This paper focused on life and ink orchid paintings of Soho(小湖) Kim Eung-won(金應元, 1855~1921) who had worked during the late 19th to early 20th century.

His clan was Bunseong(盆城)’s Kim, however his family couldn’t be exactly demonstrated because the record of their family tree was lost. Through some records, it is identified that he was closely associated with Hungson Taewongun(興宣大院君) Yi Ha-ung(李昰應, 1820~1898) like as a master-servant relationship. This paper assumes that their relationship might be formed at the end of his 20s, and it is grounded on the record that he invited to Yi Ha-ung along with Yongsunsa(領選使) in 1882 when Yi had been detained in Pojeong-pu(保定府) in Tian Jin(天津), China. Their relationship seems to develop since 1890’ in that Yi’s stamps had been marked in Kim’s ink orchid painting made in 1893.

Kim stayed in Japan for 12 years and 3 months ranged from 1895 to 1907. This fact is identified on the Japanese newspaper that had reported his entrance to the harbor of Nagasaki(馬關). His purpose of going to japan was to study on the business of police department and it could be supposed by the ‘Hwang-sung newspaper(皇城新聞)’, reporting Kim had returned to homeland in October, 1907. In accordance with these facts, this paper could assume that Kim had worked on the duty related to the public safety before he started his career as a professional painter.

Kim Eung-won interacted with a number of Korean refugees for 12 years, coming and going to Japan and Korea. According to the related records, Kim was involved in Park Young-hyo(朴泳孝, 1861~1931)’s group who attempted to coup with The Association of Independence, ‘Dongnip hyeophoe(獨立協會)’ during 1897 to 1899. Kim participated in Park’s preparation for the coup. At that time, He did investigate the state of affair in Korean and report the result of investigation to Park’s group. In terms of these facts, there is a possibility that Kim played a role kind of the political aide of Korean refugees.

In 1901, Kim traveled many areas in Japan with Yu Kil-jun(兪吉濬, 1856~1914). They attended in the Japanese art and calligraphy venues(揮毫 會) held by Japanese social influencers such as doctor, soldier and policeman. In the venues, they produced substantial paintings and calligraphies as Japanese requested and it could be an expense for traveling around. These are confirmed by the speculation reports from Japanese and the Yu’s dairy records, ‘Haengsaek(行索)’ and ‘Pukyu ilgi(北 遊日記)’ Also, the harmonious combination of painting made by Kim and calligraphy written by Yu is an evidence to the report of their trip and it could be made based upon the tradition of the Japanese art and calligraphy venues. For him, these experiences of 1901 could not only make a number of the combination of painting and calligraphy with the Korean refugees until he went back to homeland, but also motivate him to hold the exhibition as the first painter of Korea after he returned to homeland.

From 1904, Kim was engaged in the group of Son Byung-hee(孫秉熙, 1861~1922) who was the leader of Dong-hak(東學). Son made a close relationship with a few people, who are Jo Hee-yeon(趙羲淵, 1856~1915), Kwon Dong-jin(權東鎭, 1861~1947) and Oh Sae-chang(吳世昌, 1864~1953). Son gathered Korean refugees for his coup and tried to enthrone Ui-hwa gun(義和君, 1877~1955) or Yi Jun-yong(李埈鎔, 1870~1917) who was the grandson of Yi Ha-ung as well as Kim’s master while Kim stayed in Japan. Through a lot of report from Japanese who look on their behavior and the combination of painting and calligraphy made by them, in 1905, Kim played an active role to make connection between Son’s group and Ui-hwa gun and Yi Jun-yong. It means that Kim did closely interact with Son’s people. While they formed the group and cooperated each other, the combinations of painting and calligraphy was made as the proof of their friendship and Kim always painted the orchids in it.

