Chihwaseon (Strokes of Fire) (2002) Movie Script
Drink!
Starring Choi Min-Sik
Ann Sung-Ki
Yoo Ho-Jung
Kim Yuh-Jin, Son Yeah-Jin
Director of Photography
Jung II Sung
Directed by Im Kwon Taek
Here it is, mounted.
What talent!
It emanates divine strength,
as if ghosts were dancing around it.
He seems to paint by the rules,
yet he doesn't.
He follows and breaks them
at the same time.
One stroke is worth ten thousand.
Ten thousand strokes in one!
What do rules have to do
with my painting?
Crazy yokel!
How can a bumpkin dauber claim
to question the rules of art?
You'll waste your life believing
in your paltry talent.
In 1882, the Chosun dynasty is ending.
The Koreans are rebelling against
foreign invasions and corrupt government.
The country is in decline. These were
the days of the artist Jang Seung-ub.
We've been expecting you.
Mr. Kaiura is Japanese.
He writes for the Hansung Daily.
I brought him here because he longs
to own one of your paintings.
I admire you.
Your paintings are sublime.
He hears you like good drink.
He brought this from Japan.
It's good.
Our diplomats there enjoy it.
Thank you for the wine.
But do you really want
to take back a painting
by a vulgar Korean
to the glorious empire of Japan?
Don't be so arrogant!
Many artists would die
for such recognition.
Mr. Kaiura genuinely
admires your work.
He knows you're a commoner.
He wonders how you paint so well.
My poor friend!
Genius shows, even in a baby!
Give me that!
Give me that drawing.
You snotnose brat! Get up!
- You there! What are you doing?
- Do you want to die? Filthy brat!
- Do you want to die? Filthy brat!
- I said stop!
He's the beggars' leader.
She's a girl who takes care of me...
like a younger brother.
He never stops hitting her, the beast!
He got her pregnant.
He treats her like dirt.
I did the drawing to comfort her.
He grabbed me.
Father! Seung-ub is running away
with my clothes!
Let him go. The rules of a noble
household are too strict for him
and he must have realized
we can't afford to feed him.
Where are your rolls of paper?
All sold out.
A delivery's due in two days.
We're out of stock.
If you want writing paper,
we have some Chinese.
I'll come back.
Master!
Is it me you're calling?
Aren't you master Kim from Hyoja village?
Don't you recognize me?
Once, by Chungye River,
you saved the life of a beggar boy.
Seung-ub? Is it you?
What brings you to
this suburban paper shop?
- I moved out here last summer.
- Seung-ub! Where are you?
Are those your paintings
on the wall?
Yes. I found work with a rotten boss
but I'm glad to have food.
Master, please accept my respects.
This boy is gifted.
His brushwork has such fire.
He may grow up to become
the great artist you longed to be.
Take him as your pupil.
Hold the brush as if
you had an egg in your palm.
Hold it tight with all five fingers.
From fingers to brush, from brush
to paper, your life force will flow.
First, lay out the "bone structure".
Every stroke, structure.
Next, the shading.
Shading brings distance
and gives objects their depth.
Three years later.
Is that you, Seung-ub?
After barely a year he had a stroke.
He was paralyzed.
I kept house and farmed for him.
I've come straight from his funeral.
He left me his flute.
We'll never be stirred
by his playing again. How sad...
The flute was all he left you?
He said every painter has to know
literature. Although he was ill,
he taught me the classics.
Now my eyes can see.
It's been so long.
I'd heard you were back from China.
Sorry I took so long to come.
Thanks to you, it all went well.
I bought this in China.
"The Book of the Measure of Qi".
The author is our own Hye-gang.
He's unknown here in his homeland.
We spurn the thoughts
of such a sage...
while he's admired abroad in China.
Such a pity.
What does he say in this book?
He explains the mysteries
of the flow of Qi,
how it irrigates our five senses
and determines the nation's strength.
That would be heresy here.
They'd censor it.
That will be our country's downfall.
Our ruling class must wake up to the
future. They're asleep. It's disastrous.
I'll share this precious gift
with my reform-minded friends.
Introduce yourself.
His name is Jang Seung-ub.
I think he has a god-given talent.
Please take him as your servant.
Show him original artworks
that will open his eyes.
What is it?
The Master's youngest sister.
Her frail health worries the family.
Don't go near her.
She's a good,
sweet-natured woman
but she's always been ill
with an unknown disease.
This precious art album comes
from the Chinese royal family.
This was painted by Zhao Gan
during the Sung dynasty.
He worked at Nanjing
with Tung Yuan.
This is by Ma He-zhi,
of the Hangzhou school.
On your knees, idler!
Everybody works hard here.
You too!
Fancy yourself as a painter,
you upstart?
- All you want is a full belly.
- Stop it! Let me go!
It's so real, it could tear
through the paper and fly off.
You're hurt.
Your hand, too.
Such a precious hand...
Hail to the groom!
Hail to the bride!
Come here, my boy!
I've never shown anyone
this painting by Chen Jia-yan.
How did you contrive to copy it?
I looked at it once... in secret.
I'm harboring a thief in my home.
Compare the two.
Can you tell which is the original?
He painted it after looking at it once.
Only the seal is missing.
Otherwise, they're identical.
But, even more amazing than
the copying look at that vivacity!
His gifts of observation
and memory are staggering.
There are two birds in the original
but three in the copy.
It looks so lonely and dismal.
Here's a long-lost friend!
Not so long, damn it!
Don't you recognize me?
I heard you were working
for a herbalist
and now you're
in Master Lee's employ.
I've been drifting around
for a while.
- Bring me some wine.
- Coming up! Bring him wine!
- Who are you?
- She's my daughter. Go to bed.
They say you made a perfect copy
of a Chinese painting...
you'd seen only once.
So you're Jang Seung-ub?
I'm meeting a genius. Delighted.
My name is Oh Cheon-suk.
I'm an art dealer.
I'm buying. Bring him food.
These are copies of erotica.
That's what sells best these days.
Even famous artists like Danwon
and Hyewon have done some.
After all, pornography
is a part of life.
I'll wait until I'm famous, then.
Nonsense! Chinese imitations
are unfashionable.
If you paint what doesn't sell,
who'll pay for your rice and wine?
So why look at them?
- Choon-sim, come in.
- Go away.
His talent is in your hands.
Be good to him!
Why are you trembling?
It seems like your first time.
Let me show you.
Mister, this isn't me.
It doesn't look like me.
I hear that copies of my collection
are circulating. You must be the culprit.
You should be studying till your fingers
bleed. Will you waste your life forever?
This is the Footbridge Art School.
Painters and scholars study here,
so behave yourself.
Master Hyesan,
please accept him as your pupil.
He hasn't studied long but
his genius should not be wasted.
So you're the one who copied
all those Chinese paintings.
Let's go in.
Welcome. Please go upstairs.
A bankrupt merchant opened this tavern.
It does good business.
This is Mongam.
And this young man is Doncho.
My name is Songhyun.
I mostly paint "Bird and Flower".
You know Su Tung-po,
the great painter and poet?
He argues that depicting nature
as it is doesn't make it art.
Painting must reflect
the painter's mind.
It's rough for daubers like us!
Paint the thoughts behind the shape...
Go beyond the form
and paint the meaning.
It's our Master's motto:
"Think before you paint."
As his pupil,
you'll have to work hard.
Depth and shadow
must always be equal.
Is that a mouse or a rabbit?
Object and painting must be as one.
Why these slapdash strokes?
Don't push the brush. Pull it!
"Homecoming."
Painting is about more than appearance.
It's about capturing the essence.
See the difference?
You painted a scholar
gazing blissfully at flowers.
Here, what feeling do you get from
this man's face and the scenery?
His employer asked him for a bribe.
He refused and lost the job which...
he'd only just found. Tao Yuan-ming's
sorrow has to show through.
Can't you see him yearning
to express his pain in a poem?
Imagination must breathe fire
into the painting.
More important than the strokes
is what lies between them.
The mind's discipline alone
must guide the brush.
Master, I've finished "Homecoming".
How dare you claim it's finished?
A painting is never finished.
I want you to paint this fan.
It's a gift for a Chinese dignitary.
I asked Master Hyesan to paint it,
but he referred me to you.
He did? He really recommended me?
Let us be merry
while we are young.
When we are old
it will be too late.
Seung-ub, this party's for you.
Join in!
Come closer.
Sit here.
Thanks to your painting,
my trip went well. Take this.
A gift from the Chinese dignitary
to the painter of the fan.
It's a special stone for a seal.
Here's a new girl.
