Arcadópolis
Landscape (leaf 5 of an album of 6)
Kim Hong-do (Danwon), c. 1800
What you see
Three tall, slender trees fill the foreground and climb almost to the top edge. Behind them, a thatched hut hides among reeds that bristle like feather dusters. Beyond, the water stretches in horizontal bands toward a distant shore that is barely suggested.
The brushwork is quick and dry: each trunk is a single stroke, and the leaves are short dabs of black ink. Here and there, darker and wetter blots appear. Don’t miss the dark patches of moss or foliage on the right-hand trunk and the dark stones in the lower right corner.
About Kim Hong-do (Danwon)
Kim Hong-do, known by his art name Danwon, grew up in Ansan and from the age of seven studied with the master Kang Se-hwang, who later recommended him to the royal painting bureau of the Joseon dynasty. He was a court painter under Kings Yeongjo and Jeongjo, but he is remembered above all for his scenes of the daily life of farmers, craftsmen and ordinary people. He is perhaps the best-known painter in Korean art history; in 1788 King Jeongjo sent him to paint the Geumgang (Diamond) Mountains.
More by Kim Hong-do (Danwon)
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