https://emuseum.cornell.edu/internal/media/dispatcher/77625/fullPrunus in DaylightLate 17-18th centuryImage: 44 x 19 1/4 inches (111.8 x 48.9 cm)Hanging scroll: ink on paperGeorge and Mary Rockwell Collection98.131.0010One of a pair. This pair of hanging scrolls is an example of ink monochrome painting from Korea. With light ink strokes, washes and splashes that are intentionally playful, the artist has depicted a blossoming plum tree in daylight and moonlight. Plum, along with orchid, chrysanthemum, and bamboo, comprise the "Four Gentlemen" (sagunja), each of which symbolizes an admirable quality of the Confucian scholar. The plum signifies preseverance in the face of adversity, since it is the first to bloom in the late winter or early spring, overcoming harsh cold to produce delicate, fragrant blossoms.
The notion of "ink play" originated with Chinese scholar painting, where it was associated with educated elite who practiced art as amateurs. Korean literati painting embraced the Chinese ink-monochrome tradition, but in Korea it was considered a stylistic option for artists of all classes and backgrounds. Produced during a time of political stability when Chinese painting styles flourished greatly under aristocratic patronage, these paintings reveal a uniquely Korean approach to the subject-- the artist having emphasized the playfulness of ink to a greater degree than is typically seen in Chinese painting.Paintings21640835556Korean98.131.001_Disc0383_03836013