She plays the 'saenghwang' well.
My name's Mae-hyang.
Our Seung-ub plays
the flute very well.
They'll make a perfect duet.
"The plum blossom
blooms only for thee."
They say it keeps its scent to itself.
I'm ashamed of what I am.
In 1866, Regent Daewon orders
the persecution of the Catholics.
Nine French missionaries
and 8,000 Koreans are beheaded.
Are you looking for someone, too?
Yes. I know a kisaeng,
Mae-hyang, who's a Catholic.
You used to say
we're all equal before God.
You wanted to abolish
inequality in Korea
but you're leaving,
abandoning your dreams.
Very cute!
You've beautifully captured
the languid eyes
of this idle dog
as he watches the bee.
Seung-ub.
Master Lee wants you urgently.
So-woon has returned.
She has no hope of recovery.
She came back to avoid
being a burden on her husband.
I sent for you because she longs
to have a painting by you.
Think of it as her last wish.
Do it for me.
Seung-ub is here.
What shall I paint for you?
Whatever inspires you.
Here it is.
This is a farewell.
This is a farewell.
Farewell to my love.
If you must leave
tell me when you'll return.
Three famous painters
have jae in their names.
You could be the third won
with Danwon and Hyewon.
Choose a forename.
Oh, meaning "I".
"I too am a Won."
Forceful Chinese art is all very well...
but you must see the works that
contain the spirit of our ancestors.
The master of this house
never shows his collection
but I'm a relative.
He won't say no.
He's fond of pine mushrooms.
What can I get you?
He's in the main wing.
- Wait for me here.
- Yes, master.
You, get out!
Watch where you put
your dirty backside!
- Beat it!
- What's happening?
This uncouth dauber
just sat himself down!
The famous "Winter Pine Tree"
by Chusa.
No trace of affectation.
The tree's pure thrust in a winter sky.
A masterpiece which reflects
the painter's nobility.
"Come the chill of winter,
the pine's green turns to emerald."
"The more chaotic the world,
the happier is the man of virtue."
The teachings of Confucius.
How can an unschooled painter create
masterpieces through technique alone?
Painting is the expression
of knowledge.
A new day dawns but the world
still wanders in darkness.
Chusa has reached a higher level
but, steeped in Chinese culture,
he's lost touch with our soil.
He studied with a Chinese master.
He adopted the style
of the Han dynasty.
Create your own style with
painting alone, without words.
Are you still angry?
Let's go for a drink.
Good evening.
Go to the bedroom.
Bring me some drink.
Go to bed.
Bring me some drink.
You, come here.
Get me some drink.
You're already drunk.
Son of a dog! Guttersnipe!
I saved your life and you disobey me?
Get me some alcohol, dog!
Move! Son of a dog!
The fragrance of letters? The harmony
of poetry, prose and painting?
If that's what they want.
Screw them! If it doesn't have words,
it's not painting?
Real painting speaks by itself.
No need for words.
Only daubers
add poems to their work,
trying to fool people with
their bogus philosophy. Frauds!
No more drink.
Get up! Get some more drink!
Light the candle.
Mix me some ink.
You! Get up!
Let's go out for some beef soup.
The layabout's still asleep?
Wake up!
What?
What's that?
Wake up.
I said wake up!
Was somebody here last night?
How should I know?
I was asleep.
Was somebody here?
Was it Pyeong-san?
Pyeong-san?
The dauber you used to live with!
What about Pyeong-san?
What's wrong with Pyeong-san?
I must have painted
with my fingers.
You're a bastard. I lived with
Pyeong-san and with Gi-san, too.
What's wrong if a kisaeng
sleeps with other men?
I don't live with you just for sex.
I like you for your innocence.
But I'm crazy!
Crazy to rent this house
and live with you.
You stinker! What have you ever
done for me?
All you do is drink
all the money you earn!
You paint a fish on the wall
but you wouldn't buy a wardrobe.
Do you care how we get food?
Don't expect me to cry when you leave!
This isn't the first time.
All right, leave! I'm not afraid.
Why are you following me?
Go home!
Mongrel!
Does learning to paint
have to be so painful?
Go to hell!
I'm sick of this.
Elsewhere, one painting buys lunch,
another one dinner.
The aristocrats here
don't even look.
They must have good taste!
At a glance,
they can see it's rubbish.
They say it's muddy.
This kind of painting is for plebs.
This one would sell.
Don't! It's good!
Dirty brat! Go to hell!
Dirty brat!
Master! Master!
Let's run!
The farmer's after me!
Wretched thief!
Who told you to steal?
Did you learn it
from your beggar friends?
Bad habits like that
are hard to lose.
- Here.
- You eat it.
I'll eat the head and neck.
Eat it, mongrel.
When did we last eat meat?
Master!
We must part here.
Part? Why?
It's too hard.
I can't keep up with you.
You're an orphan.
Where will you go?
I have a distant uncle in my village.
I'll work on his farm.
Go, then!
That chest costs
as much as a house.
A famous craftsman
took six months to make it.
Come out!
I said come out, you bitch!
Drink.
Drink, you slut!
Who was it?
Pyeong-san.
He told me to stop waiting for you
and move in with him.
I'm a young woman.
Should I live like a widow
while every passing girl, you...
Whore!
Why Pyeong-san, bitch?
I'm through with you.
Let go of me, bitch!
I know it's my fault.
I'm not pleading with you to stay
but you can't just walk out!
It's over!
What more do you want?
Do a painting for me, at least.
All right, I will.
What will you paint?
A Bird and Flower picture
will be ample for you.
Bird and Flower?
If we split up, I want something
that's worth money.
What kind of picture
is worth money?
Such a beautiful painting
for a floozy...
For a kisaeng,
she was faithful to him.
She must have suffered,
living with that madman.
If she was so faithful,
why did she sell it so fast?
It's magnificent.
His greatest work yet.
What's this screen
that everyone's talking about?
I'd like to see it, at least.
The screen isn't all. There's the
painting by him in Minister Min's house
and the one that Hwang
the millionaire bought.
If it's by him, it can't be bad.
He copied Guo Xi's trees,
Huang Gong-wang's rocks
and Lin Liang's flowers and birds.
There's no harm in borrowing
from the great masters.
Capturing the essence of classics
takes talent, too.
Does alcohol make you envious?
Master Hyesan sent for you.
Master Hyesan, here,
painted the late king twice
and his majesty's portrait
last year.
Dongchun.
Unhnong.
Ohwon, alias Jang Seung-ub.
I've heard of you.
I've seen your work.
To celebrate
the Governor's birthday,
our chosen theme shall be
"Pine and Crane" to wish him long life.
"Pine and Crane" it is.
No, a "Gakwan Jinjak".
I want Ohwon to begin it.
The Governor requests
a "Gakwan Jinjak".
- Ohwon.
- Yes, sir
You go first.
How dare I go
before Master Hyesan?
It's the Governor's order.
Father, what's a "Gakwan Jinjak"?
It means "Next to the Crown",
a wish for the highest rank,
just below the king.
Master Hyesan's turn is next.
A painting is made of arteries.
You took the heart.
How will the Master react?
The peony signifies
wealth and fame.
The peach, celestial fruit,
symbolizes long life.
The crab shell signifies
selection for State office.
The crab knows the art of retreat.
A man must know when to withdraw.
Is the Master in?
Isn't he well?
- Are you all right?
- Don't come up!
How dare you soil this threshold?
Master Hyesan has resigned
from the school.
Even on the Governor's order,
you should have refused three times.
You dared to paint
before the Master!
People who don't respect rank
are worse than animals.
You betrayed your fellows' trust.
You disgraced your Master.
Don't ever come back here.
He refuses to see you.
Go away.
Get up.
You don't need my forgiveness.
This merely proves that your talent
is more admired than mine.
The blue extracted from indigo is
more beautiful than the indigo itself.
But without the indigo, there
would be no blue. Likewise, you...
You must set the example for future
sons of our land. Be like the indigo.
Mae-hyang,
Master Ohwon sent for you.
After you disappeared, I searched
for you everywhere in vain.
I made this long journey
to see you again.
It was dangerous to stay in Seoul.
I roamed around before coming here.
Will you soon go back to Seoul?
I have many orders for paintings.
I'll stay at least a month.
Do you have a lover?
This place is notorious for
its idle nobles and corrupt officials.
When I look at your work,
I forget all worldly cares. It's strange...
Giving solace through painting and
taking solace in it is the artist's lot.
Why don't we live together?
We have nothing to lose.
If I'm caught, they'll kill me
and you want to live with me?
