This study is an attempt to understand the art and culture of the officialliterati in the eighteenth century Joseon by tracing Seo Jiksu(徐直修, 1735-1811)’s personal life and exploring his cultural taste and self-identification. The study investigates the two most important paintings, Portrait of Seo Jiksu and Shipudo(十友圖) illustrating the meaning of his study’s name, Shipu-heon (pavilion of ten friends), which were commissioned by Seo Jiksu. This article also attempts to explore the material culture of Joseon literary society in socio-historical and cultural historical perspectives.
Seo Jiksu did not make academic achievements and political success as an official. Moreover, he was not a man of erudition or artistic talents. He did not devote all his ability to study Confucius classics and pass the civil examination, which are the most important responsibilities of the aristocratic male in Joseon dynasty. It does not mean Seo pursued his own ideal by living a reclusive life. On the contrary, he was able to take the low-ranking official post given to privileged member of meritorious vassal and upper class family. It is comparatively easy for him to accumulate amount of wealth. With wealth and social status, Seo Jiksu lived his life of abundance and stability rather than anyone else. He eagerly pursued his pleasure of enjoying refined cultural activities in daily life. His unique self-esteem derived from his elegant life style and sophisticated taste through his whole life.
Seo Jiksu might not be a man of lofty character but was a quite ordinary man to pursue secular pleasures. He eagerly collected rare antiques such as Samurai swords of Kamakura Japan, appreciated literary paintings and calligraphies of Ming China, and enjoyed travelling famous scenic sites, gardening, housing and so forth. Gaining practical knowledge for the activities, he read books on taste of the Chinese professionals published in the Ming Ching China.
Lee Inmun, an excellent painter of Dohwaseo (Royal Academy of Painting) painted Shipu-do, which shows a portrait of Seo Jiksu accompanying with ten favorites called friends. In colophon of the paintings written by Seo Jiksu, we can find out that he intended to represent his sophisticated taste and elegant life style to enjoy cultural activities and collect antiques through his paintings. He requested the most representative painters of his period, Kim Hongdo and Lee Myeonggi to paint his portrait in which he wore plain clothes of literatus. Even though his feature was painted elegantly and sophisticatedly, Seo Jiksu wrote that the two painters should have painted the essence of his lofty mind on the portrait. It reveals not only Seo’s self-respect of the refined cultural taste but also his desire to show off his elegant life through the portrait. Seo’s artistic taste and various cultural activities are at the heart of building up his self-awareness throughout whole life. It is required to focus on the life and taste of Seo Jiksu in that his case epitomizes the upper class literati to have refined taste for the arts in the eighteenth century Joseon.