Bamboo in Mist | Harvard Art Museums

Identification and Creation

Object Number: 2010.554
People: Kim Kyu-chin (also known as Hae-kang), Korean (1868 - 1933)
Title: Bamboo in Mist
Classification: Paintings
Work Type: painting, hanging scroll
Date: late 19th - first third 20th century
Places: Creation Place: East Asia, Korea
Period: Chosŏn dynasty to Modern period
Culture: Korean
Persistent Link: https://hvrd.art/o/337063

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink on silk; with inscription by the artist; with artist's signature reading "Hae-kang Kim Kyu-chin"; with three seals of the artist

Dimensions

painting proper: H. 128.2 x W. 37.4 cm (50 1/2 x 14 3/4 in.)
mounting, including suspension cord and roller ends: H. 184.7 x W. 60.2 cm (72 11/16 x 23 11/16 in.)

Inscriptions and Marks

inscription: lower left, brush-written in Chinese characters, two column inscription and signature including artist's sobriquet and formal name: "Hae-kang Kim Kyu-chin"
seal: at the beginning of the inscription, rectangular red relief seal: (to be deciphered)
seal: at the end of the inscription, square red intaglio seal reading: "Kim Kyu Chin In"
seal: at the end of the inscription, immediately below previous seal, square red relief seal reading: "Hae Kang"

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History: [through ?, Seoul, 1968], sold; to Robert D. Mowry, Boston, MA (1968-2010), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2010.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line: Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Robert D. Mowry in honor of Arthur W. Asbury
Accession Year: 2010
Object Number: 2010.554
Division: Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact: am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Description: Mounted as a hanging scroll, this long, rectangular painting by Kim Kyu-chin is executed in ink on silk and depicts bamboo in mist. The several very slender stalks of bamboo rise from a small, grass-covered hillock in the lower right corner. The composition is organized around the one very tall and several short stalks of bamboo that are depicted in black ink and that are thus to be read as nearest the viewer; the tallest of those stalks rises through the composition on a slight diagonal and reaches almost to the upper left corner. Several additional stalks of bamboo, some tall, some short, are depicted in gray ink, indicating both that they are slightly farther away from the viewer and that they are partially obscured by heavy mist. All of the bamboo stalks, whether painted in vibrant black or pale gray ink, appear in the foreground plane; the composition does not recede into deep three-dimensional space, so no middle- or background elements are included. The leaves and stalks are well painted; in addition, the varying heights of the bamboo stalks and the varying tonalities of ink lend visual and aesthetic balance to the composition. The artist's two-column inscription and signature appear in the lower left portion of the painting; planned as an integral element of the composition, they fill an area that otherwise would have been blank, resulting in an unbalanced composition. The painting is not dated, but it is one of the artist's mature works and it reflects the influence of the Japanese Nanga style, indicating that it was painted at the end of the nineteenth or, more likely, during the first one-third of the twentieth century.

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

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