Mug – Rocks in the Sea from Changdeokgung Palace
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Depending on the aspect ratio of the original artwork and the chosen format, it may happen that the edges of the image are slightly adjusted to achieve a harmonious overall effect and high print quality.
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Cup – Rocks in the Sea from Changdeokgung Palace
Whether it’s morning coffee, evening tea, or something in between – this Rocks in the Sea from Changdeokgung Palace mug is just right for you! The sturdy, glossy mug with its vibrant print is microwave- and dishwasher-safe.
• Ceramic
• 11 oz: Height 9.6 cm (3.8″), diameter 8.2 cm (3.2″)
• 15 oz: Height 11.9 cm (4.7″), diameter 8.5 cm (3.3″)
• 20 oz: Height 10.9 cm (4.3″), diameter 9.3 cm (3.7″)
• Dishwasher- and microwave-safe
• Blank product sourced from China
Rocks in the Sea, Panoramic View of Chongseokjeong (총석정 절경도)
- Kim Gyu-jin | 1920 | Color on silk
- 195.5 × 882.5 cm | State-registered cultural heritage
This monumental mural once decorated the eastern wall of the Huijeongdang Hall in Changdeokgung Palace in Seoul. In its expansive panoramic format, it depicts the picturesque Chongseokjeong Pavilion and the impressive coastal landscape of Tongcheon in what is now the North Korean part of Gangwon Province. Chongseokjeong is one of the famous “Eight Scenic Views of Gwandong”, one of the most enduring landscape motifs in Korean art.
The painting’s unusual perspective is particularly noteworthy. While traditional depictions of Chongseokjeong usually show the landscape from the land looking toward the sea, Kim Gyu-jin chose the opposite viewpoint: the viewer is at sea, looking toward the coast. In the tranquil foreground, the expanse of water stretches out, behind which Chongseok’s bizarre, column-like rock formations rise across the entire width of the image like a monumental natural curtain.
This unusual composition corresponds strikingly closely to the perspective of a photograph published in 1913 in the “Photo Album of Geumgangsan”. It is therefore likely that this photograph served Kim Gyu-jin (1868–1933) as an important visual reference. At the same time, the artist had extensive knowledge of the region and first-hand experience there. After receiving the commission to execute the murals in June 1920, he traveled to the area again to study the landscape directly and record it in drawings. Surviving drafts and handwritten notes document this working process.
To gain as comprehensive a view of the rock formations as possible, Kim Gyu-jin even took a boat out onto the open sea and made sketches from a greater distance. The painting thus combines photographic inspiration with direct observation of nature and the artist’s own drawing experience.
In its artistic approach, too, the work departs from the established pictorial conventions of traditional court painting and aligns more closely with realistic landscape painting (실경산수화, Silgyeong Sansuhwa). The landscape is not rendered merely symbolically or according to inherited pictorial models, but is captured as vividly and precisely as possible in its characteristic appearance.
Stylistically, too, the painting combines traditional Korean visual language with influences from modernity. The blue-green coloring of the background mountains, the schematically rendered waves, and the densely placed dots on the rocks recall the decorative aesthetics of traditional court painting. By contrast, the delicate linework, differentiated gray-brown and gray-blue tones, and pronounced light-dark contrasts give the rock formations greater solidity and spatial impact. This reveals the growing influence of Western painting techniques on modern Korean art.
The bizarre rocks of Chongseok form the visual center of the painting. Like a vast natural curtain, they extend across the entire image and play a decisive role in the monumental effect of the composition. The precise linework and finely graduated color contrasts make the different forms, surfaces, and structures of the individual rocks particularly vivid. At the same time, the calm expanse of water in the foreground creates a deliberate contrast with the vertical dynamism of the rock formations and intensifies their imposing appearance.
An important historical detail appears in the upper-left corner of the painting. Beside the title “Panoramic View of Chongseokjeong” (叢石亭絶景) are the ink inscription “Carefully painted by Kim Gyu-jin” (金圭鎭謹寫) and the artist’s personal seal.
The handwritten signature and personal seal also point to an important shift in the history of Korean art. While the individual artist in traditional court art often receded behind the work’s function and commission, personal identity and artistic authorship gained increasing importance in modern Korean painting. The artist’s visible self-identification can therefore be understood not only as the signature of an individual work, but also as an expression of a changed understanding of artistic authorship in Korea in the early twentieth century.
