National Museum of Korea, Permanent Exhibition Hall Calligraphy and Painting Room
Introducing 15 Joseon Dynasty Paintings Until July 28
Along with warm temperatures and full spring weather, a nationwide exhibition featuring flower and butterfly paintings left by ancient ancestors is being held as the country blooms with flowers.
Nam Gye-woo's two-panel scrolls "Flowers and Butterflies" form a pair. [Photo provided by the National Museum of Korea]
The National Museum of Korea announced on the 15th that it will introduce 15 paintings from the Joseon Dynasty centered on flowers and butterflies through the exhibition "Flowers and Butterflies in Old Paintings" at the permanent exhibition hall's calligraphy and painting room.
Flowers and butterflies have long been popular subjects in paintings. Joseon literati enjoyed creating flower gardens at home and cultivating flowers. They believed that growing flowers helped cultivate the mind and virtue. As flowers were appreciated as objects of admiration, the preference for rare flowers increased, and consequently, the demand for flower paintings also rose.
In particular, in China, butterflies were considered symbols of longevity because their pronunciation is similar to the word for an 80-year-old elder.
The butterfly paintings by Nam Gye-woo (1811?1890), who was called "Nam Butterfly" during his lifetime, are especially outstanding. He is regarded as the best butterfly painter in Joseon, and his butterflies are famous for their detailed depiction, distinguishing species and sexes.
Nam Gye-woo’s "Flowers and Butterflies" work on two hanging scrolls shows delicate observational skills, as he learned composition and butterfly movements by studying instructional materials used for painting lessons.
Danwon Kim Hong-do (1745?after 1806), well known for his genre paintings that humorously depict the lives of commoners, also painted a "Butterfly" on a fan, a work familiar to the public.
Pyoam Kang Se-hwang (1713?1791), who saw the painting, reportedly said, "It seems the butterfly’s powder would stick to my hand." Next to the painting of three butterflies is a poetic line, "Why did the butterfly in Zhuangzi’s dream float above the fan?" evoking Zhuangzi’s "Butterfly Dream" (胡蝶之夢).
Various flower paintings by Shin Myeong-yeon are also introduced through the exhibition. He studied flowers by referring to botanical encyclopedias and observed flowers closely while painting. As the son of Shin Wi, one of the three great ink bamboo painters of Joseon, his works vividly reveal his own colorful and sophisticated style by placing contrasting colors in each painting of flowers and butterflies.
A museum official said, "We hope this exhibition provides an opportunity to encounter flowers and butterflies painted by old masters to seek blessings, cultivate virtue, or appreciate beauty."
The exhibition runs until July 28.
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