조선왕조시대의 초기부터 말기까지 가장 널리 그려진 寫意山水畵는 瀟湘八景圖이다. 중국 양자강 남쪽의 소강과 상강이 만나는 지역의 아름다운 경치 여덟 장면을 표현한 이 소상팔경은 고려시대에 전래되어 조선시대 내내 유행하였다. 그 대체적인 흐름과 특정에 대하여는 필자가 총괄적으로 다룬 바 있다. 조선시대의 소상팔경도는 18세기에 이르러 크게 변모하게 되었는데 이러한 변화를 주도했던 인물은 謙齋 鄭敾(1676-1759)이다. 그럼에도 불구하고 그의 소상팔경도에 관해서는 아무도 연구한 바가 없다. 오직 그의 진경산수화만이 많은 관심 속에 연구되었을 뿐이다. 이러한 경향은 정선의 회화에 대한 이해를 진경산수화 쪽으로만 기울게 하고 그의 사의산수화에 대한 몰이해를 야기하는 결과를 낳았다. 이를 바로잡고 정선의 소상팔경도의 제반 양상을 구체적으로 살펴보고자 한 것이 본고 집필의 목적이다. 정선은 초년부터 만년에 이르기까지 진경산수화와 함께 소상팔경도도 종종 그렸음이 분명하다. 그는 全忠孝의 작품을 위시한 이전의 전통과 『海內奇觀』을 비롯한 중국의 판화를 참조하면서 자신만의 소상팔경도를 창출하였다. 이는 여러 작품들에 담긴 圖像과 남종화법을 기본으로 한 화풍에서 분명하게 확인된다. 정선의 소상팔경도에서 팔경의 순서는 조선초기 및 중기와 달리 크게 변화하였다. 정선이 그의 소상팔경도에서 창출한 도상과 화풍은 후대의 화가들에게 심대한 영향을 미치기도 하였다. 그러므로 정선의 소상팔경도는 그의 진경산수화와 더불어 조선시대 회화사상 지대한 의의가 있다고 하겠다.
One of the most popular topics represented by Korean artists of the Joseon Dynasty was "The Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers." It was executed by many Korean artists throughout the Joseon period: in An Gyeon style in the early period and in the Zhe School manner in the middle period whereas the Southern School style was the main source of new creation of the same subject in the late period. Jeong Seon (1676-1759, studio name: Gyeomjae) was the very artist who created new mode of expression of the subject. This paper explores the paintings of "The Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers" done by Jeong Seon. Jeong Seon, one of the greatest masters of true-view landscape paintings, also worked in the xieyi「kr. sa -ui」mode of painting. However, his xieyi paintings 「literally meaning "sketching the idea" or conceptual」 have been neglected in the field of Korean painting history as the result of over-emphasizing his true-view landscape. Among the common themes for xieyi paintings in East Asia, "The Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers" is the most famous one. The theme depicting eight beautiful scenes where two rivers, the Xiao and the Xiang, meet in modem clay Hunan Province, was first introduced into Korea during the Goryeo dynasty, and became widely accepted in the Joseon dynasty. Jeong Seon also executed several painting sets of "The Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers" and so far four albums devoted to the theme have been identified (though I believe that more might yet be unearthed). Three sets, the first one in a private collection and the second one in the possession of Korean collector in Japan, and the third one in Gansong Art Museum, respectively contain all eight scenes, whereas a set in another private collection is missing two leaves. These extant works are exemplary evidence of Jeong Seon's creative and diverse artistic practice, especially in the case of his xieyi paintings. Jeong Seon's four albums of "The Eight Views" differ from earlier paintings of the same subject in several respects. They reveal the painter s distinguished, novel ideas and style in conceptual landscape, and mark an important but new development of "The Eight Views paintings in the Joseon dynasty. By comparison with other previous examples and Hainei qiguan, a collection of woodcut prints illustrating famous scenic places in China, I discovered several valuable characteristics and significance of Jeong Seon's "The Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers." Jeong Seon took the style of the Southern School painting in representing "The Eight Views" paintings. The Southern School painting which aimed at self-expression gained its popularity from the mid-Joseon period in Korea. Although Jeong Seon's paintings of "The Eight Views" were based on the Southern School painting style, they do reveal a remarkably significant difference from the earlier paintings of the same theme. During the early Joseon period. "The Eight Views" paintings were done in the style of An Gyeon, while in mid-Joseon, the Zhe School style of the Ming China was taken by many painters. Unlike painters in earlier periods, Jeong Seon utilized Mi dots and hemp fiber strokes, common features