Description

This hanging scroll is a rare surviving example of early Joseon period painting. The painter Kim Si was a member of the literati—high ranking or aristocratic men who eschewed court life to focus on literary and artistic pursuits. His father, Kim Anro (1481–1537), was at one time the highest ranking court official in Korea, but was executed after years of political struggles. Kim Si was no longer an active member of central politics and spent his life doing calligraphy, painting, and reading. This image of a solitary scholar in his studio surrounded by trees and snow-covered mountains is certainly reflective of a scholar's reclusive life devoted to art and poetry.