Are you at risk here?
An official seems to suspect me.
He's getting pushy.
It's time I went away.
The composition...
and structure are good.
The harmony of colors
is accomplished.
The likeness of the rendering...
Your skill is faultless.
Nonetheless, it's time
you created paintings of your own,
infused with your spirit and soul.
I know. I want to change.
I really want to change!
I often wake up at night,
haunted by it.
It churns my blood.
So often, having to paint to order,
- I feel...
- You drop your brush
and run away whenever you don't
like what you're painting.
How can you make
such a feeble excuse?
A picture that's painted for profit and
instant fame is nothing but vanity. Stillborn!
- Filthy dog!
- What's got into you?
He only asked why
you've stopped painting!
Leave me alone! Filthy shrew!
What are you idiots staring at?
You wretched fools!
Jang Seung-ub!
You'll break the tiles.
I'd climb roofs too
if talent grew there.
You came back!
Give me some wine
and grill him some beef.
The money you advanced
me is spent.
Stingy bitch! Why talk about money?
Give me a drink.
- This isn't a charity!
- Stingy bitch!
So why are you here?
Stay with me.
I'll stay for the winter
but I'll leave in the spring.
Sir, I know you'll be angry but...
I'd like a painting of yours.
Even a dud one.
I'll treasure it and think of you.
Since I gave up painting,
I don't even have a dud one.
Why?
I want to change.
Whatever the genre, your brush
makes a masterpiece of everything.
Why do you want to change?
People find in my pictures
what they expect.
I must get away from that.
If I don't, I'll always be
their prisoner.
- "No more paper on credit," he says.
- What?
Have some stewed pumpkin.
That man Cho is such a bandit!
I'll break his...
"Hawk in full vigor."
His brush never wavers.
It's quite outstanding.
He has renewed himself.
With such a painting, he could
buy himself a beautiful house.
You never signed your work before.
If a boy like you shows this around
who will ever believe I painted it?
Take it.
Take it, I said!
Somewhere in Choungchung Province,
a young man had
one of your hawk paintings.
The hawk's eye was so lifelike,
I wanted to buy it
but he said he wouldn't sell it
until the sea ran dry.
Could you paint that hawk for me?
Where did you meet this young man?
He had a small stand selling paper
at Boeun market.
"Hawk in full vigor..."
If it's the one
I remember, I suppose I could.
In those days my brush was guided,
not by me, but by a divine force.
The Master is here.
Come here and look.
That black stone.
Is it moving or not?
A humble stone must be alive
in a painter's eyes.
If a stone is alive, it's dynamic.
If it's dead, it's static.
You can't paint a dead stone.
Pan-soi. Come and look.
Look at it. The rare Mookchong stone,
as blue as ink.
As plump as one of our mountains.
That stone was a gift to you.
You ought to get working.
Gifts are piling up,
waiting for your paintings.
You've done nothing for a month.
I'm tired of this!
Come here.
You're only a kid.
To paint, you need desire.
How can I paint
without an erection?
Ohwon, are you there?
You remember that scholar
who asked for a still life and then...
- wanted a Flower and Bird picture?
- What about him?
Now he says he doesn't want
that either. He wants a landscape.
Who is this chap?
Would it be Gwak Sung-min?
Am I right?
I've come to see Gwak Sung-min.
Tell him Ohwon is here.
A man like you an aristocrat and scholar!
How can you be such a coward?
If you want something, ask me!
Don't make me paint it
just so you can copy it!
I used this ruse in order to meet you.
Please forgive me.
Come in, please.
Hey, Ohwon. When it comes to
portraits, I am unrivaled
but your masterful brushwork
is beyond me.
I'm no match for you
at portraiture.
Listen, Ohwon.
In your Banana Leaf painting with
a few strokes, you captured the fullness
of the leaf and
the emptiness of the stalk.
How do you work?
Idiot! One little binge
and you cling to my ass.
If you want to paint,
first learn how to drink.
Get in there! Idiot!
Get in there! Hurry up!
- Pan-soi!
- Yes, sir.
Where's my Double Horse painting?
At the gallery.
Already?
I said I was going to rework it.
You didn't tell me.
Where's my Double Horse?
It's been mounted. Over there.
Chinese soldiers are weaklings.
Japanese soldiers are tough!
Are you there?
I'm asking it back to rework it.
You can't.
Lord Kim is impatient to see it.
I promised him
I'd deliver it in five days.
What a temper!
It did seem hastily done.
It wasn't bad.
The best quality,
imported from China.
It's a beautiful color.
For the same price,
how about this color?
I'll come back later.
Don't go away!
Aren't they pretty!
They're the new kisaengs
from Spring Branch lounge.
Make way! Make way!
Make way for
Minister Min's procession!
You! What impudence!
How dare you remain standing?
Who is it?
The famous painter,
Ohwon Jang Seung-ub.
Famed for your meager talent,
now you defy the law.
Master, this one-year-old
baby's urine...
is a very good cure
for bruises from beatings.
- Drink it yourself!
- Anybody in?
Look after yourself.
- Everything went well.
- Is that so?
How?
You can accomplish
anything you want.
The lounge mistress wants you to paint
her a twelve-panel Flower & Bird screen.
It's a good month's work.
Everyone congratulates me on this
wonderful screen. I sent for her.
Delighted to meet you.
My name is Hyang-lan.
They say you drink a lot.
Why won't you drink today?
Hyang-lan...
What's your real name?
My family name is Cho. My given
name is Hyo-in, "filial and generous".
Hyo-in, I once knew a woman
very much like you.
Her family name was Lee.
How old are you?
Eighteen.
Eighteen. Eighteen.
What do your parents do?
They're ordinary peasants
in the hills.
And you, what brought you here?
Don't ask unnecessary questions.
Let's go to bed.
I've had a long, tiresome night.
Ohwon! There you are.
This is Ohwon Jang Seung-ub,
the artist. Let me introduce you.
This is Kim Ok-kyun,
scourge of the Conservatives.
My hectic life leaves me no leisure
to appreciate your work.
When order is restored,
I'll commission a piece.
Let's go.
You gave away a screen which took you
three months to paint on rare silk and
you didn't even get to touch her hand?
What a waste of effort!
Now the screen's been sold
to a millionaire.
No one else will ever even see it.
A maranta stalk for a brush
and kimchi for paint.
How eccentric!
What rule says
a brush must be sable?
I've been unable to paint,
so I did it for fun.
You're at the peak of your powers.
Why keep striving to do even better?
I'm keeping this painting.
You're keeping what?
Give it back!
Master! Master!
Rescue him! I can't swim!
Master!
Did you really want to die?
They said you refused
to let go of the rock.
Seoul, 1882
You won't take long to recover.
I fear for our scheme's future.
I'll soon be well.
Have no fear for me.
So we meet again.
Lately, you've become
a fashionable topic of discussion.
Your paintings have become
the people's only comfort.
It's even said that the gauge of nobility
is to own one of your paintings.
Congratulations.
I didn't know of your illness
and change of abode. Forgive me.
Come indoors.
Welcome.
Some medicinal herbs.
They say there is nothing
that you cannot paint.
Portraits, still lifes,
landscapes, anything.
Blinded by popularity,
haven't you lost your vital energy?
An old sage once said
"With each day, deeper renewal."
I want to make progress every day.
I won't be entangled
in my own nets.
It's good that you're aware of it.
In our era,
painting espouses realism...
whereas your landscapes
portray a fantasy world,
an exaggerated version
of plain reality.
Rudimentary echoes
of true feelings.
Cannot you paint life on this earth
in all its pain and harshness?
The people have nothing
to console them.
If I can bring them comfort
by painting fantasies,
I will have been faithful
to my calling.
A painting is just a painting.
It doesn't feature
in your Party's manifesto.
Don't go out in this downpour!
- Wait till it stops.
- Listen to him.
Some pine nut porridge.
Looking at that painting
makes me feel relaxed.
Is it that I'm getting old?
When you have time,
come and color it.
Why not paint the roof yellow?
Is anybody in?
I've come for Master Ohwon.
A royal messenger is here. You are
summoned to the Royal Painting Office.
The Office.
The sixth rank entitles you
to an audience with the King.
It's a temporary rank for you,
but no painter from outside
the Office has held it before.
How much longer
will you be idle?
This is rice juice.
Without a drink and a woman,
I can't hold a brush.
Come, now. Don't forget that the King
forbids more than three cups a day.
Listen, Ohwon!
I'll rake those leaves.
You, please go indoors and paint!
Come on, Ohwon! General Yuan
Shi-kai's birthday is coming up.
