Birds and flowers

Deer, phoenixes, and other birds set off by rocky outcroppings and blossoming plants are skillfully painted with vibrant colors. The paired birds exemplify the harmony between yin and yang as well as male and female. With its different flowers or trees, each panel also represents specific seasons. This type of painted screen can be categorized as Korean folk painting, which during the Joseon dynasty was created by anonymous painters for a wide range of consumers, including lower- and middle-class people. The subject matter of folk paintings is mostly related to wishes, fortunes, and happiness, and the styles are freer and less bound to norms. This screen represents the Korean folk style of bird-and-flower paintings at the end of the nineteenth century. The narrowness of the panels and the pigments that resemble watercolors also suggest that time period.