Tohwasŏ (), translated as Korean Royal Academy of Painting, was an administrative office of the

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

period responsible for drawing pictures requested by other government offices. It was originally called Tohwawŏn () during the

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

period until it was later renamed under Yejong, but its class was dropped, and the office was later renamed to Tohwasŏ.

Organization and roles

According to the ''

Kyŏngguk taejŏn ''Kyŏngguk taejŏn'' (), name translated as the ''State Code'' or the ''National Code'', is a code of law that comprises all the laws, customs and decrees of the late Goryeo to early Joseon periods in Korea. Sorted according to the relevant min ...

'', or National Code, the organizational structure of the Tohwasŏ comprised one Jeju (), two Byeolje (), and twenty miscellaneous workers. The organization's main task was to paint artworks for the nation, such as

Uigwe ''Uigwe'' () is the generic name given to a collection of approximately 3,895 books recording in detail the royal rituals and ceremonies of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. There is no generally agreed English translation for the title of the work; ...

. In addition, its artists drew portraits of the king, popular men and maps.

Hwawon

Artists who worked within the Tohwasŏ were called ''Hwawon'' or ''Hwasa''. An Gyeon, who was a ''hwawon'' during the reign of

Sejong Sejong (; 15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), commonly known as Sejong the Great (), was the fourth monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He is regarded as the greatest ruler in Korean history, and is remembered as the inventor of Hangul, the n ...

the Great, is renowned for his

Shan shui ''Shan shui'' (; pronounced ) refers to a style of traditional Chinese painting that involves or depicts scenery or natural landscapes, using a brush and ink rather than more conventional paints. Mountains, rivers and waterfalls are comm ...

, and for the works ''Mongyudowondo'' and ''Sasipaljungdo''.

Kim Hong-do Kim Hong-do (, 1745–) was a Korean painter during the Joseon dynasty. He is mostly remembered for his depictions of the everyday life of ordinary people, in a manner analogous to painters of the Dutch Golden Age painting, Dutch Golden Age. He ...

and

Shin Yun-bok Sin Yun-bok (; 1758–1813), better known by his art name Hyewon, was a Korean painter of the Joseon period. Like his contemporaries Danwon and Geungjae, he is known for his realistic depictions of daily life in his time. His genre paintings ...

were also renowned ''Hwawon'' for their drawings.

References

Government agencies of Joseon {{Korea-hist-stub

Organization and roles

Hwawon

See also

References