What are you waiting for
to get started?
Who's General Yuan Shi-kai?
Don't you know
the mighty Chinese general?
He can hit a bird in flight
with a single arrow.
He is second-in-command
to the General-in-Chief!
I should paint for
a foreigner who invades us?
Where are you going?
I've run out of paint.
I won't be long.
You're not allowed out. We have
paints in the Palace. Use them.
You arrogant rogue!
There's a shop where I buy my paints.
If I deliver late,
will you take responsibility?
Let go of me!
Who's this I see? It's you!
I hear you've become a great painter
for the King! What brings you here?
I never thought
you'd rise so high!
- It's been twenty years.
- That's right.
You don't look a day older.
Don't you recognize her? She's our little
girl. You used to adore her. Cho-ryang.
Soon after her wedding, fate decreed
that her husband must die.
She came back home
and helps us run the inn.
Hey, Seung-ub!
I'm so glad to see you. Do you
remember me? I'm Oh Cheon-suk.
How could I ever forget?
Erotic picture books
sell well these days.
They'll fetch high prices
if you paint some.
Have a look.
They're saucy!
We've been combing Seoul
for you for a month.
Where have you been hiding?
Come with us. King's orders.
Let go of me, halfwits!
Excuse me!
Come here.
What's going on outside?
The King is moving his residence
to Kyungwoo palace.
Why?
With the aid of the Japanese army,
the Reformists have seized power
and executed the top Conservatives.
The world has gone awry.
Care to see what I'm working on?
Yes, sir.
Come on in.
Yes, sir
Let go of me, halfwits!
I'll go myself. Hands off of me.
Let go of me, halfwits!
The Reform Party attempts a coup
with the aid of Japan.
The coup is foiled
by the Chinese army's intervention.
It's five days since
they came for you.
Everyone's been worried about you.
The world has changed a lot.
The Reformist Revolution has been
put down by Chinese intervention.
Hong and Park have been killed.
The other leaders seem
to be preparing for exile in Japan.
What became of
Master Kim Byeong-moon?
Apparently he's hiding in some remote
place. If they catch him, he'll be executed.
No Entry. House of Kim Byeong-moon,
guilty of high treason.
It's a precious piece,
full of life and rhythm.
What do you think of it, father?
I can almost hear the wind
blowing through the trees.
- Ohwon!
- Yes, sir!
I have seven sons.
Paint me seven cranes
around that pine tree.
Imagine the pine tree surrounded...
by hills and rivers and
seven cranes already there.
I was given this painting
when I was an official.
Some say it's a forgery.
Since you're here, enlighten me.
Most paintings attributed to
me are fakes. This one, too.
When I see your work, I can tell whether
you painted it with gusto or not,
and if you were standing or sitting.
I can even imagine your movements.
That painting we saw was one of yours.
Why did you say it's fake?
I gave it to a friend
for his father's birthday
but he used it as a bribe.
That makes it a fake.
Let me see...
I was told it's hereabouts.
This is the kisaeng
who lived with her.
My name is Ae-wol.
Mae-hyang left three years ago.
Did she say where she went?
I don't know.
It was dawn
on a very cold winter day.
Some soldiers came.
She ran away half-naked.
Three months later, one night
in spring, she sneaked back,
took a quilted coat
and ran away again.
The coat, which she'd
padded lovingly
and stitched with devotion,
she intended for you.
All these fields don't feed
the starving people,
only the corrupt officials.
What use are all those granaries?
It's a dream! It's a dream!
It's all like a dream!
You and I walk into the dream
This is the very dream
Waking from a dream makes me
fell into another dream.
Life was born from dreams,
live in dreams and die in dreams.
All in vain, the waking of dream.
Why then do we dream?
Sorry to spoil your enjoyment.
Ohwon!
I was able to see your painting "Reeds
and Wild Geese" at Minister Min's house.
That flock of geese
flying freely over the reeds...
if I could see it again,
my duties would feel lighter.
Thank you for the compliment but I
painted those wild geese ten years ago.
How could I paint them again?
To an artist, repetition is death.
Why all this foolish talk?
Stick to painting!
If you snubbed him because he's
only the Governor of Gobu village,
you're in for a surprise.
He's very powerful.
Those sparrows chased by a hawk
make me sad.
They remind me of
the suffering people of Gobu.
But I also feel moved when
they swoop on the hawk
like the people when
they're good and angry.
What kind of man
is the Governor?
With the King's support
and his own powerful family,
he can indulge all his appetites.
He's very corrupt.
You cheeky girl!
How can a kisaeng like you
speak ill of the Governor?
Keeping company with the hero
who disobeyed the King
and escaped from the palace
has emboldened me.
You're a plucky woman!
Fine furrowed field,
will you receive my seed?
I'm ready. I'll bear your child.
I'll make him a painter
greater than you
and wipe out the rancor
of my humble roots.
Thank you.
Fate decreed that we should meet.
Get harder.
Gather your energy.
You must sow deep inside me.
Harder.
Harder...
That's good...
Out you come.
Son of a bitch!
Let him get dressed.
Where is the Governor
of Gobu hiding?
I don't know.
He hasn't been here.
Mongrel dog!
The lapdog doesn't know where
its mangy master is? Don't give me that.
Beat it out of him!
Here's another.
Please don't kill him! He's the
famous artist, Ohwon Jang Seung-ub!
He came from Seoul just to paint.
Spare his life.
If it's Ohwon Jang Seung-ub,
let him go.
We can't lose a man
of such divine talent.
You're just a parasite, feeding on
the honey you get from noblemen.
A grubby little money-grabber.
Piece of shit!
Master.
I've decided to stay here.
Becoming a painter like you always
seemed like a wild dream to me.
I served you because
I enjoyed your company
but seeing those people,
I've found my true calling.
If I can help to change the world,
I want to join up.
Where will you go, Master?
Life is a drifting cloud.
I'll go wherever my feet take me.
Protecting the homeland
and Comforting the people.
Eliminating the violence
and Salvating the people.
The tyranny of the governor
Cho Byung-Gap caused...
the sweeping uprise of
the smothered people of Chosun.
Master! Master!
What are you doing here?
I never thought I'd see you
in this world again.
The folk here are honest
and good-hearted.
I live quietly,
teaching the children.
You should come back to Seoul.
With Japan in power, the Reformists
are gaining fresh impetus.
I like this place.
Reform was a useless dream.
We should have relied on ourselves.
If the revolution had won
with the help of Japan,
what future would
our country have had?
Rumor has it the rebellious peasants
were massacred at Ugeumchi.
Protecting the homeland and the people...
Yet another empty dream.
When downtrodden,
one must rise up for justice
but one must pick the right moment.
They gave foreigners an excuse
to enter our country.
We should have built up
our own forces.
I happened upon
this painting of yours.
In it, I finally felt
the heartbeat of Korea.
It's a masterpiece.
Not a single stroke is wasted.
Who the hell are you? The rebel leader
was sold out by his trusted aide.
Night is falling
on the Chosun dynasty.
Your painting is the last flicker
of life in this dying country.
Catholics being less persecuted,
I came back to Seoul not long ago.
Since I'm only a kisaeng, I drifted
from one house of joy to another.
The Governor of Jeju island liked me
so I came with him to Seoul.
He died soon after.
I opened this house thanks to him.
I have no worries about money.
Stay here and do your painting.
As I was sure you'd
come back to me one day,
I made this quilted coat with love.
At last it has found its lord.
Do you recognize this?
You painted it for me
when we first met.
If I asked you for another one,
would you paint it for me?
That jar over there. Where did you
find such a plain, simple piece?
The modest hand that made it
was guided by a joyful heart.
It looks almost unfinished,
yet it's so generous and warm.
Your bath is ready.
I'm a wandering painter.
Perhaps I could stay here...
With the competition from Japanese
porcelain, it's hard to make a living.
As long as I can eat,
I'll be happy.
Pots don't sell any better
with pretty pictures on them.
I messed it.
Clean it off for me.
How the hell can he paint
with a shaking hand?
Don't be rude!
May the gods grant us
fair weather and fair winds.
Please forgive my ignorance.
You're no ordinary painter.
Speaking for yourself,
what kind of jar do you wish for?
Painters like you want
the iron powder to stick...
so that the piece will have life.
The glazers want their glaze
to spread properly.
The owner of the kiln
hopes for a masterpiece or two.
But the decision is not ours.
Fire dictates all.
Are you staying up?
I'm going to turn in.
Ohwon vanished without trace in 1897.
