danwon

Kim Hongdo (1705-1806), or better known as Danwon. My favorite korean painter. He is considered one of the three most famous and valued painters in Korea. Much like the genre paintings of the Dutch, Danwon painted scenes of daily life. If one looks closely, Danwon's paintings are comical, dynamic, and in-touch with real life. The style of his work reminds me of today's comic books but obviously, they carry a lot more meaning than the former.

In this painting, a boy is dancing while the musician play traditional Korean instruments. The man at the top right puffs his cheeks with air as he plays his wooden flute.

Workers add tile to the roof of this pavilion. The workers are serious and diligent as shown by their facial expressions.

The quintessential depiction of Korean life, whether it was five hundred years ago or today. The students are studying hard and the poor little boy is crying probably because he was lazy or did not live up to the expectation of the teacher. I guess nothing's really changed here in Korea.