Kim Hongdo


Kim Hongdo was a Korean painter during the Joseon dynasty. He is mostly remembered for his depictions of the everyday life of ordinary people, in a manner analogous to painters of the Dutch Golden Age. He was also widely known by his art name Tanwŏn.
Active during the reign of King Yeongjo and King Jeongjo, he made a profound change in Joseon painting style. By boldly introducing Western painting methods that appeared to have been learned through the Qing Dynasty, he introduced a technique that revealed perspective through jokes and contrasts of colors.

Biography

Kim was a member of the Gimhae Kim clan. He grew up in present-day Ansan, South Korea. At the age of 7, Kim Hongdo studied under the renowned master Pyoam Kang Sehwang, who was then living in seclusion in Ansan. In 1766, at the age of 21, on the recommendation of Kang Sehwang, he entered the royal service as a member of the Dohwaseo, the official painters of the Joseon court. In 1771, he painted the portrait of the Royal Heir. In 1773, he assisted Byeon Sang-byeok when painting the Royal Portrait of King Yeongjo.
In 1776, he painted the "Nineteen Taoist Immortals", that skyrocketed his reputation as a painter. At the same time, the new instated King Jeongjo commissioned him for many institutional paintings.
He died in loneliness and poverty, though the circumstances, and even the year are unknown. Depending on the source, some state that he died in 1806, 1810, or after 1814.

Legacy

Kim is remembered today as one of the "Three Wons," together with Hyewon and Owon. He is also often joined to Owon and the 15th-century painter An Gyeon as one of Joseon's three greatest painters.
The city of Ansan, where he spent his youth and learned his craft, has memorialized him in many ways. The district of Danwon-gu is named after him, as is Ansan's annual "Danwon Art Festival." Many public places have been designed in imitation of his works.

In popular culture

Literature

The novel Painter of the Wind, by Lee Jung-myung, is centered on Gim and Sin Yun-bok, who is portrayed as a woman disguised as a man.

Film and television