An Jung-sik

An Chungsik (, 1861–1919), art name Simjŏn , was an artist who lived at the very end of the Joseon period.

An is known for being one of the last painters under the Royal Bureau of Painting, the official painting organization for the Korean monarchy. After practicing and learning under Chang, An joined the Royal Bureau of Painting. It was during his time as a profession court painter when he became well acquainted with , 1853–1920), another painter who was also working for the Royal Joseon court. Both of these artists held the title of “painter-in-charge of royal portraiture” (jugwan hwasa), the highest honor and title court painters could receive. An continued to learn new painting methods when he visited Shanghai after the Tianjin diplomatic trip. Upon his return to Korea in 1892, he was designated the role of prefect of Jipyeong, then was promoted to governor of Ansan in 1894. In 1899, he returned to Shanghai and continued his study before there he moved to Gifu, Japan, for two years until his exile.

Political beliefs An was quite vocal regarding his political stances and beliefs. He proudly labeled himself as an active follower of the Progressive Party. In 1884, the political party launched the Gapsin Coup d’etat that ended in failure, leading to An fleeing to Japan. An depicts a meeting of the Progressive Party hosted in the house of fellow painter O Se-chang (오세창, 1864–1953) in a painting labeled Doso Wine Society at Pagoda Garden. Doso is a type of wine consumed for medicinal purposes of casting away evil spirits. The curriculum focused on traditional techniques taught by artists who made an impact on the art scene during the Chosŏn era. Alongside the traditional teaching on ink and calligraphy, An and Cho also taught students En plein air, or plein-air painting, which is the act of painting outdoors. He died soon thereafter, on 2 November 1919.

Paintings Artistic style An's earlier style was mainly centered around nature - birds, flowers, animals, etc. His work was a fusion between traditional Joseon techniques and contemporary Chinese and Japanese styles. As he moved toward landscape paintings, An experimented with making realistic, modern accurate depictions of the view he saw around him. Despite these modern experiments, he continued to make use of traditional ink and light colors on paper and silk. An understood that the traditional ink painting methods of shading and brushwork were a perfect representation of traditional Korean art, where ink created from ink sticks and water for the purpose of calligraphy and painting is a centuries-long tradition.

Boat to the Peach Blossom Land, 1915. Ink and colors on silk, 143.5 x 50.7 cm. National Museum of Korea, Seoul

On the upper left corner of the yellow tone painting, one can read the Chinese inscription '白岳春曉' (=백악춘효) meaning 'Dawn of Spring facing Mount Baekak'. Next to it, a little smaller, is written 乙卯 夏日 (=을묘하일, Eul-myo Ha-il) i.e. summer 1915, followed by '心田安中植' (=심전 안중식) i.e. An Chungsik. On the brown tone painting, the second part of inscription is modified into 乙卯 秋日 (=을묘추일, Eul-myo Chu-il) i.e. autumn 1915.

This raise the question: why does the painter wrote down 'Eulmyo in the fall' on the painted work 'Springtime dawn of Baekak'?. An answer can be found in the fact that in 1915, a 'Korea Trade Fair' was held on the premise of the Gyeongbok Palace by the Japanese Government-General. This leads to the demolition of many buildings in the palace complex, preparing the erection (1916–1926) of the massive Japanese General Government Building. In this context, Mount Baekak and even the Gwanghwamun Gate were only a pretext, the true topic being the destruction of the right 'tiger' in the frontview. This 'tiger' was not a simple decorative bloc of stone, but an haetae 해태, i.e. a mythical creature serving as a fengshui guardian against natural disasters and a symbol of law and order. In this case, the two-fold painting was about Summer and Fall of the invaded Korea.

Boat to the Peach Blossom Land Painted in the same year as Spring Dawn at Mt. Baegak, An takes a spin on his realistic perception of nature. In this mystical, dreamlike painting, An portrays the Daoist paradise of the Peach Blossom Land, which has been a highly glorified and appreciated East Asian art subject. Dating back to the 7th and 8th centuries, the Peach Blossom Land has been described to be a “mythic heavenly realm” that many people viewed as a utopia and wished to discover, only to realize it can only be obtained in their dreams. His training in traditional court painting can be seen through the fine, netlike lines used to draw the waves.

A Cart by Maple Forest This conceptual landscape painting was produced before the switch in how artists approached nature occurred in the late 19th century. During this time, European techniques on naturalism and realism seeped into Korea and challenged the way artists viewed and depicted nature through art. A Cart by Maple Forest shows the traditional method of painting landscapes, creating the theme to feel a bit more mystical and projecting the final work on a scroll.

Landscape of Yeonggwang For a month, An visited and stayed at a friend's place in a village located southwest of Yeonggwang. He drew the view and noted his experiences through this ten-fold screen painting. An practices realistic drawing in this artwork by using planar recession, which is when artists create parallel planes that seem to go further into the painting to create the illusion of depth.

Poetic Collectibles Poetic Collectibles, 1912. Ink and color on silk, 30 x 12cm, Private Collection Although An is mainly known for his landscape paintings, he also often painted subjects and objects, as can be seen in this painting. Poetic Collectibles indicates the use of a well known popular coloring technique of applying more colorful layers after the previous layer dries. Although it was used during the early Joseon period, An is more likely to have learned it during his time in Japan, where the art technique flourished and became popular.

Gallery

Another notable work is a 10-panel folding screen:

Other well known paintings are:

Legacy An was a successful artist throughout his career. He was favored by the royal court because they viewed him as an example of artists who were able to maneuver the modern movement in their own original style. For instance, despite most of his artwork consisting of traditional Asian styles, such as ink painting, he mentored Go Huidong, who went on to become the first Korean painter to study Western oil painting. An was also known for changing the way in which Japanese and Korean artists interact. An and Cho developed a respectable relationship with Shimizu Toun (1868?–1929?), an underground Japanese artist who created the Korean division of the Joun-sha art society based in Tokyo. Shimizu, An and Cho bonded over their interest in calligraphy and ink painting. This alliance was rare since many Japanese artists residing in Korea did not interact with Korean artists, so this pairing has been marked as an important bridge between Japanese and Korean art scene. Art historians even credit the success of many artists due to their time studying under An. According to Mok Soohyun, “emerging artists who had studied under An became firmly established in the art world [and] served as leaders in contemporary painting.” The passing of An in 1919 also signified the end of an era in Korean art. Many have titled An with being the last role model of traditional court painting and "true Joseon technique".