Jeong Seon like never before: Master behind Korea’s greatest landscapes — and beyond

Jeong Seon's mid-18th century painting "Complete View of Geumgangsan Mountain" / Courtesy of Hoam Museum of Art

Among the 18th-century Korean literati elite, who saw the aesthetic appreciation of nature as a mark of cultivated taste, there was a saying: “Better to keep Jeong Seon’s painting of Mount Geumgang by your bedside and savor it in peace than to wander the mountain yourself.”

That was no small claim. For over a millennium, Mount Geumgang — also known as the “Diamond Mountain” — has captivated artists, lyrists and travelers from afar with its breathtaking panorama of craggy peaks, cascading waterfalls and high-altitude Buddhist temples.

Rare were those who had the privilege of witnessing its splendor firsthand, and most had to rely on painters who translated its sublime beauty into brushworks from memory. And among those artists, few, if any, left a more enduring mark than Jeong (1676-1759).

“If Korean painting has a golden age, it’s the 18th and early 19th century; and if the golden age has a pre-eminent painter, it’s Jeong,” art critic Jason Farago wrote in his 2018 New York Times review.

The 18th-century literati may have chosen Jeong’s paintings over the real thing, but for today’s viewers, there is no choice — Mount Geumgang remains off-limits, its vistas sealed within North Korea’s borders.

Yet, his works stand as an equally mesmerizing — if not more penetrating and illuminating — alternative to the actual scenery, a truth profoundly proven at the new “Gyeomjae Jeong Seon” exhibition at the Hoam Museum of Art in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.

"Gyeomjae Jeong Seon" show at the Hoam Museum of Art opens with the late Joseon-era painter's two most representative masterpieces that crowned his career — "Clearing after Rain on Inwangsan Mountain," left, and "Complete View of Geumgangsan Mountain." Courtesy of Hoam Museum of Art

This rare blockbuster retrospective is impressive in scale alone. A total of 165 works are on display, including two state-designated National Treasures and seven Treasures, making it the largest-ever presentation of the Joseon-era master.

More notably, the show is the first to chart the full spectrum of Jeong’s oeuvre, from his emblematic landscapes to lesser-known literati-style paintings, portraits and flower-and-bird brushworks.

“Gyeomjae Jeong Seon” fittingly opens with the painter’s two most representative masterpieces that crowned his career — “Complete View of Geumgangsan Mountain” and “Clearing after Rain on Inwangsan Mountain.” The latter will also feature in an upcoming international exhibition spotlighting gems from the late Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee’s 23,000-piece collection, set to tour the U.S. and Europe starting in November.

"Gyeomjae Jeong Seon" is the first show to chart the full spectrum of Jeong Seon's oeuvre, from his emblematic landscapes to lesser-known literati-style paintings, portraits and flower-and-bird brushworks. Newsis

Works like these exemplify how Jeong pioneered a distinctly Joseon artistic identity through “jingyeong sansuhwa” (true-view landscapes). Unlike the idealized, romanticized scenery of traditional Chinese-influenced painting, this style focused on capturing Korea’s actual mountain ridges and waterways with striking realism.

It’s worth noting that the artist’s approach also set his oeuvre apart from earlier tendencies of “silgyeong sansuhwa” (real-view landscapes), which were primarily concerned with documenting scenic sites as is for practical record-keeping.

Instead, he infused his vistas with expressive brushstrokes and a dynamic reconfiguration of natural elements, magnifying the vividness of the spectacle he witnessed to its fullest.

“Such pieces reveal that ‘jingyeong’ is all about capturing the true essence of a landscape — its beauty, down to its very core,” rather than just duplicating what lies immediately before one’s eyes, remarked Jo Ji-yoon, the exhibition’s curator, during a Monday press preview.

Installation view of "Gyeomjae Jeong Seon" at the Hoam Museum of Art / Courtesy of Hoam Museum of Art

Jeong Seon's "Apgujeong Pavilion," contained within the "Album of Scenic Sites in the Capital and Suburbs" (1740-41) / Courtesy of Hoam Museum of Art

The museum’s first-floor gallery is dedicated to the full breadth of Jeong’s landscapes — his early and later depictions of Mount Geumgang, the birthplace of his “jingyeong sansuhwa” and a site he pilgrimaged to at least three times in his lifetime; the surrounding Gwandong region; and the nooks and crannies of Hanyang (modern-day Seoul).

Born and raised in the foothills of Mount Bugak, just north of Gyeongbok Palace, the artist was a lifelong dweller of Hanyang. He left behind numerous pieces detailing the 18th-century capital and its outskirts, including scenes of the empty lot where Gyeongbok Palace once stood before being burned to the ground during the 1592-98 Japanese invasions of Korea.

Jeong’s distinct style continued to influence later artistic traditions, persisting well into the 19th century in unexpected genres such as “minhwa” (folk paintings) and even maps.

Before he could pioneer his own approach, Jeong Seon first had to root himself in tradition. That foundation is evident in his literati-style paintings, where he often depicted subjects from the chapters of Chinese history and poetry. Yonhap

But before he could pioneer his own approach, he first had to root himself in tradition.

That foundation is evident in his literati-style paintings, on display across the museum’s second floor. Even as he developed his true-view landscapes, the artist remained deeply engaged with the literati painters of China’s Southern School, often depicting subjects from the chapters of Chinese history and poetry — such as Tao Yuanming’s “Returning Home.”

This focus stemmed, in part, from his own self-awareness as a literatus.

Jeong was born into a well-known “yangban” family, yet by the time of his birth, its status had declined, as no members of the previous three generations had been able to advance in government service.

Even so, he took great pride in his noble lineage. This pride manifested in works like “Taking a Rest after Reading,” an alleged self-portrait featuring the artist seated with a stack of books behind him, as well as an entire album emphasizing his ancestral connection to the venerated scholar Yi Hwang.

Jeong Seon's "Taking a Rest after Reading" (1740-41) / Courtesy of Hoam Museum of Art

Throughout the show, perhaps the most striking revelation for viewers is Jeong’s use of color — a rare feature in Korean ink wash paintings.

In “Taking off Raincoat at the Temple Gate,” a soft pink hue replaces the usual muted tones of the Buddhist monastery walls, while “Complete View of Geumgangsan Mountain” boasts a subtle blue sky in place of the conventional negative space of the silk background.

And in “Mi Fu’s Boat under the Rainbow,” a full rainbow arcs over the river.

“What amazed me most while preparing this retrospective was just how masterfully the painter used color,” Jo, the curator, said. “Seeing the unexpected variety in his palette, I wouldn’t hesitate to call him a magician of color in his own way.”

"Gyeomjae Jeong Seon" runs through June 29 at the Hoam Museum of Art. It will travel afterward to the Kansong Art Museum in Daegu. Yonhap

The admiration for Jeong’s artistry is nothing new. Late Joseon-era scholar Bak Sa-seok wrote, “In a hundred years of Joseon, no artist like him has ever existed. The majestic mountains and flowing rivers will forever resonate with his legacy.”

Leaving the exhibition, it’s hard not to agree with him.

“Gyeomjae Jeong Seon” runs through June 29 at the Hoam Museum of Art and will travel afterward to the Kansong Art Museum in Daegu.