yes nothing~~
* * *
Oh, maybe...
I did a lot of researches on the hotels around Seoul the week before
and made a conclusion:
ACCOMMODATION IN SEOUL IS REALLY NOT CHEAP!!!
yes...
* * *
And, maybe...
I traveled to Gwangjang Market again on 7th (Tue)
helped friend order the Korean Traditional Cloth (Hanbok)
it's really very beautiful~~~
and then
traveled to Sinchon and Yidae area
nostalgia...had the urge to hop on the Yonsei shuttle bus when it stopped by
T.T
anyway, brought home a new friend with me ^^
and finally visit Yihwa Women University (aka Yidae) on the way...
hmm i think i once said that Korea University and Kyunghee University had lots of "castles"
well...Yidae as well!!
Korea Uni's are more like German old castles
Kyunghee Uni's are more like Catholic churches
whereas Yidae's are like the lovely English cottage!!!
See the comparison:
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| Well...my phone decided to die at the moment i stepped in Yidae, so no photos taken. [Disclaimer: Photo origin] |
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| Kyunghee Uni |
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| Korea Uni |
* * *
Why was the week so boring?
Because the following week is exam week
FINALS!!!!
time to mug and mug and mugggggg~~~~
* * *
Did I say I'll share my Korean Art essay if I got an A?
Haha...
I REALLY GOT AN A!!!
Click "Read More" below if you're interested:
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Kim Hong-do Immortal Playing the Saenghwang under a Pine tree Ink and light colours on paper 18th century |
The painting “Immortal Playing the Saenghwang under a Pine Tree” is one of the many masterpieces by the Korean painter, Kim Hong-do (1745 – 1816) during the late Choson period in 18th century. Painted with ink and light colours on paper, this painting portrays an immortal sitting while crossing his legs under a pine tree while playing the Saenghwang – a kind of woodwind instrument made of bamboo tubes. The immortal depicted in the painting seemed to enjoy his music very much, as he was slanting slightly to his left while playing the Saenghwang, showing a relaxing and carefree feeling. At the same time, the tall and slim pine tree, which stretched all the way from the bottom left corner to the top end of the painting, was also slanting in the same direction of the immortal; With the tree bark resembling a reptile’s scales, the towering pine tree looks like a dragon rising from the ground and dancing gracefully along with the music played by the immortal[1]. The overall picture hence conveys a melodic and tranquil atmosphere soaked in the sounds of the Saenghwang.
Having a closer look at the painting, the pine tree was mainly painted with strong, bold and uneven strokes. As mentioned briefly, the tree bark was patterned with the shape of coins, resembling the skin and scales of a dragon. Moreover, the layers of “scales” wrapping around the tree bark and the strong strokes show the aging signs of the pine tree. There was not much branches nor leaves on the old pine tree, but the towering depiction of the tree gives a strong visual impact that its tip was protruding out of the frame of this painting[2].
On the right of the pine tree, there wrote two poem lines vertically, as if they were part of the pine tree, dropping and hanging out of its branches[3]. At the end of the lines, it was signed as “Danwon (檀園)”, which was the pen name of Kim Hong-do. The lines were originated from a Chinese Tang poetry entitled “Ti Sheng” by Luo Ye, with the meaning “the uneven bamboo tubes resembled the phoenix’s wings, the music that spread over the moonlight-filled floor sounded more sorrowful than the dragon’s moaning” (original text: 筠管參差排鳳翅 月堂淒切勝龍吟). This depiction of an immortal playing Saenghwang under a dragon-lookalike pine tree in this painting seems to fit well with the illustration of these two poetry lines. With the aids of the poetry lines, there may be a further interpretation of the painting: the immortal was playing a sad song under the moonlight, sitting under an old pine tree which resembled a rising and dancing dragon; the painting is coloured with narratives and hence becomes alive.
