Shin Yun-bok, better known by his pen name Hyewon (1758–1813), was a

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and Sout ...

n painter of the

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and ...

. Like his contemporaries Danwon and Geungjae, he is known for his realistic depictions of daily life in his time. His genre paintings are distinctly more

erotic Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, ...

than Danwon's, a fact which contributed to his expulsion from the royal painting institute, Dohwaseo. Painting was frequently a hereditary occupation in the Joseon period, and Hyewon's father and grandfather had both been court painters. Together with Danwon and the later painter Owon, Hyewon is remembered today as one of the "Three Wons" of Joseon-period painting.

Biography

Not much is known about Shin Yun-bok's life. He was the son of royal court painter Hanpyeong (한평; 漢枰), who had participated in painting the royal portraits of Yeongjo and Jeongjo. Hyewon reached the official rank of ''cheomjeoljesa'' (첨절제사; 僉節制使) at the Dohwaseo and was adept at different styles of painting;

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...

, landscape, and animals.Shin Yun-bok
at Encyclopedia of Korean Culture It is speculated that he left a great number of paintings due to the popularity of genre paintings during that era. There are different studies and theories regarding his life, that he may not have ever been a member of the Dohwaseo nor was he on close terms with

Kim Hong-do Gim Hongdo (김홍도, born 1745, died 1806?-1814?), also known as Kim Hong-do, most often styled Danwon (단원), was a full-time painter of the Joseon period of Korea. He was together a pillar of the establishment and a key figure of the new ...

Style and legacy

Shin Yun-bok, despite being greatly influenced and overshadowed by

during his career, developed his own unique technique and artistry.Shin Yun-bok
at The Academy of Korean Studies Along with Kim Hong-Do, he is known foremost for his genre paintings of the

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and r ...

era. Whereas Kim depicted everyday life of peasants with a humorous touch, Shin showed glimpses of eroticism in his paintings of townspeople and ''

gisaeng Kisaeng (Hangul: 기생, Hanja: 妓生, RR: ''Gisaeng''), also called ginyeo (Hangul: 기녀, Hanja: 妓女), were women from outcast or slave families who were trained to be courtesans, providing artistic entertainment and conversation to men ...

''. His choice of characters, composition, and painting method differed from Kim's, with use of bright colors and delicate paint strokes. He also painted scenes of

shamanism Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spir ...

and townlife, offering insight to lifestyle and costumes of the late Joseon era. His ink landscape paintings used clear light strokes in a method similar to that of Yun Je-hong (윤제홍), the pioneer in new style painting of the late Joseon era. He is also known to not have used the traditional method of leaving empty space in his paintings, usually filling the whole canvas.Hyewon pungsokdo
at

Doosan Encyclopedia ''Doosan Encyclopedia'' is a Korean language encyclopedia published by Doosan Donga (두산동아). The encyclopedia is based on the ''Dong-A Color Encyclopedia'' (동아원색세계대백과사전), which comprises 30 volumes and began to be ...

Although he placed short verse and his seal on most of his paintings, none indicate the date nor time of their creation and it is difficult to define the progression of his painting style. As one of the pillars of genre painting in the Joseon era, he influenced many other painters afterwards. His album, '' Hyewon Pungsokhwacheop'', contains 30 of his paintings and was designated the 135th National Treasure of South Korea in 1970.

Famous paintings

*''Portrait of a Beauty'' (미인도; 美人圖): Painting on silk. Depicts the standard of traditional beauty in the

era. Realistic details of the

hanbok The (; term used in South Korean standard language, South Korea), also called () n North Korean standard language, North Korea and China, is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term which is used to refer to traditional ethnic Koreans, Korean ...

are notable. *''Dano day'' (단오풍정; 端午風情): Painting on paper. Depicts a scene on Dano day; semi-nudes bathing in the stream, a woman in a bright red

rides a swing, two young monks peek in the background.

Gallery

Image:Hyewon-Miindo.jpg, Portrait of a Beauty
(미인도 美人圖) Image:Hyewon-Gidalim-763x644.jpg, Waiting
(기다림)

Six paintings from the Yeosokdo Album (여속도첩):

Image: Hyewon-cheonesseun.yeoin.jpg , Woman with a cap
(처네를쓴 여인) Image: Hyewon-eomul.jangsu.jpg , Women at fish market
(어물장수) Image: Hyewon-geomungo.goleu.yeoin.jpg , Women playing
geomungo
(거문고 고르는 여인) Image: Hyewon-jangos.ibeun.yeoin.jpg , Woman with a jangot
(장옷 입은 여인) Image: Hyewon-jeonmosseun.yeoin.jpg , Woman with a red hat
(전모쓴 여인) Image: Hyewon-yeondangui.yeoin.jpg , Woman at Yeondang
(연당의 여인)

Four paintings from the Pungsokdo Album. See Hyewon pungsokdo for a complete gallery of this album (30 paintings).

Image:Hyewon-Dano.pungjeong.jpg, Scenery on Dano day
(단오풍정 端午風情) Image:Hyewon-Jusa.geobae.jpg, Holding a drinking bout
(주사거배 酒肆擧盃) Image:Hyewon-Ssanggeum.daemu.jpg, Dance with two swords
(쌍검대무 雙劍對舞) Image:Hyewon-Wolha-jeongin-2.jpg, Lovers under the moon
(월하정인 月下情人)

Fictional portrayals

Literature

In the novel ''Painter of the Wind'' by Lee Jung-myung, Hyewon is portrayed as a woman disguised as a man.

Film and television

* Portrayed by Moon Geun-young and Kim Yoo-jung in the 2008 SBS TV series '' Painter of the Wind''. * Portrayed by Kim Min-sun in the 2008 film '' Portrait of a Beauty''.Mysterious Artist Resurfaces on Modern Culture Scene

Korea Times ''The Korea Times'' is the oldest of three English-language newspapers published daily in South Korea. It is a sister paper of the '' Hankook Ilbo'', a major Korean language daily; both are owned by Dongwha Enterprise, a wood-based manufacture ...

, 2008-10-09. Retrieved 2010-07-07.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

*
Brief information about Hyewon
from Korean culture figures, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
New drama on Joseon's legendary painters
from official Korea site, 2008-11-13. Retrieved 2010-07-07.

from KBS World, 2008-11-12. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
''Arts of Korea''
an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Shin Yun-bok {{DEFAULTSORT:Sin, Yun-bok 1758 births 1813 deaths 18th-century Korean painters 19th-century Korean painters