of the Southern School paintings, and lessened the roles of busy mercantile settings that were traditionally avoided by painters of that same school. In addition, compared to his true-view landscape paintings, Jeong Seon achieved a free and somewhat loose style in painting "The Eight Views." This might have derived from the fact that the paintings did not require specific and realistic depictions of nature as in the true-view landscape paintings. Examining all four sets of albums on the Eight Views theme, I found out that Jeong Seon did not pay much attention on depicting subtle seasonal or time-of-clay differences. On the other hand, he tended to put more emphasis on landscape description in his later paintings: figures and geese, key motifs for each theme became less prominent and symbolized. Interestingly enough, he brought out the manner of the true-view landscape style in depicting nature in his later paintings of "The Eight Views." Jeong Seon mastered formats and styles of "The Eight Views" paintings that had already been established, but, at the same time, he accomplished his own interpretation of the theme and developed novel touches. First of all, Jeong Seon's paintings did not follow the traditional order of the eight scenes. He switched the first and second scenes, as well as the third and fourth scenes. Thus, the order of his first four leaves is 'Evening Bell from Mist-Shrouded Temple,' 'Mountain Market in Clearing Mist,' 'Fishing Village in Twilight Glow', and 'Returning Sails off Distant Shores.' Prior to him, only Jeon Chung-hyo of the seventeenth century had followed the same order. Jeong Seon evidently followed Jeon's example in the format. Besides, the close relationship between the two artists is apparent in some motifs. However, once again, Jeong Seon made a switch, this time when he came to the sixth and seventh. This last switch was purely Jeong's own initiative, and, as such, it suggests his search for change and innovation. Jeong Seon's creativity is also evident in his composition. Usually in an album leaf format, the two paired leaves are supposed to be appreciated together at once, so they traditionally take so-called unilateral composition-the right leaf usually has more weight in the right half of the painting, while the left weighs more in the left.-Although Jeong Seon basically followed the conventional unilateral composition, he endeavored to avoid rigid simplicity and formality, the possible defects of traditional "The Eight Views" paintings. Thus, he sometimes laid weight and put emphasis on unexpected parts of the paintings. Just as in composition, Jeong Seon constantly sought to create new expressions and motifs in his treatment of the Eight Views theme. The painter's distinctive quality of creativity-within-tradition is also evident in his approach to the Chinese woodcut prints, Hainei qiguan. In his earlier paintings of "The Eight Views," one can notice that Jeong Seon explored the Chinese prints. But it was purely Jeong Seon's achievement to have created his own mode of expression based upon earlier tradition and Chinese prints. Made for the purpose of pure appreciation, Jeong Seon's albums of "The Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers" attracted many later painters. Sim Sa-jeong (1707-1769), Choe Buk (1712-ca.1786), and Gim Deuk-sin (1754-1822), for instance, followed Jeong Seon's creative, novel painting style when dealing with the same theme. Jeong's influence even made its mark on the surface design of Blue and White porcelains. As discussed so far, Jeong Seon's paintings of "The Eight Views" along with his true -view landscapes contributed enormously to the development of Korean landscape painting. They reveal Jeong Seon' s diversity of style and approach, and his influence upon the work of later painters. Thus, it is time to devote more serious attention and in-depth research to Jeong Seon's xieyi landscape work, including hi, paintings of "The Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers."