Ri Sang Jwa (1465-?), a painter of the feudal Joson dynasty, was meanly born with the status of a slave but he became an artist of the state-level painting centre with his remarkable painting skills. He mainly painted the portraits but he was also good at various kinds of paintings such as landscape paintings, animal paintings, paintings of flowers and birds and illustrations.

   His representative paintings such as Walking under the Pine Tree at the Moonlit Night, Fierce Tiger and Flowers and Birds are still left.

   Strong will and resistant feeling expressed by telling strokes, great spirit and sharp dramatic description were peculiar to his paintings.

   Walking under the Pine Tree at the Moonlit Night is a good example to show his creative individuality and painting style.

   In the painting, a pine tree rooted on the rock of the steep cliff is standing imposingly spreading its branches. Under it, there is an old man walking with a child. The tree is bent and beaten by weather, but is standing firmly in the teeth of a foul wind. Also, two people under the tree are walking nonstop with their dress fluttering.

   Although it depicts dark and windy night, any glooms or anxieties can be hardly felt. Instead, it demonstrates the strong will and unbreakable and indomitable spirit which overcomes any hardships and sufferings of the time.

   Also in the other paintings like Fierce Tiger, his strong spirit is well expressed through powerful depiction.

   It is said that no other painter could follow his animated painting style. The paintings show his intention to get rid of the conservative and formalistic painting style that prevailed in the contemporary artists’ society.

   His paintings are valuable assets in the study and development of the Korean paintings.