In contrast to the pine tree, the strokes drawing the immortal playing Saenghwang were smoother and more even. Here, Kim Hong-do showed off his professional skills and techniques in painting the foldings and shading of the immortal’s cloth, mainly by manipulating different intensities of the ink used[4]. Here is also where the light colours were applied onto; the immortal and his Saenghwang, as well as the wine gourd on his back, were painted in pale orange (or “flesh colour”), giving life to the figure. Although the smooth lines of the immortal are contradictory to the bold strokes of the pine trees, the overall picture of this painting is yet balanced, conveying a harmonious and peaceful atmosphere.
As introduced in the beginning of this paper, Kim Hong-do was a member of the royal art academy during the late Choson period in 18th century. Besides the paintings portraying the daily life of Choson people which Kim Hong-do was then made famous of, Kim Hong-do also produced a lot of drawing themed on immortals and Taoism, especially during his thirties and forties; this painting “Immortal Playing the Saenghwang under a Pine Tree” is hence deduced to be one of his artworks during that time although the exact date was not mentioned on the painting[5]. Notably, Kim Hong-do’s painting on Taoist immortals seemed to be contradictory to the social background during the time, as Korea during Choson Dynasty has traditionally been considered as a strictly Confucian society while Taoism and Buddhism ideologies were supposed to be deemed heterodox and harmful. Yet, besides Kim Hong-do, many Confucian scholars still utilised some Taoism and Buddhism elements in their artworks for inspiration[6].
As a court painter, Kim Hong-do might be in the attempt to portray a leisure and peaceful lifestyle during the late Choson period, through the depiction of the carefree immortal that was enjoying music under a calm surrounding. This may be a depiction based on the real situation during that time, or simply an effort of the court painter to propagate an idealistic lifestyle among the Choson people, implying that nationalism, and even bureaucratic influence, might be rooted behind this painting. While adopting the carefree style of Chinese literati painting, Korean scholar painters like Kim Hong-do sought their nation state’s cultural and intellectual identity by portraying the “real landscape” of their homeland and the daily life of the people during the time[7]; this is just like what Kim Hong-do had had in his Mountain Diamond landscape paintings as well as in his “Album of Genre Paintings”.
In short, the painting “Immortal Playing the Saenghwang under a Pine Tree” illustrates the professional and skillful painting techniques of Kim Hong-do; the tranquility and melodious atmosphere was successfully depicted through this painting. While deploying a carefree style in this painting, Kim Hong-do might be trying to convey an intrinsic nationalist view behind this painting, given his identity as a court painter during the late Choson period.
[1] Lee, Il-Su. 2010. “Other masterpieces of Kim Hong-do”. Lee Il-Su’s Art Hanako. Retrieved 29th May, 2011 (http://blog.naver.com/iss003/140120213414)
[2] Ansan Danwon Art Museum. “Immortal Playing the Saenghwang under a Pine Tree”. Taoism. Retrieved 29th May, 2011 (http://www.danwon.org/gallery/dosuk/208.html)
[3] In-Hyang, 2010. “Danwon Kim Hong-do Immortal Playing the Saenghwang under a Pine Tree”. Ink Sarang. Retrieved 29th May, 2011 (http://blog.daum.net/inksarang/16877289)
[4] Lee, Il-Su. 2010. “Other masterpieces of Kim Hong-do”. Lee Il-Su’s Art Hanako. Retrieved 29th May, 2011 (http://blog.naver.com/iss003/140120213414)
[5] In-Hyang. 2010. “Danwon Kim Hong-do Immortal Playing the Saenghwang under a Pine Tree”. Ink Sarang. Retrieved 29th May, 2011 (http://blog.daum.net/inksarang/16877289)
[6] Jungmann, Burglind. 1990. “Immortals and Eccentrics in Choson Dynasty Painting”. Korean Culture 11(2):22-31.
[7] Kwon, Yong-pil. 1997. “Fragrance of Ink: Choson Literati Painting”. Koreana 11(1):54-59.
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