Ri Sang Jwa, Painter of Servant Origin

Ri Sang Jwa was a painter of servant origin and made himself famous in the world of artists in the first half of the sixteenth century. He was born in the most humiliated servant family at that time and gained a reputation as a painter from childhood, and finally became a member in the government public office of the painting. He became famous as a good painter in landscape, character and still-life paintings. His masterpiece is "Walking under the pine tree in the moonlight."

The picture shows that there is an extremely steep rock-wall on one side; a tall and exuberant pine tree growing well with its strong root stroke deep through the gap of the rock-wall, and a scholar is walking slowly with a young child under the pine tree. Pine tree stands solemnly, with its strong root stroke deep through the gap of the rock-wall and with its trunk ascended and spread in transverse direction.

We can see the strong spirit of the pine tree which endured undauntedly the great streaks of rain for a long period of time, and overcame irresistibly the terrible winter in the mountain. Here, to emphasize the spirit of the pine, the artist deliberately made no use of the dark colors, and drew only the moon to create a monotonous atmosphere of night.

Through the depiction of a pine tree that is rooted firmly in a rock with no earth and undergoes severe trials, the painter fully expresses his feeling who is dissatisfied with the unreasonable social reality and his desire to break through the reality stoutly. His typical works include "Walking under a pine tree in the moonlight", "Angry Tiger", and "Flower and Bird".