216 Works of Gyeomjae Jeong Seon Gathered in One Place... Daegu Kansong Hosts Largest-Ever Special Exhibition

Commemorating the 350th Anniversary of Jeong Seon's Birth,
“Painting Joseon through Joseon’s Eyes” Opens on the 16th
Complete Paintings from “Gyeonggyeo Myeongseungcheop” and “Haeak Jeonsincheop” Debuted
From Geumgangsan and Hanyang to Flower-and-Bird Paintings

A large-scale retrospective exhibition offering a comprehensive overview of the world of artist Gyeomjae Jeong Seon (1676–1759), who captured the landscapes of Joseon from "Joseon's perspective" rather than through Chinese artistic conventions, will be held. To mark the 350th anniversary of Jeong Seon's birth, 216 of his representative works have been assembled. This extensive retrospective allows visitors to explore not only his true-view landscapes, but also his idealized landscapes, figure paintings based on classical literature, and paintings of flowers and animals, thereby surveying the full range of his artistic oeuvre.

Geumgang Jeondo. Daegu Kansong Art Museum

The Daegu Kansong Art Museum will present a special exhibition, “Gyeomjae Jeong Seon – Painting Joseon through Joseon’s Eyes,” from September 16 to December 27. The exhibition will utilize Exhibition Halls 1, 2, 4, and 5 within the museum. A collaboration between the Kansong Art and Culture Foundation and the Samsung Foundation of Culture, this project has been in preparation since the end of 2022. It brings together works from the National Museum of Korea, various other institutions, and private collectors. This is the second exhibition following last year’s “Gyeomjae Jeong Seon” show at the Ho-Am Art Museum.

The scale is even larger than that of last year. While approximately 165 representative works were shown at the Ho-Am Art Museum, the Daegu exhibition has expanded the selection to 216 works, including Kansong’s own pieces that were not shown previously. Whereas the Ho-Am exhibition focused on showcasing the overall breadth of Jeong Seon’s painting, this show strengthens the narrative by adding works from Kansong’s collection—the largest Jeong Seon collection in Korea—presenting a more nuanced view of his life and the evolution of his artistry.

The core highlights are the treasured “Gyeonggyeo Myeongseungcheop (Album of Famous Views of Gyeonggyeo)” and “Haeak Jeonsincheop (Album of Transmitted Views of Haeak).” This is the first time all the paintings from these two albums are being released to the public. “Gyeonggyeo Myeongseungcheop,” created in Jeong Seon’s late 60s while serving as magistrate of Yangcheon, captures scenes of the Hangang River and areas near Seoul; it was completed in collaboration with lifelong friend and poet Lee Byeongyeon, who exchanged poems and paintings with him. “Haeak Jeonsincheop,” painted at the age of 72, depicts the Geumgangsan region and represents a seminal late-period work. Through these two albums, the museum aims to showcase the maturation of Jeong Seon’s signature true-view landscape style.

Chuilhanmyo. Daegu Kansong Art Museum

The latter part of the exhibition features Jeong Seon’s life-long subject, Mount Geumgangsan. Visitors can view “Geumgangjeondo,” as well as “Pungak Naesancheongnam,” which intricately depicts over 40 scenic sites of Mount Geumgangsan in autumn, alongside “Danballyeong Manggeumgang,” a view of Mount Geumgangsan from Danballyeong Pass. The exhibition juxtaposes the sharp, meticulous brushwork of Jeong’s “Sinmyonyeon Pungakdocheop” from his 30s with the mature artistry of “Haeak Jeonsincheop” from his 70s, allowing for a comparison of the evolution of his style over several decades.

Jeong Seon stands as a master of true-view landscape painting, having departed from the Chinese tradition of idealized landscapes to depict the Korean scenery he observed, in his own distinct visual language. However, the current show goes beyond presenting Jeong merely as the true-view landscape painter. Works such as “Yeosanchodang,” inspired by Chinese classical stories, as well as the “Hwahae Yeongmohwacheop” album depicting flowers, birds, and other animals, accompany the landscapes to showcase the diverse breadth of his work far beyond his familiar image. Featured pieces highlighted by the museum include “Pungak Naesancheongnam,” “Dokseoyeoga” from “Gyeonggyeo Myeongseungcheop,” “Yeosanchodang,” “Danballyeong Manggeumgang” from “Haeak Jeonsincheop,” and “Chu Il Hanmyo” from “Hwahae Yeongmohwacheop.”

Exhibition view of 'Gyeomjae Jeong Seon - Painting Joseon through Joseon's Eyes.' Daegu Kansong Art Museum

This exhibition also resonates with the history of the Kansong Art Museum. When the museum began its official exhibitions in 1971, the very first exhibition topic was Jeong Seon. Now, more than half a century later, the year marking Jeong Seon’s 350th birthday and Kansong founder Chun Hyun-pil’s 120th birthday, the museum is once again presenting a large-scale Jeong Seon retrospective.

A Kansong Art Museum representative explained that this exhibition not only highlights Jeong Seon’s artistic achievements, but also revisits Kansong’s founding spirit of serving the nation through culture—preserving and studying Korea’s cultural heritage.

The Daegu Kansong Art Museum, opened in September 2024, serves as the sole permanent location of the Kansong Art Museum. This special exhibition is the largest since the museum’s opening. Admission for adults is 14,000 won. From September to October, the museum operates from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and from November to December, until 6 p.m.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.