Cliff with Orchid and Bamboo

Adhering to revered Chinese literary and pictorial traditions, highly educated members of the court of the Korean Joseon dynasty (1392–1910) designated the orchid, along with bamboo, the chrysanthemum, and the plum blossom, as the "Four Gentlemen." Because the wild orchid blooms in the isolation of mountains and forests, painters viewed it as a natural reflection of the true scholar's virtue: a pure flower whose fragrance is rivaled only by its solitary beauty. The orchid's slender, elongated leaves and delicate petals lent themselves to calligraphic expression here rendered in the same black ink used for brushing the accompanying Chinese texts. The inscription in the upper-left section of the painting panel, unsigned and bearing two unidentified seals, reads, "Clear water in autumn / Fresh, green bamboo." Gim's signature appears at the bottom right of the composition, but differences between the calligraphy and painting techniques, suggest that this scroll could be a collaborative work.