Kim Yuseong

SOUTH KOREA, South Gyeongsang, Gimhae; Joseon dynasty

Also known as Jungok or Seoam, Kim Yuseong was a painter of the Royal Painting Academy. He went to Japan in 1763, where he was invited by the abbot of Seikenji Temple in Shizuoka to illustrate Kumgangsan, Naksansa Temple, and other landscapes. These works were of great historic significance for the exchange of art and culture with Japan.
Influenced by the literary painter Sim Sajeong, Kim placed emphasis on the development of the Namjong school painting style. He was adept in thick and thin applications of ink, an exemplary of the fundamental Namjong painting skills.
Surviving paintings by Kim are found in both Korea and Japan. Landscape of the Four Seasons is kept at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul; and Li He Riding a Horse, and Sage of Longevity, both of which contain calligraphy by Buddhist monks, are kept at Kenninji Temple in Kyoto, Japan.