Kim Hong-do

Kim Hong-do was a Korean painter during the Joseon dynasty. He is mostly remembered for his depictions of the everyday life of ordinary people, in a manner analogous to painters of the Dutch Golden Age. He was also widely known by his pen name Danwon. He was a member of the Gimhae Kim clan and studied under the renowned master Pyoam Kang Se-hwang. He entered the royal service as a member of the Dohwaseo, the official painters of the Joseon court, and painted portraits of the royal family and nobility. He also painted landscapes, animals, flowers, and religious subjects. He was one of the first Korean artists to use perspective and shading techniques in his paintings. He was also skilled in calligraphy and poetry. He was admired by King Jeongjo, who commissioned him for many institutional paintings. He died in loneliness and poverty, though the circumstances, and even the year are unknown. Depending on the source, some state that he died in 1806, 1810, or after 1814. He is remembered today as one of the “Three Wons,” together with Hyewon and Owon. He is also often joined to Owon and the 15th-century painter An Gyeon as one of Joseon’s three greatest painters. The city of Ansan, where he spent his youth and learned his craft, has memorialized him in many ways. The district of Danwon-gu is named after him, as is Ansan’s annual “Danwon Art Festival.” Many public places have been designed in imitation of his works.