관모를 쓴 야인: 강세황의 70세 자화상과 자기인식의 표현

Abstract

Kang Sehwang (1713-1791), one of the most renowned literati painters in 18th century Korea, painted a self-portrait in 1782 and wrote an autobiographic inscription on it. In this self-portrait commemorating his entire life, he depicted himself wearing a regular robe and an official’s hat. According to his inscription, the high official’s hat stands for his body serving at court and the non-degree holder’s robe symbolizes his mind dwelling in the mountain. This study attempts to explore Kang Sehwang’s identity and its artistic expression as reflected in his Self-Portrait at the Age of 70. Since his adolescence, Kang had repeatedly produced self-portraits and written an autobiography to resolve the question of “Who am I?” In his autobiography Pyoong jaji written at the age of 54 in 1766, he narrated his life and endeavored to establish a public identity not as a painter but as a scholar. Kang was born into a prestigious scholarofficial family of Sobuk (Minor Northerners), one of the political factions in late Joseon Korea. The severe factional strife of his time affecting the political downfall of his family led him to retreat to Ansan where he spent most of his life as a politically frustrated scholar, devoting himself to art and literature. Completely excluded from the political world, he immersed himself in painting and literature and came to gain a social reputation of having accomplished the Three Perfections (samjeol), which refers literally to excellence in poetry, calligraphy, and painting. In Confucian society, it is a shame for a man of letter to practice painting. Aware of the Confucian social norms and following King Yeongjo’s (r. 1724-1776) advice, Kang decided not to paint upon social requests for about 20 years from 1763 to 1781. Kang was summoned as an official by King Yeongjo in 1773 and maintained his office until 1790. Kang passed the special government examination conducted by King Jeongjo (r. 1776-1800) in 1776 and strengthened his position at court. He directed court painters to complete the first portrait of King Jeongjo in 1781. Portrait of Kang Sehwang at the Age of 69 on a folding fan was executed in the same year by the court painter Han Jongyu after the king’s portrait was completed. In this portrait, Kang, although he had reached the summit of a court official’s career, was represented as a recluse holding a book, wearing a plain robe and sitting in front of a mountain. The portrait showed Kang’s desire to present himself to society as a lofty-minded scholar. Kang, bringing the period of “discarding the brush” to an end when directing the creation of the king’s portrait, painted his Self-Portrait at the Age of 70 in 1782. Contrary to the portrait by Han, Kang represented himself in this painting wearing a black official’s hat to signify his status as a high ranking official and revealed his pride regarding his knowledge and artistic talent in the inscription. Kang’s Self-Portrait at the Age of 70 epitomizes Kang’s self-perception as a scholar-official who was summoned to the court from reclusion and who received recognition for his outstanding abilities by the king and society.