Later Joseon Painting – Hwawon Scholars and Professional Painters - Society of Friends of the Cernuschi Museum

Later Joseon Painting – Hwawon Scholars and Professional Painters

Conference by Okyang CHAE-DUPORGE, Lecturer at Bordeaux Montaigne University.

Although there were painters of various statuses (monks, so-called "itinerant" painters, common people, etc.), the pictorial production of Joseon (1392-1910) was dominated by two main groups of artists: the literati painters, on the one hand, and the court painters, on the other. Joseon society was governed by a very marked social hierarchy and divided into different classes.

The scholars belong to the yangban, who rose to the top of the social pyramid. They learned poetry, calligraphy and painting, which they practiced as a hobby and not as a profession, because the profession of painter was considered vile and therefore relegated to the lower classes. In the paintings, the yangban are often depicted reading or, at least, accompanied by books, symbols of their erudition and social class, often contemplating nature.

Joseon social class system.

Portrait of Oh Myeonghang. Anonymous. Ink and color on paper. © Gyeonggi Provincial Museum.

Haenghaeng-nagnamheonbangbang. (Royal Procession in Hwaseong). Panel from an 8-leaf screen. Painting on silk. 1795. ©National Palace Museum.

Jeong Seon (1676-1759), whose artist name is Gyeomjae, comes from a family of yangban impoverished. He was probably, for a time, a court painter (recommended by Kim Chang-jip), but he mainly rubbed shoulders with the yangban. Two of his works are national treasures highly valued by Koreans: the first is a " Full view of the Diamond Mountains » (1734) and the second, " Clearing at Mount Inwang after the rain » (1751), characterized by an intense contrast between the black of the granite of the rock and the light fog.

Jeong Seon. General View of Mount Geumgang. 1734. Ink and light color on paper. ©Leeum Samsung Museum of Art.

Jeong Seon. Clearing at Mount Inwang after the Rain. (1751. Ink on paper. ©National Museum of Korea, Seoul.

While in the early Joseon period people painted imagined landscapes of China, Jeong Seon sought to make what he saw visible, albeit with a form of abstraction. He created this trend called Jingyeong sansuhwa (landscape paintings from nature), which greatly influenced the subsequent pictorial movement.
Above all, " Clearing at Mount Inwang after the rain » is often considered to be dedicated to his dying friend, Yi Byeong-yeon, a great scholar and Jeong Seon's close friend. This leads us to observe the exchanges between painters and scholars: " Sihwa hwansanggandoA good example is "Poems and Paintings Exchanged for Mutual Contemplation" (1740-41). Regretting the separation caused by Jeong Seon's departure for a new position, these two long-time friends decided to maintain a correspondence consisting of Jeong Seon's paintings and Yi Byeong-yeon's poems, later constituting the "Album of Famous Scenery of Gyeonggyo" (1740-41).

Jeong Seon. Siwha Hwansanggan-do. From "Gyeonggyo Myeongseungcheop" (Album of Famous Landscapes of Gyeonggyo). 1740-1741. Light colors on silk. ©Kansong Museum.

Jeong Seon. Resting after reading a book. From "Gyeonggyo Myeongseungcheop" (Album of Famous Gyeonggyo Landscapes). 1740-1741. Light colors on silk. ©Kansong Museum.

Kang Se-Hwang, Sim Sa-Jeong, Choe Buk, Kim Hong-do, Heo Phil. Gyunwa Ajipdo. (Painting of an elegant gathering at the bamboo hut). 1763. Painting on silk.

Self-portrait of Kang Se-Hwang at age 71. 1784. Painting on silk. ©National Museum of Korea,

Let us now return to the court painters. They belong to the Jungin, the middle class, from which junior civil servants and interpreters came. From the 19th century onwards, the Jungin are becoming more important and becoming significantly richer. We even see major art collectors appearing among them. hwawon (court painters), from the middle class Jungin, worked in the Painting Office attached to the Ministry of Rites. This office was first named Dohwawon before taking the name of Dohwaseo during the reign of King Seongjong (1469-1494). Accessible by competitive examination, its composition, that is to say the names of the different functions and their number, is governed by the Great Code of the Administration of the State. Each painter has a rank ranging from the 6th to the 9th subordinate class, which shows the social limit of professional painters.

