Myojakdo

Description

Byeon Sang-byeok is renowned for his skillful depictions of cats and chickens, so he was referred to as the nicknames, "Byeon goyangi" (literally Byeon cat), and "Byeon dak" (Byeon rooster) during his lifetime. The myojakdo backs up the record in which Byeon favored cats and devoted to cat paintings.

Cats and sparrows were often subjects for Korean paintings drawn to celebrate the joy of longevity because of their similar pronunciations with other words that have auspicious meanings. The pronunciation of myo (猫; cat) and jak (雀, sparrow) in hanja word, or Sino-Korean words are respectively linked with mo (耄; old person) which refers to 80 or 90 years old, and jak (鵲) which indicates magpie having been regarded as an auspicious bird in Korean society.

In this painting, cats and sparrows are depicted realistically in a simple and dynamic composition. The depiction of a group of chirping sparrows on twigs are illustrated precisely with very detailed brushstrokes. Byeon's mastered drawing techniques are also noted with the lively facial expressions and moves of the two cats. One cat clinging to the side of an old tree exchanges glances with the other on the ground in the diagonal composition as if they communicated with each other. On the other hand, the body of the old tree is drawn with rather wild brushstrokes, which represents the meager texture and the distorted shape having formed for a long time. The stark contrast between the way the animals and trees are applied gives a strong feeling of movement to the picture.