Bảo tàng lịch sử Quốc gia

The National Museum of Korea presents the special exhibition “A Painter’s Life: Kang Sehwang (1713 – 1791) and Literati Culture in the 18^th Century” to commemorate the 300^th anniversary of Kang Sehwang’s birth. The exhibition displays Kang’s works that have been handed down as family treasure through the generations and his masterpieces of landscape, portraiture, and Four Noble Plants, along with selected works by other artists that bear Kang’s inscriptions.

Cities flourished in the 18^th Century Joseon society under the peaceful reigns of Kings Yeongjo and Jeongjo, and society experienced dynamic changes in philosophical views and patterns of daily life. Intellectuals opened themselves to new knowledge and experience, including exposure to Western civilization, and produced highly creative literary and artistic works. As a leading scholar who experienced this period of change and dynamism, Kang Sehwang established his own artistic world encompassing poetry, calligraphy, and painting based on his passion for and talent and expertise in art. Gifted with a discerning eye and a profound knowledge of art, his achievements in the field are remarkable. Kang’s broad scope of activity and exceptional acumen contributed the formation of a boad network of various groups of people from different ranks and classes, ranging from the king and gentleman scholars without any official position, to court artists of a low social status, all brougth together by art. The publication “A Painter’s Life: Kang Sehwang and Literati Culture in the 18^th Century” has grown out of the special exhibition. The book includes six sections as follows:

Section 1: Portraits of Kang Sehwang, Reflections of His Life

Section 2: Kang Sehwang’s Family and Times

Section 3: The Ideals and Dreams of Literati

Section 4: Travel and Sketching from Nature

Section 5: Various Painting Genres and a Fresh Approach to Art

Section 6: The Greatest Critic of His Time

The Library of The Vietnam National Museum of History (No. 25 Tong Dan Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi) would be honored to inform readers!

Mai An