Korean Landscape Painting

 Korean Landscape Painting

The Korean Peninsula is at the far Eastern edge of the Asian mainland. It sits nestled between China and Japan and the cultural interchange between these distinct cultures has influenced language, customs, and art. One of the most prominent areas of cultural exchange has been in the form of landscape painting. While Chinese and Japanese contributions to this art form have been acknowledged worldwide, it is only recently that the masters of the Korean tradition are finally getting their due. 

"The term for landscape paintings in East Asia translates as “mountains and water” (Chinese: shanshui; Korean: sansu; Japanese: sansui), because landscapes always feature these two elements, often in the form of a grand mountain peak and a waterfall, or rolling hills along a river. Whether real locations or imagined settings, painted landscapes evoked the experience of being in nature and became a virtual means of escape from the hardships of urban living (Harvard University)."

Ahn Gyeon, an artist at the royal court of Joseon, was one of the most influential Korean landscape artists of the early 15th Century (Lee).

Dream Journey to Peach Blossom Land (1447) is Gyeon's most famous work. It was painted over three days and depicts a dream had by Prince Anpyeong and described to Gyeon (National Institute of Korean History. The dreamlike landscape, distant mountains shrouded in mystery, dotted with peach trees in bloom, is typical of Gyeon's style. Absent are the bold lines and acute angles often found in Chinese art as Korean artists strove to remove any indication of the human hand. "In terms of overall impact, the effect of a piece of Korean art is typically gentle and mellow: lines are fluent and the impression is one of subtle inner harmony (Encyclopedia of East Asian Art)."

Though the artist of this piece is unknown, the influence of Gyeon is unmistakable in Autumn Moon over Lake Dongting (ca.1450 - 1500). It is a hanging scroll painted with ink on silk. Canvas was not easily available in East Asia, so royal artist often painted on silk. The texture of the fiber played an intricate role in the painting technique and in this scroll we see that the horizontal lines of the fiber creates the suggestion of mist. The artist further highlights this mistiness by choosing to paint in muted colors in near translucence. 

This emphasis on muted colors and minimal detail work was indicative of Korean painters and is one of the features that sets them apart from their Chinese and Japanese counterparts (Encyclopedia of East Asian Art). 

Of note, despite the title, the moon is absent in this painting, however, it's effects are present in the subtle interplay of moonlight's effect on the landscape, particularly in the way that only the high contrast elements are truly visible to the eye. The landscape is distilled down to its fundamental elements by the power of the moon. Though it is absent, the moon's light plays a pivotal role in experiencing the world the artist is choosing to depict. 

Contrast this with a Chinese Landscape of the same era. Planting Chrysanthemums by Lu Zhi during the Ming Dynasty in the mid-16th Century is a typical example of the Chinese style.

Note the vertical lines of the cliffs, painted with a bold hand. Though the colors are muted, they are bolder and more richly defined than in the Korean style. 

There is also more emphasis on details, particularly in the foreground and the resemblance to the Hudson River School is remarkable but for the difference in medium and the landscape depicted. 

This emphasis on nature and man's place within the natural order is a common theme in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese art, particularly as the influence of Confucianism spread throughout Northern Asia. 

Another primary difference is the inclusion of a Taoist poem at the top of Zhi's painting. This was a common element to Chinese Landscape painting and emphasized the contemplative nature and intersectionality of art in China. Translated, it reads:

"I hear you have opened up a 'Tao path' near the ocean,

Where clouds of leaves and frost-covered flowers vie inwondrous splendor.

I too have built a new residence at Zhixing Mountain,

May I share some of your autumn colors on my
eastern hedge? (Metropolitan Museum of Art, "Planting Chrysanthemums")

The opening lines of the verse allude to another poem titled "Peach Blossom Spring" which tells the story of a journey in the Peach Blossom Land of the Immortals, another indication of the shared folklore traditions between China and Korea (Metropolitan Museum of Art, "Planting Chrysanthemums"). 

Like their Korean counterparts, Japanese masters like Kano Motonobu adopted specific techniques from the Chinese. In this piece, The Four Accomplishments (mid-16th Century), Motonobu applies a brush technique made famous by painters in the royal court of the Southern Song Dynasty of China (Metropolitan Museum of Art, "The Four Accomplishments") Once again, the broad brush strokes and bold lines are indicative of the Chinese influence and sets this piece apart from the Korean style. Also note the exquisite detail in the foreground, another element not typically found in Korean pieces of the time. 

 

Notice the lack of detail in this piece by Korean artist Kim Che titled, Landscape with Gentlemen Visiting a Scholar in a Lakeside Pavilion (mid-16th Century). Once again, the crosshatch silk fibers create a hazy quality that the artist uses to his advantage. The lack of bold linework and acute lines distinguishes this piece as distinctly Korean. 

Though there are similarities in the subject, materials, and techniques employed by the masters of Asian Landscape painting tradition, the Korean form embraces simplicity and minimizing the impact of the human hand and creates pieces that are far more impressionistic than their counterparts. 

References

Encyclopedia of East Asian Arts. "Korean Art." n.d. visual-art-cork.com. 17 April 2021. http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/east-asian-art/korean.htm

Harvard University; East Asian Art Program. "Chinese and Korean Landscape Paintings." 2014. eaa.fas.harvard.edu. 17 April 2021. https://eaa.fas.harvard.edu/chinese-and-korean-landscape-paintings

Lee, Soyoung. "Moutain and Water: Korean Landscape Painting 1400-1800." October 2004. metmuseum.org. 17 April 2021. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/mowa/hd_mowa.htm

Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Four Accomplishments." n.d. metmuseum.org. 17 April 2021. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/44673?searchField=All&sortBy=Relevance&ft=Kano+Motonobu&offset=0&rpp=20&pos=1

Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Planting Chysanthemums." n.d. metmuseum.org. 17 April 2021. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/45815

National Institute of Korean History. "Paintings of the Joseon Dynasty." n.d. contents.history.go.kr. 17 April 2021. http://contents.history.go.kr/front/eng/tz/view.do?levelId=tz_b06