In 1783, King Jeongjo established the system of Chabi Daeryeong Hawawon (literally “painters awaiting the king’s orders”), managed by the Kyujanggak, the Research Center and the Royal Library. Ten hwawon are chosen from among the best of the Dohwaseo and become Chabi Daeryeong Hawawon for life, except for exceptional reasons. They are promised a fixed base salary as well as bonuses based on their performance. If the hwawon du Dohwaseo had to take an exam every three months, Chabi Daeryeong Hawawon du Kyujanggak had to pass sixteen per year to maintain their level.

The hwawon had to choose one of the five proposed subjects: painting of bamboo, landscapes, people, animals and birds, or flowers and plants. Each theme is associated with a number of points, adjusted according to the quality of the execution: a painting of bamboo is worth 5 points if it is good, only 4 if it is not; a painting of flowers and plants is worth 2 points if it is good, only 1 otherwise. Because of this hierarchy, the choice of subject is essential and takes precedence over the artist's skills. Chabi Daeryeong Hawawon have access to the same themes as the hwawon, to which are added the sokhwa (genre painting), representations of pavilions and towers, and study objects (such as chaekgeori). However, they do not choose a subject but must master them all, the artist's talent taking precedence over the choice of theme.

While the history of Joseon painting today seems dominated by court painters and scholars, it is their coexistence and exchanges that have driven its progress. These exchanges transcend social barriers, although the painters themselves remain conditioned by them. Gyunwa Ajipdo (1763), literally the "Painting of an Elegant Meeting at the Bamboo Hut," perfectly illustrates these exchanges, because this painting not only represents painters in the middle of an artistic meeting, but it was also produced collectively. Created by Kang Se-hwang, Sim Sa-Jeong, Choe Buk, Kim Hong-do, Heo Phil, etc., great names of Korean painting during the Joseon, it depicts a moment of leisure bringing together scholars, court painters, and professional painters. The text in the upper right corner allows the contribution of each to be identified.

Kang Se-Hwang, whose artist name was Pyoam (1713-1791), who composed this painting, was born into a prestigious family. He was not only a painter, but also the greatest critic and art connoisseur of his time. Some of his compositions in his "Songdo Travel Album" demonstrate his very good knowledge of Western art, particularly through the use of geometric perspective and chiaroscuro. Sim Sa-Jeong (1707-1769), whose artist name was Hyunjae, is one of the most prominent painters of the Southern School, as evidenced by his "Landscape Imitating Shen Zhou." A student of Jeong Seon, he practiced various genres, but was particularly distinguished by landscapes as well as paintings of flowers and birds. He painted the pines and rocks in Gyunwa Ajipdo (1763).

Choe Buk (1755-1785), who colored this painting, was a professional painter belonging to the class of Jungin. Not being a court painter, he had to paint for a living, but he was still very proud of his works. Kim Hong-do (1745-1814?) was a court painter hwawon Extremely gifted. He could handle a wide variety of subjects, from royal portraits to Buddhist paintings. It was the painter Kang Se-Hwang who apparently discovered his talent early on. King Jeongjo's support allowed him to establish himself as the most eminent painter of his time.

In this highly hierarchical Joseon society, many eminent painters belonging to the class of Jungin, felt limited by their social status, unable to access the privileges or the same recognition as literate painters. However, this did not prevent these artists, from different social statuses, from meeting, collaborating and freely exchanging poetic and pictorial compositions. Their meetings, often marked by mutual admiration and respect, gave rise to a true artistic emulation, where each drew a source of inspiration from the other's talent.

Alix Frey and Tesnim Ettaghi