According to legend,
he went up Diamond Mountain
and became an immortal hermit.
Starring Choi Min-Sik
Ann Sung-Ki
Yoo Ho-Jung
Kim Yuh-Jin, Son Yeah-Jin
Director of Photography
Jung II Sung
Directed by Im Kwon Taek
Here it is, mounted.
What talent!
It emanates divine strength,
as if ghosts were dancing around it.
He seems to paint by the rules,
yet he doesn't.
He follows and breaks them
at the same time.
One stroke is worth ten thousand.
Ten thousand strokes in one!
What do rules have to do
with my painting?
Crazy yokel!
How can a bumpkin dauber claim
to question the rules of art?
You'll waste your life believing
in your paltry talent.
In 1882, the Chosun dynasty is ending.
The Koreans are rebelling against
foreign invasions and corrupt government.
The country is in decline. These were
the days of the artist Jang Seung-ub.
We've been expecting you.
Mr. Kaiura is Japanese.
He writes for the Hansung Daily.
I brought him here because he longs
to own one of your paintings.
I admire you.
Your paintings are sublime.
He hears you like good drink.
He brought this from Japan.
It's good.
Our diplomats there enjoy it.
Thank you for the wine.
But do you really want
to take back a painting
by a vulgar Korean
to the glorious empire of Japan?
Don't be so arrogant!
Many artists would die
for such recognition.
Mr. Kaiura genuinely
admires your work.
He knows you're a commoner.
He wonders how you paint so well.
My poor friend!
Genius shows, even in a baby!
Give me that!
Give me that drawing.
You snotnose brat! Get up!
- You there! What are you doing?
- Do you want to die? Filthy brat!
- Do you want to die? Filthy brat!
- I said stop!
He's the beggars' leader.
She's a girl who takes care of me...
like a younger brother.
He never stops hitting her, the beast!
He got her pregnant.
He treats her like dirt.
I did the drawing to comfort her.
He grabbed me.
Father! Seung-ub is running away
with my clothes!
Let him go. The rules of a noble
household are too strict for him
and he must have realized
we can't afford to feed him.
Where are your rolls of paper?
All sold out.
A delivery's due in two days.
We're out of stock.
If you want writing paper,
we have some Chinese.
I'll come back.
Master!
Is it me you're calling?
Aren't you master Kim from Hyoja village?
Don't you recognize me?
Once, by Chungye River,
you saved the life of a beggar boy.
Seung-ub? Is it you?
What brings you to
this suburban paper shop?
- I moved out here last summer.
- Seung-ub! Where are you?
Are those your paintings
on the wall?
Yes. I found work with a rotten boss
but I'm glad to have food.
Master, please accept my respects.
This boy is gifted.
His brushwork has such fire.
He may grow up to become
the great artist you longed to be.
Take him as your pupil.
Hold the brush as if
you had an egg in your palm.
Hold it tight with all five fingers.
From fingers to brush, from brush
to paper, your life force will flow.
First, lay out the "bone structure".
Every stroke, structure.
Next, the shading.
Shading brings distance
and gives objects their depth.
Three years later.
Is that you, Seung-ub?
After barely a year he had a stroke.
He was paralyzed.
I kept house and farmed for him.
I've come straight from his funeral.
He left me his flute.
We'll never be stirred
by his playing again. How sad...
The flute was all he left you?
He said every painter has to know
literature. Although he was ill,
he taught me the classics.
Now my eyes can see.
It's been so long.
I'd heard you were back from China.
Sorry I took so long to come.
Thanks to you, it all went well.
I bought this in China.
"The Book of the Measure of Qi".
The author is our own Hye-gang.
He's unknown here in his homeland.
We spurn the thoughts
of such a sage...
while he's admired abroad in China.
Such a pity.
What does he say in this book?
He explains the mysteries
of the flow of Qi,
how it irrigates our five senses
and determines the nation's strength.
That would be heresy here.
They'd censor it.
That will be our country's downfall.
Our ruling class must wake up to the
future. They're asleep. It's disastrous.
I'll share this precious gift
with my reform-minded friends.
Introduce yourself.
His name is Jang Seung-ub.
I think he has a god-given talent.
Please take him as your servant.
Show him original artworks
that will open his eyes.
What is it?
The Master's youngest sister.
Her frail health worries the family.
Don't go near her.
She's a good,
sweet-natured woman
but she's always been ill
with an unknown disease.
This precious art album comes
from the Chinese royal family.
This was painted by Zhao Gan
during the Sung dynasty.
He worked at Nanjing
with Tung Yuan.
This is by Ma He-zhi,
of the Hangzhou school.
On your knees, idler!
Everybody works hard here.
You too!
Fancy yourself as a painter,
you upstart?
- All you want is a full belly.
- Stop it! Let me go!
It's so real, it could tear
through the paper and fly off.
You're hurt.
Your hand, too.
Such a precious hand...
Hail to the groom!
Hail to the bride!
Come here, my boy!
I've never shown anyone
this painting by Chen Jia-yan.
How did you contrive to copy it?
I looked at it once... in secret.
I'm harboring a thief in my home.
Compare the two.
Can you tell which is the original?
He painted it after looking at it once.
Only the seal is missing.
Otherwise, they're identical.
But, even more amazing than
the copying look at that vivacity!
His gifts of observation
and memory are staggering.
There are two birds in the original
but three in the copy.
It looks so lonely and dismal.
Here's a long-lost friend!
Not so long, damn it!
Don't you recognize me?
I heard you were working
for a herbalist
and now you're
in Master Lee's employ.
I've been drifting around
for a while.
- Bring me some wine.
- Coming up! Bring him wine!
- Who are you?
- She's my daughter. Go to bed.
They say you made a perfect copy
of a Chinese painting...
you'd seen only once.
So you're Jang Seung-ub?
I'm meeting a genius. Delighted.
My name is Oh Cheon-suk.
I'm an art dealer.
I'm buying. Bring him food.
These are copies of erotica.
That's what sells best these days.
Even famous artists like Danwon
and Hyewon have done some.
After all, pornography
is a part of life.
I'll wait until I'm famous, then.
Nonsense! Chinese imitations
are unfashionable.
If you paint what doesn't sell,
who'll pay for your rice and wine?
So why look at them?
- Choon-sim, come in.
- Go away.
His talent is in your hands.
Be good to him!
Why are you trembling?
It seems like your first time.
Let me show you.
Mister, this isn't me.
It doesn't look like me.
I hear that copies of my collection
are circulating. You must be the culprit.
You should be studying till your fingers
bleed. Will you waste your life forever?
This is the Footbridge Art School.
Painters and scholars study here,
so behave yourself.
Master Hyesan,
please accept him as your pupil.
He hasn't studied long but
his genius should not be wasted.
So you're the one who copied
all those Chinese paintings.
Let's go in.
Welcome. Please go upstairs.
A bankrupt merchant opened this tavern.
It does good business.
This is Mongam.
And this young man is Doncho.
My name is Songhyun.
I mostly paint "Bird and Flower".
You know Su Tung-po,
the great painter and poet?
He argues that depicting nature
as it is doesn't make it art.
Painting must reflect
the painter's mind.
It's rough for daubers like us!
Paint the thoughts behind the shape...
Go beyond the form
and paint the meaning.
It's our Master's motto:
"Think before you paint."
As his pupil,
you'll have to work hard.
Depth and shadow
must always be equal.
Is that a mouse or a rabbit?
Object and painting must be as one.
Why these slapdash strokes?
Don't push the brush. Pull it!
"Homecoming."
Painting is about more than appearance.
It's about capturing the essence.
See the difference?
You painted a scholar
gazing blissfully at flowers.
Here, what feeling do you get from
this man's face and the scenery?
His employer asked him for a bribe.
He refused and lost the job which...
he'd only just found. Tao Yuan-ming's
sorrow has to show through.
Can't you see him yearning
to express his pain in a poem?
Imagination must breathe fire
into the painting.
More important than the strokes
is what lies between them.
The mind's discipline alone
must guide the brush.
Master, I've finished "Homecoming".
How dare you claim it's finished?
A painting is never finished.
I want you to paint this fan.
It's a gift for a Chinese dignitary.
I asked Master Hyesan to paint it,
but he referred me to you.
He did? He really recommended me?
Let us be merry
while we are young.
When we are old
it will be too late.
Seung-ub, this party's for you.
Join in!
Come closer.
Sit here.
Thanks to your painting,
my trip went well. Take this.
A gift from the Chinese dignitary
to the painter of the fan.
It's a special stone for a seal.
Here's a new girl.
She plays the 'saenghwang' well.
