JEONG SEON (1676-1759)
Mount Geumgang / Biro peak (1,638-m-5,374 ft)
North Korea
In Album of Mount Geumgang (Pungak-docheop),
Six leaves from a fourteen-leaf album; ink and light color on silk, 1711
National Museum of Korea
About thos two views (ftom The MET Notes)
Jeong Seon painted this album following his first trip to the Diamond Mountains. He likely traveled northeast from the capital, Hanyang (today’s Seoul), and traversed the mountain range from Inner to Outer Geumgang toward the sea. Displayed here are six scenes from a total of thirteen (the last leaf in the album is a colophon). The varied compositions reveal Jeong’s early experimentations, which he would repeat, adapt, or refine over the course of his career.
1. General View of Inner Geumgang
This overview format as well as the juxtaposition of dark, foliage-covered rolling peaks and the white spiky pillars reveal Jeong’s ingenuity. Prominent sites enfolded into this view include Jangan Temple and the adjacent stone bridge in the foreground center and the tallest summit, Biro Peak, in the far distance. Labeling important sites is a convention Jeong applied to many of his paintings of the Diamond Mountains, which other artists followed.
2. Mount Geumgang Viewed from Danbal Ridge
Travelers to the Diamond Mountains usually approached from the Danbal Ridge, from where they would catch their first glimpse of the glittering rocky peaks—depicted here as if floating in the sky, creating a sense of drama and wondrous discovery. Jeong employed multiple perspectives to create this view.
The mountain
Mount Kumgang (1,638 m - 5,374 ft) or Geumpang Mountains or The Diamond mountain, are a mountain/mountain range, in Kangwon-do, North Korea. It is about 50 kilometres (31 mi) from the South Korean city of Sokcho in Gangwon-do. It is one of the best-known mountains in North Korea. It is located on the east coast of the country, in Mount Kumgang Tourist Region, formerly part of Kangwŏn Province). Mount Kumgang is part of the Taebaek mountain range which runs along the east of the Korean Peninsula.
Koreans have perceived Kŭmgangsan as their muse since well before the Middle Ages. Practically every poet and artist who lived during the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910) made a pilgrimage to Kŭmgangsan. The division of the Korean peninsula in 1950 resulted in the South Korean people finding themselves unable to visit this beloved mountain for the better part of 50 years. The 155-mile-long (249 km) barbed-wire fence erected as part of the DMZ (Demilitarized zone) separating the two Koreas proved to be an obstacle stronger than any other barrier.[
In 1894 the British writer Isabella Bird Bishop referred to it in her travelogue as "Diamond Mountain".
The painter
Jeong Seon (정선) was a Korean landscape painter, also known by his pen name Kyomjae ("humble study"). His works include ink and oriental water paintings, such as Inwangjesaekdo (1751), Geumgang jeondo, and Ingokjeongsa (1742), as well as numerous "true-view" landscape paintings on the subject of Korea and the history of its culture. He is counted among the most famous Korean painters. The landscape paintings that he produced reflect most of the geographical features of Korea. The poverty he experienced in his youth made him pursue his career as a painter. He was proficient at Zhou-I and astronomy. He worked at the Bureau of Painting creating landscapes for patrons and clients.
He was discovered by an aristocratic neighbour who recommended him to the court. He soon gained an official position. Jeong is said to have painted daily, with a prolific output until old age.
Jeong was the most eminent painter in the late Joseon Dynasty (1700–1850) and explored the scenic beauty of the capital city of Hanyang (Seoul), the Han River, the East Sea, and the Diamond Mountain (above). He is the first painter of true-view Korean landscapes. Differing from earlier techniques and traditional Chinese styles, he created a new style of painting depicting the virtues of Korea. It is reported that he frequently left his studio and painted the world around him, as he could see it. His paintings are classified as Southern School, but he developed his own style by realistically portraying natural scenes such as mountains and streams with bold strokes of his brush.
A major characteristic of his work is intermixed dark and light areas, created by layers of ink wash and lines. His mountains are punctuated by forests, which in turn are lightened by mists and waterfalls. Vegetation is made from dots, a technique that bears the influence of Chinese painter Mi Fei (1052–1107). Jeong's style would influence generations of Korean artists, and become one of the iconic images of Korean nationalism.
