Yi Am

Yi Am
Mother Dog and Puppies ("Mogyeon") by Yi Am.
Korean name
Hangul
이암
Hanja
李巖
Revised RomanizationI-Am
McCune–ReischauerI-Am
Courtesy name
Hangul
정중
Hanja
靜仲
Revised RomanizationJeong-Jung
McCune–ReischauerChŏng-Jung
Title
Hangul
두성령
Hanja
杜城令
Revised RomanizationDuseongnyeong
McCune–ReischauerTusŏngnyŏng

Yi Am (Korean이암; Hanja李巖, c. 1499 or 1507–1566) was a painter during the early- to mid-Joseon Dynasty.

As a literati court painter, Yi Am's works spanned portraiture, bird-and-flower and animal paintings. His extant paintings are famous for their unique depictions of animals, particularly dogs. He used washes of ink instead of distinct lines to define the animal bodies, a method that heavily influenced future Joseon bird-and-flower paintings.[1] This influence spread to Japan as well; Tawaraya Sōtatsu's paintings of puppies with a similar technique have been considered a possible starting point for the development of the Rinpa school tarashikomi.[2] The themes of natural harmony and familial love in Yi Am's animal paintings also influenced later Korean painters Byeon Sang-byeok and Kim Sik.[3]

  1. ^ Hong, Sunpyo (1 January 2008). "Hwajohwa of the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties". Journal of Korean Art & Archaeology. 2 (0): 42–65. doi:10.23158/jkaa.2008.v2_03.
  2. ^ Lippit, Yukio (31 March 2022). "Puppy Love: The Legacy of Yi Am's Paintings in Edo-Period Japan". Korean Journal of Art History. 313: 35–57. doi:10.31065/kjah.313.202203.002. ISSN 1225-2565.
  3. ^ "이암 (李巖)". 한국민족문화대백과사전 [Encyclopedia of Korean Culture] (in Korean). Academy of Korean Studies.