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During the latter half of Joseon Period, the
best landscape painter was Jeong Seon (1676¡1759)
who discarded Chinese styles and created unique
new themes based on Korean scenes. Jeong Seon
was particularly fond of Mt. Inwangsan, a scenic
peak around Seoul, from which he produced a great
masterpiece (138.2 cm X 79.2 cm).
After rain, the scene of the rugged Mt. Inwangsan
was especially attractive with fog thickening
in the valley. Gyoemje, Jeong Seon didn't miss
the chance to draw it into a piece of work with
elaborate skill which looks so lifelike. Getting
wet from the rain, the rockwall in the back looks
heavy and enormous. For this, the painter used
the top-down method of brushwork in the repeated
way with much India ink. The ridges and trees
are depicted in black in the same way as unraveling
threads down, while the fog in white, which makes
them in vivid contrast, the peaks and valleys
of the mountain.
Among his 400 pieces of work, this is acknowledged
as the most prominent masterpiece with extreme
creative skill.
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