My name's Mae-hyang.
Our Seung-ub plays
the flute very well.
They'll make a perfect duet.
"The plum blossom
blooms only for thee."
They say it keeps its scent to itself.
I'm ashamed of what I am.
In 1866, Regent Daewon orders
the persecution of the Catholics.
Nine French missionaries
and 8,000 Koreans are beheaded.
Are you looking for someone, too?
Yes. I know a kisaeng,
Mae-hyang, who's a Catholic.
You used to say
we're all equal before God.
You wanted to abolish
inequality in Korea
but you're leaving,
abandoning your dreams.
Very cute!
You've beautifully captured
the languid eyes
of this idle dog
as he watches the bee.
Seung-ub.
Master Lee wants you urgently.
So-woon has returned.
She has no hope of recovery.
She came back to avoid
being a burden on her husband.
I sent for you because she longs
to have a painting by you.
Think of it as her last wish.
Do it for me.
Seung-ub is here.
What shall I paint for you?
Whatever inspires you.
Here it is.
This is a farewell.
This is a farewell.
Farewell to my love.
If you must leave
tell me when you'll return.
Three famous painters
have jae in their names.
You could be the third won
with Danwon and Hyewon.
Choose a forename.
Oh, meaning "I".
"I too am a Won."
Forceful Chinese art is all very well...
but you must see the works that
contain the spirit of our ancestors.
The master of this house
never shows his collection
but I'm a relative.
He won't say no.
He's fond of pine mushrooms.
What can I get you?
He's in the main wing.
- Wait for me here.
- Yes, master.
You, get out!
Watch where you put
your dirty backside!
- Beat it!
- What's happening?
This uncouth dauber
just sat himself down!
The famous "Winter Pine Tree"
by Chusa.
No trace of affectation.
The tree's pure thrust in a winter sky.
A masterpiece which reflects
the painter's nobility.
"Come the chill of winter,
the pine's green turns to emerald."
"The more chaotic the world,
the happier is the man of virtue."
The teachings of Confucius.
How can an unschooled painter create
masterpieces through technique alone?
Painting is the expression
of knowledge.
A new day dawns but the world
still wanders in darkness.
Chusa has reached a higher level
but, steeped in Chinese culture,
he's lost touch with our soil.
He studied with a Chinese master.
He adopted the style
of the Han dynasty.
Create your own style with
painting alone, without words.
Are you still angry?
Let's go for a drink.
Good evening.
Go to the bedroom.
Bring me some drink.
Go to bed.
Bring me some drink.
You, come here.
Get me some drink.
You're already drunk.
Son of a dog! Guttersnipe!
I saved your life and you disobey me?
Get me some alcohol, dog!
Move! Son of a dog!
The fragrance of letters? The harmony
of poetry, prose and painting?
If that's what they want.
Screw them! If it doesn't have words,
it's not painting?
Real painting speaks by itself.
No need for words.
Only daubers
add poems to their work,
trying to fool people with
their bogus philosophy. Frauds!
No more drink.
Get up! Get some more drink!
Light the candle.
Mix me some ink.
You! Get up!
Let's go out for some beef soup.
The layabout's still asleep?
Wake up!
What?
What's that?
Wake up.
I said wake up!
Was somebody here last night?
How should I know?
I was asleep.
Was somebody here?
Was it Pyeong-san?
Pyeong-san?
The dauber you used to live with!
What about Pyeong-san?
What's wrong with Pyeong-san?
I must have painted
with my fingers.
You're a bastard. I lived with
Pyeong-san and with Gi-san, too.
What's wrong if a kisaeng
sleeps with other men?
I don't live with you just for sex.
I like you for your innocence.
But I'm crazy!
Crazy to rent this house
and live with you.
You stinker! What have you ever
done for me?
All you do is drink
all the money you earn!
You paint a fish on the wall
but you wouldn't buy a wardrobe.
Do you care how we get food?
Don't expect me to cry when you leave!
This isn't the first time.
All right, leave! I'm not afraid.
Why are you following me?
Go home!
Mongrel!
Does learning to paint
have to be so painful?
Go to hell!
I'm sick of this.
Elsewhere, one painting buys lunch,
another one dinner.
The aristocrats here
don't even look.
They must have good taste!
At a glance,
they can see it's rubbish.
They say it's muddy.
This kind of painting is for plebs.
This one would sell.
Don't! It's good!
Dirty brat! Go to hell!
Dirty brat!
Master! Master!
Let's run!
The farmer's after me!
Wretched thief!
Who told you to steal?
Did you learn it
from your beggar friends?
Bad habits like that
are hard to lose.
- Here.
- You eat it.
I'll eat the head and neck.
Eat it, mongrel.
When did we last eat meat?
Master!
We must part here.
Part? Why?
It's too hard.
I can't keep up with you.
You're an orphan.
Where will you go?
I have a distant uncle in my village.
I'll work on his farm.
Go, then!
That chest costs
as much as a house.
A famous craftsman
took six months to make it.
Come out!
I said come out, you bitch!
Drink.
Drink, you slut!
Who was it?
Pyeong-san.
He told me to stop waiting for you
and move in with him.
I'm a young woman.
Should I live like a widow
while every passing girl, you...
Whore!
Why Pyeong-san, bitch?
I'm through with you.
Let go of me, bitch!
I know it's my fault.
I'm not pleading with you to stay
but you can't just walk out!
It's over!
What more do you want?
Do a painting for me, at least.
All right, I will.
What will you paint?
A Bird and Flower picture
will be ample for you.
Bird and Flower?
If we split up, I want something
that's worth money.
What kind of picture
is worth money?
Such a beautiful painting
for a floozy...
For a kisaeng,
she was faithful to him.
She must have suffered,
living with that madman.
If she was so faithful,
why did she sell it so fast?
It's magnificent.
His greatest work yet.
What's this screen
that everyone's talking about?
I'd like to see it, at least.
The screen isn't all. There's the
painting by him in Minister Min's house
and the one that Hwang
the millionaire bought.
If it's by him, it can't be bad.
He copied Guo Xi's trees,
Huang Gong-wang's rocks
and Lin Liang's flowers and birds.
There's no harm in borrowing
from the great masters.
Capturing the essence of classics
takes talent, too.
Does alcohol make you envious?
Master Hyesan sent for you.
Master Hyesan, here,
painted the late king twice
and his majesty's portrait
last year.
Dongchun.
Unhnong.
Ohwon, alias Jang Seung-ub.
I've heard of you.
I've seen your work.
To celebrate
the Governor's birthday,
our chosen theme shall be
"Pine and Crane" to wish him long life.
"Pine and Crane" it is.
No, a "Gakwan Jinjak".
I want Ohwon to begin it.
The Governor requests
a "Gakwan Jinjak".
- Ohwon.
- Yes, sir
You go first.
How dare I go
before Master Hyesan?
It's the Governor's order.
Father, what's a "Gakwan Jinjak"?
It means "Next to the Crown",
a wish for the highest rank,
just below the king.
Master Hyesan's turn is next.
A painting is made of arteries.
You took the heart.
How will the Master react?
The peony signifies
wealth and fame.
The peach, celestial fruit,
symbolizes long life.
The crab shell signifies
selection for State office.
The crab knows the art of retreat.
A man must know when to withdraw.
Is the Master in?
Isn't he well?
- Are you all right?
- Don't come up!
How dare you soil this threshold?
Master Hyesan has resigned
from the school.
Even on the Governor's order,
you should have refused three times.
You dared to paint
before the Master!
People who don't respect rank
are worse than animals.
You betrayed your fellows' trust.
You disgraced your Master.
Don't ever come back here.
He refuses to see you.
Go away.
Get up.
You don't need my forgiveness.
This merely proves that your talent
is more admired than mine.
The blue extracted from indigo is
more beautiful than the indigo itself.
But without the indigo, there
would be no blue. Likewise, you...
You must set the example for future
sons of our land. Be like the indigo.
Mae-hyang,
Master Ohwon sent for you.
After you disappeared, I searched
for you everywhere in vain.
I made this long journey
to see you again.
It was dangerous to stay in Seoul.
I roamed around before coming here.
Will you soon go back to Seoul?
I have many orders for paintings.
I'll stay at least a month.
Do you have a lover?
This place is notorious for
its idle nobles and corrupt officials.
When I look at your work,
I forget all worldly cares. It's strange...
Giving solace through painting and
taking solace in it is the artist's lot.
Why don't we live together?
We have nothing to lose.
If I'm caught, they'll kill me
and you want to live with me?
Are you at risk here?
