of Chinese literati painting.
1This trend can be seen in the landscapes of Chong Su-yong (1743¡­1831), Hong Tae-yon (1746¡­1826) and Yi Pang-un (b. 1761). However, in the first half of the 19th century, further Koreanization of Chinese literati painting was halted and painters tended to adhere to a more purely Chinese tradition of literati painting.
1This was led by Kim Chong-hui (1786¡­1856), and disseminated by later followers such as Cho Hui-ryong (1789¡­1866), Ho Ryon (1809¡­1892) and Yi Ha-ung (1820¡­1898).

11Although Choson literati painting was produced mainly by amateur scholar-painters of the yangban or upper class, professional painters of lower chung'in or "middle people" status also embraced and made contributions to the style.
1On display in this exhibition are literati-style works by such professional artists as Kim Hong-do (1745¡­ca. 1806), Ch'oe Puk (1712¡­ca. 1786) and Cho Chong-gyu (1791¡­ca. 1862).
 
11The term "true-view" landscape refers to paintings of actual scenes. The rise of Neo-Confucianism, particularly Sirhak or "School of Practical Learning," beginning in the late 17th century aroused a national self-consciousness which encouraged painters to depict actual scenes of Korean life and landscape.
1 Previously, when Korean artists painted landscapes, they tended to model their compositions on prototypes transmitted from China. Many Korean scholar-painters in the first half of the 18th century, such as Sim Sa-jong, Kang Se-hwang, Ho P'il (1709¡­1768) and Yi Yun-yong (1714¡­1759) painted Korean scenary.
1Ho P'il's fan painting of Mt. Kumgang shows the exact locations of all the scenic spots in the Diamond Mountains seem from a "bird's-eye" perspective. Also on display are three fan paintings by Yi Yun-yong which depict the poetic wind-swept beauty of Kwandong on Korea's eastern seacoast. But it was Chong Son (1676¡­1759) who devoted his life to depicting the rivers and mountains of the peninsula and became the founder of a native school of "Choson 'true-view' landscape painting." 11Born into an improvished scholar family, Chong-Son pursued the study of Confucian classics and traveled widely throughout Korea to realize his idea of "true-view" landscape. He left many "true-view" paintings of the scenic spots of the Diamond mountains, Kwandong, the Han River, and Seoul and its environs.
1Mt. Kumgang and Ch'ongp'ung-kye Valley shown here are representative of his "true-view" style. In Mt. Kumgang, Chong has combined the "Mi-dots" of Chinese literati painting with his own unique brush techniques and vision of the natural world to produce an enduring masterpiece of universal appeal.
1 In the Ch'ongp'ung-kye Valley, he has transformed the "axe-cut" brushstrokes typical of Chinese Che school painting into a powerful and distinctive technique for depicting the effects of light and shade on landscape. In the 18th century, particulary after mid century, professional artists also took up the painting of "true-views" and made important contributions to the genre.
1 The court painter Kim Hong-do's elegant and detailed "true-view" style is represented here in his Pugil-yong Military Base and Namsu-yong Military Base.
 
11Prior to the rise of Southern school literati-style painting in the early 18th century, Korean scholar-painters embraced the academic styles of the Che school which developed in the 15th century in the Chekiang region of China. Apparently the earlier scholar-painters of the Choson period found strong emotional affinity with the rustic sentiments, the "axe-cut" brushstrokes, the strong ink method, and the dramatic contrasts between black and white which is characteristic of the Che school style. 11This differs from Chinese scholar-painters who tended to keep their distance from the Che school because they considered the school's showy brushwork and ink method too "wild and herterodox."

11Choson scholar-painters who travelled as envoys to Ming China played a pivotal role in the establishment of Che school painting in Korea, which became the main trend of landscape painting in Korea from the late 16th through the 17th century.
1 In the present exhibition, Yi Kyong-yun (1545¡­1611), Kim Sik (1579¡­1662), and Yi Ching (1581¡­ca. 1645) are representative Choson scholar-painters who painted in the Che school manner. Kim Sik, and his grandfather, Kim Che (1524¡­1593), painted landscapes and ox paintings in a Koreanized Che school manner, as seen in Kim Sik's Water Buffalo.
1Yi Kyong-yun's Album of Figures in Landscape demonstrates his mastery of the Che school idiom and deals with the theme of the scholar's life in retirement. The contrast between the dark "axe-cut" texture strokes and the evocative blank pictorial space is emphasized. Yi Ching's Sage Releasing a Crane also displays the calligraphic "ink-play" achieved by the refined brush of the Choson scholar-painter.
 
11Humor is given a strong expression in Korean painting. Korean painting of the 18th century is noted for the development of genre painting and folk painting (minhwa) which truthfully reflected the life of the common people. Humor became conspicuous in these paintings. Representative examples of humor painted by professional painters are found in the albums of genre painting by Kim Hong-do, Sin Yun-bok (ac. 2nd half of 18th c.), and Kim Tuk-sin (1754¡­1822). Humor in folk painting is represented in such themes as 'a tiger playing with a hare' or 'a hare smoking a pipe'.

11We can also find humor in the works of Choson scholar-painters. Representative examples in this exhibition are Yi Kyong-yun's album leaf of Sage Washing His Feet, Kim Sik's Water Buffalo in which oxen appear to be bespectacled, and the leaf from Sim Sa-jong's Plants and Insects in which a rat nibbles at a carrot.
1 These seemingly trivial themes provoke smiles, but their execution does not disguise the seriousness of the scholar-painter. This conflict between the mundaneness of the theme and the loftiness of the scholar-painter gives rise to a higher sense of humor.