Bamboo

Bamboo, plum, orchid, and chrysanthemum are praised in the literature and arts of East Asia as the Four Gentlemen, four plants that represent the ideal virtues of a scholar-official.[1] Bamboo is perhaps the most highly revered for several reasons. Because bamboo can bend but does not break, it represents a scholar or official who never compromises his moral ethics. The bamboo plant grows straight and does not change color and is thus also a symbol of constant loyalty. Scholars often gave paintings of bamboo to their friends to show their loyalty and friendship or displayed such paintings in their quarters to remind themselves of their ideals and beliefs. The plant itself was also important because it was widely used for scholars’ objects such as brush handles, fans, and brush holders. During the Joseon period, the bamboo motif was depicted on ceramics, lacquer, and wooden stationery boxes for use in the scholar’s studio. This eight-panel screen beautifully demonstrates the variety of forms that the bamboo plant can take. Each panel contains a five- or seven-character poem praising different aspects of bamboo and its ability to harmonize with nature. Painted in strongly contrasting tones of black ink, the strokes that form the connecting joints of the bamboo are distinctive with their dark tones and sharp angles. Each poem is followed by the artist’s seal, which reads “Cheongwun” (det. 1). Cheongwun is the pen name of Gang Jinhui, who is probably more well known for being a government diplomat at the end of the nineteenth century. He accompanied the first Korean ambassador to the United States, Pak Jeongyang (1841-1904), on a trip across America in 1887 to deliver a letter from King Gojong to President Grover Cleveland in Washington, D.C. Gang is also recorded as the first Korean painter to illustrate the scenery of America. As a result of his experiences, he created at least one oil painting depicting two trains and a boat surrounded by Western-style buildings, which he titled Study of Fire Train.[2] When he returned from the United States, Gang became a high official in the Ministry of Justice. After retiring from government service in 1911, Gang became a professor for the Association of Painting and Calligraphy and devoted his time to teaching art. In 1919, he and twelve other artists founded another school of painting and calligraphy by the same name. Read more (Curator Notes)