In October 1907, Kim finally went back to homeland. He was appointed to Buchanui(副贊議) of Jungchuwon(中樞院) thanks to his performance as refugee in Japan. However, he resigned from Buchanui right after the appointment by submitting the petition and switched his career to a professional painter. Kim did vigorously take part in a number of groups engaged in contemporary artists and widely contact with the leaders of art at that time. It made him participate in making the co-produced paintings with many artists. By doing so, he also could teach how to paint the ink orchid paintings to the first commissioner of political affairs in Cho-sun, Yamagata Isaburo(山縣伊三郞, 1857~1927). Additionally, Kim was the first Korean painter who held the personal exhibition, living up to the demands of his orchid paintings. In 1918, he became one of thirteen founding members of the Association of Calligraphers and painters ‘Seohwahyoephoe(書畵協會)’ with An Jung-sik(安中植, 1861~1919), Cho Seok-jin(趙錫晉, 1853~1920) and other key artists. On behalf of ‘Seohwamisulhoe(書畵美術會)’, Kim was also requested by the court that let them restore the wall paintings in the Injeongjeon(仁政殿) of Changdukgung(昌德宮).

The number of Kim’s ink orchid paintings is about four hundred, but the ones with marked a produced date are 78 paintings and they are generally of the rocks and orchids motif. He painted the ink orchid paintings on his name from the age of late 30’. In Japan, he autographed in his artworks by writing ‘Chosun(朝鮮)’ or ‘Hanseong(漢城)’, which means his native place. After coming back to homeland, he produced about 43 paintings which were marked on dates until he died. This paper mainly inquires his ink orchid paintings with marked dates by dividing them into two periods; the former and latter part of paintings, depending upon the changes of his location through lifetime.

The former part of Kim’s paintings can be classified the former and latter period in japan because the paintings clearly changed its style in 1901, when Kim and Yu made a journey together. The former period of paintings made in japan was based on the styles of Yi Ha-ung’s ink orchid paintings such as Nogeunran(露根蘭), orchids with exposed roots, Seokran(石蘭), orchids with rocks, and Bunran(盆蘭), orchids in flowerpot or pot. However, Kim continued to try to his own style by combining two different forms of orchids and taking a diagonal composition with them. In addition, he got together various forms of orchid in the folding screen of joint panels, based on the trend of folding screen at that time and Yangzhou paintings school in Qing dynasty. In the latter period, the ink orchid paintings was produced in the Japanese art and calligraphy venues and changed in its painting technique influenced by the feature of Japanese’s instant paintings(‘席畵’). Kim especially emphasized on the contour of rocks in his paintings, using a thick darkened ink and restrained the technique of drawing orchids. He also renewed his prior style of the paintings and calligraphies by adapting Zheng Xie(鄭燮, 1693~1765)’s and Zhao Zhiqian(趙之謙, 1829~1884)’s styles. Likewise, he was willing to respond to Japanese’s request for his paintings, producing a pair of the Japanese traditional golden six folded screens. This paper analyzes his autographs and stamps used in the paintings depending upon periods and establishes the criterion that can suppose the date of producing paintings, which were unknown exactly.

The latter part of Kim’s paintings was applied to the contemporary art trend in Korea. Kim embraced various styles such as Zheng Xie, Luo Ping(羅聘, 1733~1799) and Jeong Hak Kyo(丁學敎, 1832~1914) and applied to make his own style in especially the rocks and orchids paintings. He also made the forms of rock diversified and used them to make the folding screens in response to the popular demand of his painting through his personal exhibition. In this period, his rocks and orchids paintings were harmonized by thick and watery ink, representing properly the volume of rocks. Especially, the two kinds of composition in his rocks and orchids paintings were repeatedly used; one is ‘the two-level composition’ that the screen is separated into two levels by rocks situated in the middle-edge of screen and the other is ‘the cliff composition’ that represents orchids growing upside-down from the steep cliff. Kim used to do utilize these compositions very frequently. Thus, his ink orchid paintings have some limitations due to these tedious repetitions. Although his paintings have a drawback in the style, the typical composition of rocks and orchids paintings achieved that the compositions spread to the artworks of latter artists submitting their ink orchid paintings to ‘The official art exhibition of Chosun(朝鮮美術展覽會)’.

In accordance with the art trend of that time, featured with the pursuit of the aspiration for longevity and decorative properties, Kim painted Jiran (芝蘭), orchids with Lingshi mushroom and the colored orchid paintings. Kim produced Jiran in the purpose for celebrating one’s 60th birthday and new year day, praying for someone’s healthiness. He also usually used to cite Zheng Xie’s poem that the Ki(氣) of rocks and orchids can lead to longevity and it seems to be influenced by the art trend.

