Chairman
"Our ancestors were skilful at drawing. Among the pictures drawn by our fine artists of olden times, there are many masterpieces."
In the past, our ancestors created a number of masterpieces by developing the art of drawing peculiar to the Korean nation.
Among them is Ri Nyong, a painter of the Koryo Dynasty, who painted the landscape well and surprised kings of Koryo and Song Dynasties.
Ri Nyong was famous for his early paintings, which were widely known in Song, a neighboring country, as well as in Koryo.
In July, the Year of the Dragon (1124), the second year of Injong, Ri Nyong went to Song as a member of the envoy team.
At the meeting with Hui Jong, the King of Song, the envoy of Koryo presented him "Ryesongkangdo" drawn by Ri Nyong as a gift.
Large white waves, all kinds of boats floating on them, far-sighted green mountains....
It was a real amazing grandeur.
Hui Jong was deeply moved, grabbing Ri Nyong's hand, issued a Royal command to Wang Jia Xun, a high-ranking official in an academy and court painters Chen DeZhi, Qian ZongRen and Zhao ShouZong, to learn painting from Ri Nyong.
Having heard this news, the Song people gathered into the government office where Ri Nyong was teaching the painting.
They were really excited by various paintings including "Chonsusanammundo"(Painting of the gate in the south of the temple named Chonsu) on the wall.
Among them was a merchant who frequented Koryo. Having seen Ri Nyong's "Chonsusanammundo", he said that his name was Wu Di and asked him whether he would sell it.
Then Ri Nyong refused to sell it, but he would give him as a present.
Song's merchant, Wu Di was so pleased that he asked him to leave his signature as a memorial to the painting.
Ri Nyong took the brush on the spot and wrote "From Ri Nyong, a Koryo man. As a memorial to the meeting in the Year of the Dragon" on the back of the painting.
Fourteen years since then, it was in March, the Year of the Horse (1138).
Wu Di, the merchant of Song, visited Koryo with his colleagues.
He presented a picture as a gift when he met Injong, the King of Koryo.
When he unfolded a picture, the sound of exclamation burst from his mouth.
Wu Di, Song's merchant, was trying to say something, but he couldn't because Injong was extremely excited, showing it around to the vassals.
Injong hung the picture presented as a gift from Wu Di on the wall, and looked at it several times a day, and suddenly came up with an idea to show him the picture, so he ordered eunuchs to call Ri Nyong to come at once.
Ri Nyong at the King's command stopped his work and rushed to the inner palace.
When Ri Nyong approached, Injong pointed to the picture on the wall, and said that the picture was given by the Song merchant as a gift to him, asking him to make a comment.
Ri Nyong was surprised to see the picture.
The painting was the "Chonsusanammundo", which he had once given to a merchant from Song.
Ri Nyong looked at the painting for a while with deep emotion, and said politely that it was his own painting.
Unsealed the back of the painting, there was his real signature.
In Jong patted him on the back and praised him that he was a genius and treasure of their Koryo.
Since then, Injong had taken special care of Ri Nyong and all of the painting projects in the country were taken over by him.
Thus, the painter of Koryo, Ri Nyong was famous for his high painting skills that left a clear mark in the art history of the Korean nation.
