[Traditional Art N] Joseon Literati Painting Born from Exile on Jeju Isla...

Kim Jeong-hui’s “Sehando.” Photo by National Museum of Korea.

“Sehando” (歲寒圖), painted by scholar and calligrapher Kim Jeong-hui during his exile on Jeju Island in 1844, was created for his disciple Yi Sang-jeok. Over the following 176 years, the work passed through multiple owners and moved across Korea, China, and Japan. In 2020, it became a shared cultural heritage artifact after donor Son Chang-geun donated it to the National Museum of Korea.

Sehando is not composed of a single painting alone. Attached to Kim Jeong-hui’s work and inscription are 22 appreciation texts written by 20 Korean and Chinese literati figures. The entire scroll measures 1,469.5 centimeters in length.

The scroll is divided into four sections. The first includes the title “Wandang Sehando” and a poem written by Kim Jun-hak in 1914. The second section contains the original Sehando painted by Kim Jeong-hui in 1844. The third includes appreciation writings by 16 Qing Dynasty literati figures along with two texts by Kim Jun-hak. The final section contains writings added in 1949 by Oh Se-chang, Yi Si-yeong, and Jeong In-bo.

The background of the painting lies in Kim Jeong-hui’s exile to Jeju. At age 55, he was exiled after political accusations linked to the Andong Kim clan. His punishment was “wiri anchi,” a form of confinement imposed on remote islands that prohibited movement outside a designated residence. There was no certainty about when the exile would end, while memorials calling for harsher punishment continued to appear.

Tree details from Kim Jeong-hui’s “Sehando.” Photo by National Museum of Korea.

In this isolated situation, Yi Sang-jeok continued sending books to Kim Jeong-hui. Yi worked as an interpreter of Chinese and delivered books that were difficult to obtain even in China. For Kim, books represented both the foundation of scholarship and art and a means of enduring the loneliness of exile.

Kim compared Yi’s loyalty to a passage from the “Analects” that states, “Only after the cold of winter arrives does one know that pine and cypress trees do not wither.” The title “Sehan” refers to severe winter and symbolizes integrity and loyalty that remain unchanged during difficult times.

The painting itself is simple in composition. A modest house with a rounded gate stands between two pine trees and two cypress trees. There are no decorative colors. Dry brushwork and dark ink define the trunks and leaves, leaving only the barren atmosphere of the exile landscape.

Sehando is also notable as a Joseon-era painting with a clearly stated purpose of creation. On the right side appears the title “Sehando,” along with the inscription, “Please look at this first. Wandang,” using Kim Jeong-hui’s pen name. The sentence identifies the work as a painting made specifically for Yi Sang-jeok. On the left side, Kim added a longer text explaining the reason for the work.

In 1845, Yi Sang-jeok brought Sehando with him during a diplomatic trip to China. After showing the work at a gathering hosted by Qing literatus Zhang Yaosun, 16 Qing scholars wrote appreciation texts for the painting. Their writings focused on the integrity symbolized by pine and cypress trees, emphasizing the virtues of maintaining moral principles during hardship.

During the 20th century, Sehando passed through several collectors. It was inherited by Kim Byeong-seon, a disciple of Yi Sang-jeok, and later by his son Kim Jun-hak. The work was later reportedly owned by Min Yeong-hwi and Min Gyu-sik. In 1932, Japanese scholar Fujitsuka Chikashi acquired the scroll. Fujitsuka collected research materials related to Kim Jeong-hui and took Sehando back to Japan after his retirement.

Yi Si-yeong’s appreciation text attached to “Sehando.” Photo by National Museum of Korea.

In 1944, calligrapher Son Jae-hyeong traveled to Japan and persuaded Fujitsuka over a period of two months to return the work to Korea. After liberation, Son requested additional appreciation writings from Jeong In-bo, Yi Si-yeong, and Oh Se-chang in 1949. The current long scroll format was arranged by Son Jae-hyeong himself.

Afterward, the work was owned by businessman Son Se-gi of Gaeseong. His eldest son, Son Chang-geun, later inherited the painting and donated it unconditionally to the National Museum of Korea in 2020.

Sehando carries the meaning of pine and cypress trees that do not wither even in severe winter. Within a single scroll remain Kim Jeong-hui’s years in exile, Yi Sang-jeok’s loyalty, appreciation writings by Qing literati figures, reflections by modern Korean intellectuals, and the decision of a modern donor to pass the work on as public heritage.

Reported by News Culture M.J._mj94070777@nc.press

* This article was manually prepared as a translated piece and later proofread and reviewed with the assistance of AI.