Joseon painting designated as tangible asset by Seoul

Joseon painting designated as tangible asset by Seoul. August. 21, 2015 07:15. irontiger@donga.com.

Seoul City has designated the Danguseungyudo (photo), drawn by painter Choi Book (1712-1760) from the late Joseon Dynasty, as the tangible cultural asset. Choi is widely known as "Vincent van Gogh of the Joseon Dynasty."

According to the city government on Thursday, Choi drew this landscape painting that depicts people enjoying boating in Dodamsambong Peaks in Danyang in 1749 at the request of Lee Gwang-sa (1705-1777), who is regarded as the master calligrapher in the latter Joseon Dynasty with Kim Jeong-hee (1786-1856). As Lee wrote brief description of the scene captured and names of participants on the left side, the painting holds great significance as a research material for calligraphy.

Production dates of Choi`s most paintings are not known. However, this painting is highly valuable since it shows the brushwork that he used during his prime time of life (aged 37) and is based on the Chinese painting of the Southern School (the painting style in the late Ming Dynasty that emphasizes the expression of spirits rather than the shape of objects).

There are many episodes about Choi for his notorious drinking habits and eccentric behaviors. When a powerful man threatened Choi who had turned down the request for a painting, Choi stabbed his right eye and lost vision after saying, “Before anyone else hurts me, I will hurt myself." Choi drew many landscape paintings with bold and straightforward brush stroke, which earned himself the nick name of "Choi landscape."