An official seems to suspect me.
He's getting pushy.
It's time I went away.
The composition...
and structure are good.
The harmony of colors
is accomplished.
The likeness of the rendering...
Your skill is faultless.
Nonetheless, it's time
you created paintings of your own,
infused with your spirit and soul.
I know. I want to change.
I really want to change!
I often wake up at night,
haunted by it.
It churns my blood.
So often, having to paint to order,
- I feel...
- You drop your brush
and run away whenever you don't
like what you're painting.
How can you make
such a feeble excuse?
A picture that's painted for profit and
instant fame is nothing but vanity. Stillborn!
- Filthy dog!
- What's got into you?
He only asked why
you've stopped painting!
Leave me alone! Filthy shrew!
What are you idiots staring at?
You wretched fools!
Jang Seung-ub!
You'll break the tiles.
I'd climb roofs too
if talent grew there.
You came back!
Give me some wine
and grill him some beef.
The money you advanced
me is spent.
Stingy bitch! Why talk about money?
Give me a drink.
- This isn't a charity!
- Stingy bitch!
So why are you here?
Stay with me.
I'll stay for the winter
but I'll leave in the spring.
Sir, I know you'll be angry but...
I'd like a painting of yours.
Even a dud one.
I'll treasure it and think of you.
Since I gave up painting,
I don't even have a dud one.
Why?
I want to change.
Whatever the genre, your brush
makes a masterpiece of everything.
Why do you want to change?
People find in my pictures
what they expect.
I must get away from that.
If I don't, I'll always be
their prisoner.
- "No more paper on credit," he says.
- What?
Have some stewed pumpkin.
That man Cho is such a bandit!
I'll break his...
"Hawk in full vigor."
His brush never wavers.
It's quite outstanding.
He has renewed himself.
With such a painting, he could
buy himself a beautiful house.
You never signed your work before.
If a boy like you shows this around
who will ever believe I painted it?
Take it.
Take it, I said!
Somewhere in Choungchung Province,
a young man had
one of your hawk paintings.
The hawk's eye was so lifelike,
I wanted to buy it
but he said he wouldn't sell it
until the sea ran dry.
Could you paint that hawk for me?
Where did you meet this young man?
He had a small stand selling paper
at Boeun market.
"Hawk in full vigor..."
If it's the one
I remember, I suppose I could.
In those days my brush was guided,
not by me, but by a divine force.
The Master is here.
Come here and look.
That black stone.
Is it moving or not?
A humble stone must be alive
in a painter's eyes.
If a stone is alive, it's dynamic.
If it's dead, it's static.
You can't paint a dead stone.
Pan-soi. Come and look.
Look at it. The rare Mookchong stone,
as blue as ink.
As plump as one of our mountains.
That stone was a gift to you.
You ought to get working.
Gifts are piling up,
waiting for your paintings.
You've done nothing for a month.
I'm tired of this!
Come here.
You're only a kid.
To paint, you need desire.
How can I paint
without an erection?
Ohwon, are you there?
You remember that scholar
who asked for a still life and then...
- wanted a Flower and Bird picture?
- What about him?
Now he says he doesn't want
that either. He wants a landscape.
Who is this chap?
Would it be Gwak Sung-min?
Am I right?
I've come to see Gwak Sung-min.
Tell him Ohwon is here.
A man like you an aristocrat and scholar!
How can you be such a coward?
If you want something, ask me!
Don't make me paint it
just so you can copy it!
I used this ruse in order to meet you.
Please forgive me.
Come in, please.
Hey, Ohwon. When it comes to
portraits, I am unrivaled
but your masterful brushwork
is beyond me.
I'm no match for you
at portraiture.
Listen, Ohwon.
In your Banana Leaf painting with
a few strokes, you captured the fullness
of the leaf and
the emptiness of the stalk.
How do you work?
Idiot! One little binge
and you cling to my ass.
If you want to paint,
first learn how to drink.
Get in there! Idiot!
Get in there! Hurry up!
- Pan-soi!
- Yes, sir.
Where's my Double Horse painting?
At the gallery.
Already?
I said I was going to rework it.
You didn't tell me.
Where's my Double Horse?
It's been mounted. Over there.
Chinese soldiers are weaklings.
Japanese soldiers are tough!
Are you there?
I'm asking it back to rework it.
You can't.
Lord Kim is impatient to see it.
I promised him
I'd deliver it in five days.
What a temper!
It did seem hastily done.
It wasn't bad.
The best quality,
imported from China.
It's a beautiful color.
For the same price,
how about this color?
I'll come back later.
Don't go away!
Aren't they pretty!
They're the new kisaengs
from Spring Branch lounge.
Make way! Make way!
Make way for
Minister Min's procession!
You! What impudence!
How dare you remain standing?
Who is it?
The famous painter,
Ohwon Jang Seung-ub.
Famed for your meager talent,
now you defy the law.
Master, this one-year-old
baby's urine...
is a very good cure
for bruises from beatings.
- Drink it yourself!
- Anybody in?
Look after yourself.
- Everything went well.
- Is that so?
How?
You can accomplish
anything you want.
The lounge mistress wants you to paint
her a twelve-panel Flower & Bird screen.
It's a good month's work.
Everyone congratulates me on this
wonderful screen. I sent for her.
Delighted to meet you.
My name is Hyang-lan.
They say you drink a lot.
Why won't you drink today?
Hyang-lan...
What's your real name?
My family name is Cho. My given
name is Hyo-in, "filial and generous".
Hyo-in, I once knew a woman
very much like you.
Her family name was Lee.
How old are you?
Eighteen.
Eighteen. Eighteen.
What do your parents do?
They're ordinary peasants
in the hills.
And you, what brought you here?
Don't ask unnecessary questions.
Let's go to bed.
I've had a long, tiresome night.
Ohwon! There you are.
This is Ohwon Jang Seung-ub,
the artist. Let me introduce you.
This is Kim Ok-kyun,
scourge of the Conservatives.
My hectic life leaves me no leisure
to appreciate your work.
When order is restored,
I'll commission a piece.
Let's go.
You gave away a screen which took you
three months to paint on rare silk and
you didn't even get to touch her hand?
What a waste of effort!
Now the screen's been sold
to a millionaire.
No one else will ever even see it.
A maranta stalk for a brush
and kimchi for paint.
How eccentric!
What rule says
a brush must be sable?
I've been unable to paint,
so I did it for fun.
You're at the peak of your powers.
Why keep striving to do even better?
I'm keeping this painting.
You're keeping what?
Give it back!
Master! Master!
Rescue him! I can't swim!
Master!
Did you really want to die?
They said you refused
to let go of the rock.
Seoul, 1882
You won't take long to recover.
I fear for our scheme's future.
I'll soon be well.
Have no fear for me.
So we meet again.
Lately, you've become
a fashionable topic of discussion.
Your paintings have become
the people's only comfort.
It's even said that the gauge of nobility
is to own one of your paintings.
Congratulations.
I didn't know of your illness
and change of abode. Forgive me.
Come indoors.
Welcome.
Some medicinal herbs.
They say there is nothing
that you cannot paint.
Portraits, still lifes,
landscapes, anything.
Blinded by popularity,
haven't you lost your vital energy?
An old sage once said
"With each day, deeper renewal."
I want to make progress every day.
I won't be entangled
in my own nets.
It's good that you're aware of it.
In our era,
painting espouses realism...
whereas your landscapes
portray a fantasy world,
an exaggerated version
of plain reality.
Rudimentary echoes
of true feelings.
Cannot you paint life on this earth
in all its pain and harshness?
The people have nothing
to console them.
If I can bring them comfort
by painting fantasies,
I will have been faithful
to my calling.
A painting is just a painting.
It doesn't feature
in your Party's manifesto.
Don't go out in this downpour!
- Wait till it stops.
- Listen to him.
Some pine nut porridge.
Looking at that painting
makes me feel relaxed.
Is it that I'm getting old?
When you have time,
come and color it.
Why not paint the roof yellow?
Is anybody in?
I've come for Master Ohwon.
A royal messenger is here. You are
summoned to the Royal Painting Office.
The Office.
The sixth rank entitles you
to an audience with the King.
It's a temporary rank for you,
but no painter from outside
the Office has held it before.
How much longer
will you be idle?
This is rice juice.
Without a drink and a woman,
I can't hold a brush.
Come, now. Don't forget that the King
forbids more than three cups a day.
Listen, Ohwon!
I'll rake those leaves.
You, please go indoors and paint!
Come on, Ohwon! General Yuan
Shi-kai's birthday is coming up.
