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Sin Yun-bok [cha Ippu, Hyewon, Ch’ihwa-ssi, Ilp’yonun]
( fl mid-18th century). Korean painter. He was a professional painter employed by the Bureau of Painting in Seoul and is known above all for his genre-paintings. He belongs in the same category as his contemporary Kim Hong-do and the 19th-century artist Kisan, although his works rank higher than theirs. His themes are drawn primarily from the daily life of the Korean upper class, the yangban. Through their rich details his paintings contribute greatly to knowledge of the customs and activities of the well-to-do in the late Choson period (1392–1910). His paintings usually show young scholars and noblemen in the company of kisaeng (professional female entertainers; see KOREA, fig. 44) or simply depict the girls in various situations, a subject in which he apparently took great delight. Given that contemporary society was heavily bound by Confucian moral norms, his paintings are often daring and sensual. This is not only because he depicts amorous couples, but also because the kisaeng are made the primary figures in his works. This is particularly so in the painting Woman by a Lotus Pond (album leaf, ink and light colours on silk, 296*248 mm; Seoul, N. Mus.) and in Sword Dance (album leaf, colour on paper, 352*283 mm; Seoul, Cent. Stud. Kor. A., Kansong A. Mus.), where the viewer’s attention is drawn immediately to the two female dancers in their bright clothing (see Kim, Choi and Im, pls 89 and 87).
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