Sin Yun-bok (; 1758–1813), better known by his

art name An art name (pseudonym or pen name), also known by its native names ''hào'' (in Mandarin Chinese), ''gō'' (in Japanese), ' (in Korean), and ''tên hiệu'' (in Vietnamese), is a professional name used by artists, poets and writers in the Sinosp ...

Hyewon, was a Korean painter 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. Like his contemporaries Danwon and Geungjae, he is known for his realistic depictions of daily life in his time. His

genre paintings Genre painting (or petit genre) is the painting of genre art, which depicts aspects of everyday life by portraying ordinary people engaged in common activities. One common definition of a genre scene is that it shows figures to whom no identity c ...

are distinctly more erotic than Danwon's, a fact which contributed to his expulsion from the royal painting institute, Dohwaseo. Painting was frequently a hereditary occupation in the Joseon period, and Hyewon's father and grandfather had both been court painters. Together with Danwon and the later painter Owon, Hyewon is remembered today as one of the "Three Wons" of Joseon-period painting.

Biography

Not much is known about Sin Yun-bok's life. He was the son of royal court painter Hanpyeong (한평; 漢枰), who had participated in painting the royal portraits of Yeongjo and Jeongjo. Hyewon reached the official rank of ''cheomjeoljesa'' (첨절제사; 僉節制使) at the Dohwaseo and was adept at different styles of painting;

genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...

, landscape, and animals.Shin Yun-bok
at Encyclopedia of Korean Culture It is speculated that he left a great number of paintings due to the popularity of genre paintings during that era. There are different studies and theories regarding his life, that he may not have ever been a member of the Dohwaseo nor was he on close terms with Kim Hong-do.

Style and legacy

Sin Yun-bok, despite being greatly influenced and overshadowed by Kim Hong-do during his career, developed his own unique technique and artistry.Shin Yun-bok
at The Academy of Korean Studies Along with Kim Hong-Do, he is known foremost for his

of the

era. Whereas Kim depicted everyday life of peasants with a humorous touch, Sin showed glimpses of eroticism in his paintings of townspeople and '' gisaeng''. His choice of characters, composition, and painting method differed from Kim's, with use of bright colors and delicate paint strokes. He also painted scenes of

shamanism Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...

and townlife, offering insight to lifestyle and costumes of the late Joseon era. His ink landscape paintings used clear light strokes in a method similar to that of Yun Je-hong (윤제홍), the pioneer in new style painting of the late Joseon era. He is also known to not have used the traditional method of leaving empty space in his paintings, usually filling the whole canvas.Hyewon pungsokdo
at

Doosan Encyclopedia ''Doosan Encyclopedia'' () is a Korean-language encyclopedia published by Doosan Donga (). The encyclopedia is based on the ''Dong-A Color Encyclopedia'' (), which comprises 30 volumes and began to be published in 1982 by Dong-A Publishing (). ...

Although he placed short verse and his seal on most of his paintings, none indicate the date nor time of their creation and it is difficult to define the progression of his painting style. As one of the pillars of genre painting in the Joseon era, he influenced many other painters afterwards. His album, '' Hyewon Pungsokhwacheop'', contains 30 of his paintings and was designated the 135th National Treasure of South Korea in 1970.

Famous paintings

*''Portrait of a Beauty'' (미인도; 美人圖): Painting on silk. Depicts the standard of traditional beauty in the

era. Realistic details of the

hanbok The hanbok () is the traditional clothing of the Koreans, Korean people. The term ''hanbok'' is primarily used by South Koreans; North Koreans refer to the clothes as (). The clothes are also worn in the Korean diaspora. Koryo-saram—ethnic Ko ...

are notable. *''Dano day'' (단오풍정; 端午風情): Painting on paper. Depicts a scene on Dano day; semi-nudes bathing in the stream, a woman in a bright red

rides a swing, two young monks peek in the background.

Gallery

Image:Hyewon-Miindo.jpg, Portrait of a Beauty
(미인도 美人圖) Image:Hyewon-Gidalim-763x644.jpg, Waiting
(기다림)

Six paintings from the Yeosokdo Album (여속도첩):

Image: Hyewon-cheonesseun.yeoin.jpg , Woman with a cap
(처네를쓴 여인) Image: Hyewon-eomul.jangsu.jpg , Women at fish market
(어물장수) Image: Hyewon-geomungo.goleu.yeoin.jpg , Women playing
geomungo
(거문고 고르는 여인) Image: Hyewon-jangos.ibeun.yeoin.jpg , Woman with a jangot
(장옷 입은 여인) Image: Hyewon-jeonmosseun.yeoin.jpg , Woman with a red hat
(전모쓴 여인) Image: Hyewon-yeondangui.yeoin.jpg , Woman at Yeondang
(연당의 여인)

Four paintings from the Pungsokdo Album. See Hyewon pungsokdo for a complete gallery of this album (30 paintings).

Image:Hyewon-Dano.pungjeong.jpg, Scenery on Dano day
(단오풍정 端午風情) Image:Hyewon-Jusa.geobae.jpg, Holding a drinking bout
(주사거배 酒肆擧盃) Image:Hyewon-Ssanggeum.daemu.jpg, Dance with two swords
(쌍검대무 雙劍對舞) Image:Hyewon-Wolha-jeongin-2.jpg, Lovers under the moon
(월하정인 月下情人)

Fictional portrayals

Literature

In the novel ''Painter of the Wind'' by Lee Jung-myung, Hyewon is portrayed as a woman disguised as a man.

Film and television

* Portrayed by

Moon Geun-young Moon Geun-young (; born May 6, 1987) is a South Korean actress. Affectionately called the "Nation's Little Sister", Moon began modeling at the age of 10, then made her acting debut in 1999 as a child actress. She first rose to stardom through h ...

and Kim Yoo-jung in the 2008 SBS TV series '' Painter of the Wind''. * Portrayed by Kim Min-sun in the 2008 film '' Portrait of a Beauty''.Mysterious Artist Resurfaces on Modern Culture Scene
Korea Times, 2008-10-09. Retrieved 2010-07-07.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

*
Brief information about Hyewon
from Korean culture figures, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
New drama on Joseon's legendary painters
from official Korea site, 2008-11-13. Retrieved 2010-07-07.

from KBS World, 2008-11-12. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
''Arts of Korea''
an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Sin Yun-bok {{DEFAULTSORT:Sin, Yun-bok 1758 births 1813 deaths 18th-century Korean painters 19th-century Korean painters