| Sin Yun-bok | |
 | |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 신윤복 |
| Hanja | 申潤福 |
| Revised Romanization | Sin Yun-bok |
| McCune–Reischauer | Sin Yunbok |
| Art name | |
| Hangul | 혜원 |
| Hanja | 蕙園 |
| Revised Romanization | Hye-won |
| McCune–Reischauer | Hyewŏn |
| Courtesy name | |
| Hangul | 입부 |
| Hanja | 笠父 |
| Revised Romanization | Ip-bu |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ippu |
Sin Yun-bok (Korean: 신윤복; 1758–1813), better known by hisart nameHyewon, was aKorean painter of theJoseon period. Like his contemporariesDanwon andGeungjae, he is known for his realistic depictions of daily life in his time. Hisgenre paintings are distinctly moreerotic than Danwon's, a fact which contributed to his expulsion from the royal painting institute,Dohwaseo.[1] Painting was frequently a hereditary occupation in the Joseon period, and Hyewon's father and grandfather had both been court painters. Together withDanwon and the later painterOwon, Hyewon is remembered today as one of the "Three Wons" of Joseon-period painting.[2]
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 ofYeongjo andJeongjo.[3] Hyewon reached the official rank ofcheomjeoljesa (첨절제사; 僉節制使) at theDohwaseo and was adept at different styles of painting;genre, landscape, and animals.[4] It is speculated that he left a great number of paintings due to the popularity of genre paintings during that era.[5]
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 withKim Hong-do.[6]
Sin Yun-bok, despite being greatly influenced and overshadowed byKim Hong-do during his career, developed his own unique technique and artistry.[7] Along with Kim Hong-Do, he is known foremost for hisgenre paintings of theJoseon era.[8] Whereas Kim depicted everyday life of peasants with a humorous touch, Sin showed glimpses of eroticism in his paintings of townspeople andgisaeng.[9] 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 ofshamanism and townlife, offering insight to lifestyle and costumes of the late Joseon era.[4][7]
His ink landscape paintings used clear light strokes in a method similar to that ofYun 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.[10] 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.[7][11]
His album,Hyewon Pungsokhwacheop, contains 30 of his paintings and was designated the 135thNational Treasure of South Korea in 1970.[10]
Six paintings from the Yeosokdo Album (여속도첩):
Four paintings from the Pungsokdo Album. SeeHyewon pungsokdo for a complete gallery of this album (30 paintings).
In the novelPainter of the Wind by Lee Jung-myung, Hyewon is portrayed as a woman disguised as a man.[14]
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