Cleveland Museum of Art

Snowscape with Figures

Date

1584

Medium

hanging scroll; ink on silk

Culture

Korea, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)

Department

Korean Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This hanging scroll is a rare surviving example of early Joseon period painting. The painter Kim Si (1481–1537) was a member of the aristocracy, or high-ranking men. However, after his father, Kim Anro (1481–1537) fell out of power, Kim Si retreated himself and spent his life as a reclusive artist. In such a context, this image of a solitary scholar in his studio surrounded by trees and snow-covered mountains does not simply render an idealized life of a recluse focusing on scholarly pursuits; rather, it is the painter’s mindscape, indicating that the glory of his family has become a forgotten part of his past. Having retreated to the snow-covered mountains, a scholar sits in his studio surrounded by trees. An empty wooden bridge in the distance appears to be longing for friends from afar. Such iconography often evokes the idea of an idealized recluse focusing on scholarly pursuits.

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