"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 1 882, 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 harbouring 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 1 866, 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 "l"." ""l 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 colours 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 vigour."" "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 vigour..."" "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 unrivalled 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 colour." "For the same price, how about this colour?" "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 meagre 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 FlowerBird 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, 1 882" "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 colour 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!" "1 884." "The Reformist Revolution." "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 rancour of my humble roots." "Thank you." "Fate decreed that we should meet." "Get harder." "Gather your energy." "You must sow deep inside me." "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." "1894." "The Peasants' Revolt." "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?" "Rumour 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 1 897." "According to legend, he went up Diamond Mountain and became an immortal hermit."