Yi Am (Korean: 이암; Hanja: 李巖, c. 1499 or 1507–1566) was a painter during the early- to mid-Joseon Dynasty.
| Yi Am | |
 Mother Dog and Puppies ("Mogyeon") by Yi Am. | |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 이암 |
| Hanja | 李巖 |
| Revised Romanization | I-Am |
| McCune–Reischauer | I-Am |
| Courtesy name | |
| Hangul | 정중 |
| Hanja | 靜仲 |
| Revised Romanization | Jeong-Jung |
| McCune–Reischauer | Chŏng-Jung |
| Title | |
| Hangul | 두성령 |
| Hanja | 杜城令 |
| Revised Romanization | Duseongnyeong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Tusŏngnyŏng |
As a literati court painter, Yi Am's works spanned portraiture, bird-and-flower and animal paintings. His extant paintings are famous for their unique depictions of animals, particularly dogs. He used washes of ink instead of distinct lines to define the animal bodies, a method that heavily influenced future Joseon bird-and-flower paintings.[1] This influence spread to Japan as well; Tawaraya Sōtatsu's paintings of puppies with a similar technique have been considered a possible starting point for the development of the Rinpa school tarashikomi.[2] The themes of natural harmony and familial love in Yi Am's animal paintings also influenced later Korean painters Byeon Sang-byeok and Kim Sik.[3]
Biography
editYi's date of birth is disputed. Sources indicate 1499[2][4] or 1507.[5][6] He was the great-grandson of the fourth son of Sejong the Great, Grand Prince Imyeong and a cousin of Yi Jeong, another painter in the House of Yi.[6] He was bestowed the rank title of Duseongnyeong by the king.[3]
Career
editHe was a renowned painter and contemporary of Sin Saimdang, alongside whom he was named as one of the five most famed literati painters at the time in the P’aegwan chapki.[4] Yi's privileged descent allowed him access to Southern Song paintings that he studied as well as royal animals that he observed and painted. The degree of fidelity to the animals' natural appearances reflect the closeness that Yi could afford to have with royal pedigree hounds and captive hawks.[5]
Yi also painted human portraits. On January 15, 1545, he was invited to paint a posthumous portrait of King Jungjong of Joseon.[4]
In 2003, his painting, Hwajogujado (Flowers, Birds, and Puppies), the first Joseon painting depicting dogs,[7] was designated a National Treasure of South Korea.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Hong, Sunpyo (1 January 2008). "Hwajohwa of the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties". Journal of Korean Art & Archaeology. 2 (0): 42–65. doi:10.23158/jkaa.2008.v2_03.
- ^ a b Lippit, Yukio (31 March 2022). "Puppy Love: The Legacy of Yi Am's Paintings in Edo-Period Japan". Korean Journal of Art History. 313: 35–57. doi:10.31065/kjah.313.202203.002. ISSN 1225-2565.
- ^ a b "이암 (李巖)". 한국민족문화대백과사전 [Encyclopedia of Korean Culture] (in Korean). Academy of Korean Studies.
- ^ a b c Chung, Saehyang P. (January 2006). "Turning Toward Each Other: Warmth And Intimacy in Chosŏn-Dynasty Animal Paintings". Acta Koreana. 9 (1): 53–87.
- ^ a b Soyoung Lee; JaHyun Kim Haboush; Sunpyo Hong; Chin-Sung Chang (2009). Art of the Korean Renaissance, 1400-1600. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 30. ISBN 978-1-58839-310-4.
- ^ a b Park, J.P.; Jungmann, Burglind; Rhi, Juhyung (2020). A companion to Korean art. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. pp. 277–279. ISBN 9781118927021.
- ^ Seok, Kim. "우리는 언제부터 '우리 동물'을 그렸을까?". KBS 뉴스 (in Korean).
- ^ "보물 이암 필 화조구자도 (李巖 筆 花鳥狗子圖) : 국가유산포털 - 문화재청". Heritage Portal : CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION (in Korean). Korea Heritage Service.
