Nine Dragon Falls on Diamond Mountains
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Measuring just over 240 feet (74 meters) in length, the Nine-Dragon Falls is perhaps the most riveting and majestic of waterfalls within the Diamond Mountains. In this painting, Park Dae-sung’s use of traditional media—ink and light color on paper—and seemingly traditional style are deceptive. Building on the conventions of true-view landscape, which stretch back to the eighteenth century, Park’s decidedly up-to-date reinterpretation emphasizes grand scale, exaggerated forms, and saturated ink to create an overpowering impression greater than the sum of its parts. Although the artist has traveled to the mountains, his images of the sites are more impressionistic than exercises in realism. The mass of black ink wash covering most of the rocks around the stream of water—indeed, much of the picture plane—does not reflect the actual scenery, yet the majesty evoked is potent and inspiring.
Artwork Details
- 소산 박대성 금강산 구룡폭도
- 小山 朴大成 金剛山 九龍瀑圖
- Title: Nine Dragon Falls on Diamond Mountains
- Artist: Park Dae-sung (artist name: Sosan) (Korean, born 1945)
- Date: 2004
- Culture: Korea
- Medium: Ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 70 × 31 in. (177.8 × 78.7 cm)
Overall with mounting: 82 × 35 3/4 in. (208.3 × 90.8 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Lent by Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, Gift of Park Dae-sung
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art