INSIGHT
By Park Chul-sang Director of the Research Institute on Ancient Books, Documents, and Culture of Korea
Forging an Era: Chusa Kim Jeonghui The nineteenth century during the Joseon Dynasty was a time when the seeds were sewn for many aspects of our society today. When studying the scholarship and art of Joseon during that time, one person keeps coming to our mind: Kim Jeonghui 1786–1856, penname Chusa, representative scholar and artist of the nineteenth century. Study of Kim Jeonghui, therefore, helps us to understand Joseon in those days and reflect on the way we are now.
Kim Jeonghui was born in a prestigious family. His great-grandfather was the husband of Princess Hwasun, daughter of King Yeongjo, which means he was a member of the Joseon royal family. Legend has it that he was born 24 months after conception. This story was not generated in later years but already existed in his time and is symbolic of his extraordinary qualities. The foundation for Kim Jeonghui’s learning and art were laid when he was a young student in the Qing Dynasty of China. Indeed, it can be said that his encounter with two Qing scholars, Weng Fanggang 1733–1818 and Ruan Yuan 1764–1849, determined the course of his life. He met them only once but the impact was long lasting. They exchanged letters and the two scholars became Kim Jeonghui’s teachers as he studied the art
Orchid of Non-duality Joseon Dynasty, 19th century By Kim Jeonghui Ink on paper Gift of Sohn Chang Kun, 2018
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and learning of the Qing Dynasty, China. Most notably, Kim Jeonghui embraced evidential scholarship (gojeunghak), a field that he eventually made his own and transmitted back to Qing Dynasty. At the time the collection and research of Joseon epigraphy was in vogue, and Kim took the lead in discovering and analyzing new inscriptions and passing on his knowledge to Qing intellects. Through Kim Jeonghui, epigraphy was established as a new field of study in Joseon. Literati painting was another field that Kim Jeonghui studied deeply, the result of which were his masterpieces Wintry Days and Orchid of Non-duality. Literati paintings are works that were produced by men of letters as a hobby, not by professional artists. Their paintings did not focus on the depiction of objects, but on conveying the spirit of the artist. Orchid of Non-duality, one of Kim’s major works beside Wintry Days, is a painting with the artist’s thoughts written in the empty spaces. Interestingly, the orchids do not look like pictures but rather written letters. Conversely, the letters in the empty spaces look like pictures. These letters like pictures and pictures like letters harmonize as compositional elements on the canvas, while the seals stamped here and there add life to the ink painting. The writing in the blank spaces says that the
