Exploring Joseon scenery through painters' eyes

Visitors have a look at "Through the Eyes of Joseon Painters: Real Scenery Landscapes of Korea" exhibition at National Museum of Korea. Yonhap

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Nowadays, people can easily take pictures of the landscapes they want to remember. Back in the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), painters captured the scenery that touched their minds through realistic landscape paintings.

The National Museum of Korea (NMK) presents "Through the Eyes of Joseon Painters: Real Scenery Landscapes of Korea," featuring some 360 small and large landscape paintings from the mid- to late-Joseon era, at the museum's Special Exhibition Gallery.

Bae Ki-dong, director general of NMK, said the exhibition will provide a new way to appreciate the history of Joseon through art.

"This is the first comprehensive exhibition of Joseon landscape paintings including the North Korean side of Mount Geumgang in about 20 years, after the Mount Geumgang exhibit in 1999," Bae said. "We hope this exhibit can convey a message of peace to North Korea."

Though South Koreans currently cannot visit the North Korean mountain that inspired many painters and writers, the museum attached a map of the actual location of where the paintings were created to give a sense of geography.

Real landscape painting, known as "silgyeongsansuhwa" in Korean, is different from "namjonghwa" (Southern School Literati Painting) as it depicts actual mountains and streams after seeing them.

The exhibit begins with the 1711 painting "Geumgang Mountain Viewed from the Danbaryeong Peaks" from "Album of Geumgang Mountain" by renowned landscape painter Jeong Seon (1676-1759).

"Real landscapes begin from the artist's first impression of the scenery. This is one of the first paintings Jeong Seon created after his first visit to Mount Geumgang in 1711. Danbaryeong Peak is considered an entrance to the scenic mountain and the painting portrays the artist's interpretation of the mountain area.

Two anonymous paintings, "Gyeongpodae Pavilion and Chongseokjeong Pavilion," were donated recently to the museum by family members of the late Yoon Ik-sung, a Korean-Japanese founder of Lakeside Country Club, and are on public view for the first time.

"Real landscape paintings began during the 918-1392 Goryeo Kingdom, but none are left to show the early traits of the genre. These two 16th century landscape paintings are the earliest existing real scenery landscape paintings, different from the styles of well-known landscapes from the 18th century," said curator of the exhibit.

One of the characteristics of the genre is the sense of reality. To explain how the artists traveled to scenic sites and sketched on the spot, the museum displays an example of a painter's belongings on a journey, including portable maps, a compass, brush, ink and paper.

Kim Hong-do is best known for his genre paintings, but he also was a master of landscapes. Kim's "Album of Famous Mountains in Korea" is a collection of rough paintings of Mount Geumgang and Gangwon Province area created after the court painter's visit to the region around 1788. The line paintings are drawn in a simple way, but capture distinct features well. There are notes such as "dark blue" on the sea part of a painting, suggesting that it is a direction for future coloring.

After the trips, artists drew real scenery landscapes based on drafts and their memories. The paintings could be in diverse forms such as a book, folded screen or fan.

"However, painting the scenery just as it is was not the main concern of Joseon painters. They transcended by reinterpreting it with their sentiments or experimenting new techniques," curator said.

Yoon Je-hong's 1833 "Oksunbong Peaks" was painted with fingers, instead of brushes, and added an imaginary pavilion and waterfall.

"Through the Eyes of Joseon Painters: Real Scenery Landscapes of Korea" runs through Sept. 22.

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