Sin Yunbok

Lore & Background

Not much is known about Sin Yunbok's life. He was the son of royal court painter Hanpyeong (한평; 漢枰), who had participated in painting the royal portraits of Yeongjo and Jeongjo. Sin reached the official rank of cheomjeoljesa (첨절제사; 僉節制使) at the Tohwasŏ and was adept at different styles of painting; genre, landscape, and animals. It is speculated that he left a great number of paintings due to the popularity of genre paintings during that era. There are different studies and theories regarding his life, that he may not have ever been a member of the Tohwasŏ nor was he on close terms with Kim Hong-do.

Reader's Guide

Sin Yunbok, despite being greatly influenced and overshadowed by Kim Hongdo during his career, developed his own unique technique and artistry. Along with Kim Hongdo, he is known foremost for his genre paintings of the Joseon era. Whereas Kim depicted everyday life of peasants with a humorous touch, Sin showed glimpses of eroticism in his paintings of townspeople and kisaeng. His choice of characters, composition, and painting method differed from Kim's, with use of bright colors and delicate paint strokes. He also painted scenes of shamanism and townlife, offering insight to lifestyle and costumes of the late Joseon era. His ink landscape paintings used clear light strokes in a method similar to that of Yun Chehong (윤제홍), the pioneer in new style painting of the late Joseon era. He is also known to not have used the traditional method of leaving empty space in his paintings, usually filling the whole canvas. Although he placed short verse and his seal on most of his paintings, none indicate the date nor time of their creation and it is difficult to define the progression of his painting style. As one of the pillars of genre painting in the Joseon era, he influenced many other painters afterwards. His album, Hyewon Pungsokhwacheop, contains 30 of his paintings and was designated the 135th National Treasure of South Korea in 1970.

Did You Know?

• Sin Yunbok's art name Hyewŏn shares a syllable with Kim Hongdo's art name (Danwon) and Chang Sŭngŏp's (Owŏn), forming the 'Three Wons' of Joseon painting.
• His father Hanpyeong helped paint royal portraits of Kings Yeongjo and Jeongjo.
• Sin held the official rank of cheomjeoljesa at the Tohwasŏ, the royal painting institute.
• His album Hyewon Pungsokhwacheop contains 30 paintings and was designated the 135th National Treasure of South Korea in 1970.
• None of his paintings indicate the date or time of their creation, making it difficult to define the progression of his style.