Bamboo

Bamboo is an evergreen plant that symbolized integrity, strength, and resilience to Confucian scholars in East Asia. Bamboo, when grouped with orchid, plum, and chrysanthemum, was a favorite subject of Korean artists. Known as the “four gentlemen,” these plants were believed to embody the essential qualities of a Confucian gentleman.

Yu Deok-jang was a scholar-painter who excelled in monochrome bamboo painting. He inherited the style of Yi Jeong (1541–1622), who is credited with infusing bamboo painting with a characteristic Korean flavor. Yi Jeong and Yu Deok-jang are considered the two pillars of bamboo painting during the Joseon dynasty. Yu’s works are characterized by tight compositions of sharply delineated leaves and strong stems. A later painter named Gim Jeong-hui (1786–1856) commented that Yu’s bamboo painting contained the power of the Buddhist thunderbolt (Sanskrit: vajra).

The inscription on the last panel reads: “Painted by the old man Su-un.” Su-un was the pen name Yu used when he assumed a government office of the second rank.