What are you waiting for
to get started?
Who's General Yuan Shi-kai?
Don't you know
the mighty Chinese general?
He can hit a bird in flight
with a single arrow.
He is second-in-command
to the General-in-Chief!
I should paint for
a foreigner who invades us?
Where are you going?
I've run out of paint.
I won't be long.
You're not allowed out. We have
paints in the Palace. Use them.
You arrogant rogue!
There's a shop where I buy my paints.
If I deliver late,
will you take responsibility?
Let go of me!
Who's this I see? It's you!
I hear you've become a great painter
for the King! What brings you here?
I never thought
you'd rise so high!
- It's been twenty years.
- That's right.
You don't look a day older.
Don't you recognize her? She's our little
girl. You used to adore her. Cho-ryang.
Soon after her wedding, fate decreed
that her husband must die.
She came back home
and helps us run the inn.
Hey, Seung-ub!
I'm so glad to see you. Do you
remember me? I'm Oh Cheon-suk.
How could I ever forget?
Erotic picture books
sell well these days.
They'll fetch high prices
if you paint some.
Have a look.
They're saucy!
We've been combing Seoul
for you for a month.
Where have you been hiding?
Come with us. King's orders.
Let go of me, halfwits!
Excuse me!
Come here.
What's going on outside?
The King is moving his residence
to Kyungwoo palace.
Why?
With the aid of the Japanese army,
the Reformists have seized power
and executed the top Conservatives.
The world has gone awry.
Care to see what I'm working on?
Yes, sir.
Come on in.
Yes, sir
Let go of me, halfwits!
I'll go myself. Hands off of me.
Let go of me, halfwits!
The Reform Party attempts a coup
with the aid of Japan.
The coup is foiled
by the Chinese army's intervention.
It's five days since
they came for you.
Everyone's been worried about you.
The world has changed a lot.
The Reformist Revolution has been
put down by Chinese intervention.
Hong and Park have been killed.
The other leaders seem
to be preparing for exile in Japan.
What became of
Master Kim Byeong-moon?
Apparently he's hiding in some remote
place. If they catch him, he'll be executed.
No Entry. House of Kim Byeong-moon,
guilty of high treason.
It's a precious piece,
full of life and rhythm.
What do you think of it, father?
I can almost hear the wind
blowing through the trees.
- Ohwon!
- Yes, sir!
I have seven sons.
Paint me seven cranes
around that pine tree.
Imagine the pine tree surrounded...
by hills and rivers and
seven cranes already there.
I was given this painting
when I was an official.
Some say it's a forgery.
Since you're here, enlighten me.
Most paintings attributed to
me are fakes. This one, too.
When I see your work, I can tell whether
you painted it with gusto or not,
and if you were standing or sitting.
I can even imagine your movements.
That painting we saw was one of yours.
Why did you say it's fake?
I gave it to a friend
for his father's birthday
but he used it as a bribe.
That makes it a fake.
Let me see...
I was told it's hereabouts.
This is the kisaeng
who lived with her.
My name is Ae-wol.
Mae-hyang left three years ago.
Did she say where she went?
I don't know.
It was dawn
on a very cold winter day.
Some soldiers came.
She ran away half-naked.
Three months later, one night
in spring, she sneaked back,
took a quilted coat
and ran away again.
The coat, which she'd
padded lovingly
and stitched with devotion,
she intended for you.
All these fields don't feed
the starving people,
only the corrupt officials.
What use are all those granaries?
It's a dream! It's a dream!
It's all like a dream!
You and I walk into the dream
This is the very dream
Waking from a dream makes me
fell into another dream.
Life was born from dreams,
live in dreams and die in dreams.
All in vain, the waking of dream.
Why then do we dream?
Sorry to spoil your enjoyment.
Ohwon!
I was able to see your painting "Reeds
and Wild Geese" at Minister Min's house.
That flock of geese
flying freely over the reeds...
if I could see it again,
my duties would feel lighter.
Thank you for the compliment but I
painted those wild geese ten years ago.
How could I paint them again?
To an artist, repetition is death.
Why all this foolish talk?
Stick to painting!
If you snubbed him because he's
only the Governor of Gobu village,
you're in for a surprise.
He's very powerful.
Those sparrows chased by a hawk
make me sad.
They remind me of
the suffering people of Gobu.
But I also feel moved when
they swoop on the hawk
like the people when
they're good and angry.
What kind of man
is the Governor?
With the King's support
and his own powerful family,
he can indulge all his appetites.
He's very corrupt.
You cheeky girl!
How can a kisaeng like you
speak ill of the Governor?
Keeping company with the hero
who disobeyed the King
and escaped from the palace
has emboldened me.
You're a plucky woman!
Fine furrowed field,
will you receive my seed?
I'm ready. I'll bear your child.
I'll make him a painter
greater than you
and wipe out the rancor
of my humble roots.
Thank you.
Fate decreed that we should meet.
Get harder.
Gather your energy.
You must sow deep inside me.
Harder.
Harder...
That's good...
Out you come.
Son of a bitch!
Let him get dressed.
Where is the Governor
of Gobu hiding?
I don't know.
He hasn't been here.
Mongrel dog!
The lapdog doesn't know where
its mangy master is? Don't give me that.
Beat it out of him!
Here's another.
Please don't kill him! He's the
famous artist, Ohwon Jang Seung-ub!
He came from Seoul just to paint.
Spare his life.
If it's Ohwon Jang Seung-ub,
let him go.
We can't lose a man
of such divine talent.
You're just a parasite, feeding on
the honey you get from noblemen.
A grubby little money-grabber.
Piece of shit!
Master.
I've decided to stay here.
Becoming a painter like you always
seemed like a wild dream to me.
I served you because
I enjoyed your company
but seeing those people,
I've found my true calling.
If I can help to change the world,
I want to join up.
Where will you go, Master?
Life is a drifting cloud.
I'll go wherever my feet take me.
Protecting the homeland
and Comforting the people.
Eliminating the violence
and Salvating the people.
The tyranny of the governor
Cho Byung-Gap caused...
the sweeping uprise of
the smothered people of Chosun.
Master! Master!
What are you doing here?
I never thought I'd see you
in this world again.
The folk here are honest
and good-hearted.
I live quietly,
teaching the children.
You should come back to Seoul.
With Japan in power, the Reformists
are gaining fresh impetus.
I like this place.
Reform was a useless dream.
We should have relied on ourselves.
If the revolution had won
with the help of Japan,
what future would
our country have had?
Rumor has it the rebellious peasants
were massacred at Ugeumchi.
Protecting the homeland and the people...
Yet another empty dream.
When downtrodden,
one must rise up for justice
but one must pick the right moment.
They gave foreigners an excuse
to enter our country.
We should have built up
our own forces.
I happened upon
this painting of yours.
In it, I finally felt
the heartbeat of Korea.
It's a masterpiece.
Not a single stroke is wasted.
Who the hell are you? The rebel leader
was sold out by his trusted aide.
Night is falling
on the Chosun dynasty.
Your painting is the last flicker
of life in this dying country.
Catholics being less persecuted,
I came back to Seoul not long ago.
Since I'm only a kisaeng, I drifted
from one house of joy to another.
The Governor of Jeju island liked me
so I came with him to Seoul.
He died soon after.
I opened this house thanks to him.
I have no worries about money.
Stay here and do your painting.
As I was sure you'd
come back to me one day,
I made this quilted coat with love.
At last it has found its lord.
Do you recognize this?
You painted it for me
when we first met.
If I asked you for another one,
would you paint it for me?
That jar over there. Where did you
find such a plain, simple piece?
The modest hand that made it
was guided by a joyful heart.
It looks almost unfinished,
yet it's so generous and warm.
Your bath is ready.
I'm a wandering painter.
Perhaps I could stay here...
With the competition from Japanese
porcelain, it's hard to make a living.
As long as I can eat,
I'll be happy.
Pots don't sell any better
with pretty pictures on them.
I messed it.
Clean it off for me.
How the hell can he paint
with a shaking hand?
Don't be rude!
May the gods grant us
fair weather and fair winds.
Please forgive my ignorance.
You're no ordinary painter.
Speaking for yourself,
what kind of jar do you wish for?
Painters like you want
the iron powder to stick...
so that the piece will have life.
The glazers want their glaze
to spread properly.
The owner of the kiln
hopes for a masterpiece or two.
But the decision is not ours.
Fire dictates all.
Are you staying up?
I'm going to turn in.
Ohwon vanished without trace in 1897.
According to legend,
he went up Diamond Mountain
and became an immortal hermit.