KJCKorea
Journal Central

This paper aims to examine the scope of official activities in drawing and painting among local painters who were in full swing by providing a general idea of a local painter (Jaeji Hwawon) in the late Joseon Dynasty; and to understand the features in the works of Byeon Bak, a representative local painter who carried out the official duties in drawing and painting at Dongraebu district in the 18th century. In the late Joseon Dynasty, a Court painter became broadly classified into two types, which was a painter at Dohwaseo and Jabidaeryeong Hwawon, a selected Court painter for special tasks during the reign of King Jeongjo. Likewise, painters in the local district were divided into a dispatched painter from Dohwaseo and a local painter (Jaeji Hwawon) when the legislation for dispatching a painter from Dohwaseo or Jabidaeryeong to a local district came into effect in the 18th century. A local painter, Jaeji Hwawon, is the person who performed official duties in drawing and painting at military and administrative districts of his native places. Byeon Bak, the local painter of Dongraebu district in the 18th century drew many military and administrative pictures while filling various government posts. His representative works such as <Dongraebusungeoldo: the documentary picture about defense of Dongrae Fortress> and <Busanjinsungeoldo: painting of defense of Busanjin Fortress> are describing the war scene at Dongrae Fortress at the time of Japanese Invasion in 1592 in which geographical location is clearly described and realistic and tragic war scenes are reflected. In his last work <Weaguando>, Byeon Bak drew Weaguan, the center of a good-neighbor policy of Dongraebu district with a bird's-eye-view so that the disposition of Weaguan at that time can be analysed effectively. Moreover, his landscape painting followed the realism of landscape painting of Jeong Seon. This confirms the trend that Jeong Seon's brushwork spread extensively even in the local district. Judging from the cases of <Dongraedokjindaeamun: the front gate of Dongraebu district> and <Sacheosukkyobi: a stone monument>, there is somewhat the likelihood that making a hanging board and a verse couplet carved or written on a plank which is put on a pillar was left in the hands of a local painter who was good at brushstrokes. Since Jaeju Hwawon was a native of the local districts and did not have an ideal environment that they could learn basic knowledge of painting, the quality of their works was somewhat behind from the aspects of depth and organization of paintings compared to the works by central painters. However, they were well acquainted with history and geographical features of their workplace so that they were in a better position to draw pictures in great details. Considering the possibility of forming a local style of painting through the division of a dispatched painter from Dohwaseo and local painter, the study of Jaeji Hwawon cannot be neglected. Therefore, further research should be directed at finding a new Jaeji Hwawon and their works; examining the relationship between a dispatched painter from Dohwaseo and Jaeji Hwawon; and giving a close look at the spread of a central painting style to local districts.

a dispatched painter from Dohwaseo, a local painter (Jaeji Hwawon), official duties in drawing and painting at military and administrative districts, Byeon Bak, Dongraebusungeoldo, Busanjinsungeoldo, Weaguando, Dongraedokjindaeamun, Sacheosukkyobi