Kim did positively accept the idea that the orchid is bloomed in the deep valley, usually used by Yangzhou paintings school. He painted the ink orchid painting presented that the orchid is placed on the deep places of valley. By doing so, he could go forward to express a pictorial nature and escape from Yi’s style. 《Ten-panels Folding Screen of Rocks and Orchids》, Kim’s representative work, is successfully implemented that the orchids and rocks are spectacularly placed as if the orchids blooms in the rocky mountain. Through this, Kim can be evaluated that although he only focused on the ink orchid painting which is a typical and traditional theme, he always tries to find the new way of orchid painting in the contemporary art trend. Furthermore, this paper tries to verify the hypothesis about the date of producing Kim’s masterpiece 《Ten-panels Folding Screen of Rocks and Orchids》. Through a various analysis in terms of the style, the masterpiece might have been made around 1914, and it is certainly his sole artwork unlike what had been assumed that it might be a collaboration with Cho Seok-jin.

This paper tries on to look through Kim’s activities and artworks, but it cannot reveal most of his lifetime because of the shortage of records. About these unrevealed things, I hope the additional records are found and proceed to the complementary research. Hopefully, this paper will be some help to advance the studies of modern artists’ yet unrevealed.

본 논문은 19세기 후반에서 20세기 초에 걸쳐 활동한 小湖 金應元(1855~1921)의 출신 및 행적과 묵란화를 고찰한 것이다.

김응원의 본관은 盆城金氏로 족보가 유실되어 정확한 가계 파악은 어려우나 구전되는 바와 같이 興宣大院君 李昰應(1820~1898)의 傔人이었던 것으로 확인된다. 본고에서는 김응원이 1895년 金奭準(1831~1915)과 함께 訪日하여 현지 인사와 교류한 사실이 기록된 『龍文會雜誌』와 일본 관헌의 在日 조선인 시찰기록인 『要視察韓國人擧動』 및 그의 귀국사실을 보도한 『每日申報』 기사 등을 종합하여 서화가로 활약하기 이전 하급 무관직에 종사하였을 것으로 추정하였다. 또한 1882년 김응원은 김석준과 李載德(1845~1912)을 따라 保定府에 억류되어있던 이하응을 문후하는 연행에 참여하여 적어도 20대 후반부터 이하응과 관계를 맺고 있었을 것으로 추정된다. 아울러 시찰기록을 비롯한 문헌사료에서 김응원을 이하응의 嫡孫 李埈鎔(1870~1917)의 從員으로 보고한 기록과 1893년작 〈石蘭圖對幅〉에서 확인되는 이하응 詞句印 날인 및 관서를 정황증거로 하여 1890년대에 이르러 이들이 긴밀한 관계에 놓여 있었을 것으로 판단하였다.

김응원은 1895년 7월 말 도일하여 1907년 10월초 최종 귀국하기까지 약 12년 3개월에 걸쳐 일본에 체류하였다. 김응원의 도일 배경은 그의 입항 사실을 보도한 『神戶又新日報』 기사와 동시기 朴泳孝(1861~1939) 일파를 시작으로 다수의 관료와 왕족들이 국내 정세를 피해 일본으로 망명한 사실, 그리고 시찰 보고에서 김응원이 박영효 일파에 소속되어 망명자 집단의 정변모의에 가담한 정황 등을 근거로 박영효 일파를 따라 일본으로 망명한 것으로 추정된다. 그는 도일 직후부터 현지인에게 묵란화를 그려주거나 다양한 조선인 망명자들과 교류하였고 1897년부터 1899년까지 독립협회와 함께 정변을 주도한 박영효 일파의 인물로 인식되면서 망명자 집단에 국내 정세를 알리거나 독립협회와의 교섭에 투입되기도 하였다.

1901년 김응원은 俞吉濬(1856~1914)과 함께 일본의 여러 지역을 유람하고 일본인이 주최하는 揮毫會에 참석하여 席上揮毫를 폄으로써 체재비용을 마련하였다. 이는 시찰 보고서와 당시 상황을 기록한 유길준의 『行索』 및 『北遊日記』를 통해 확인된다. 그리고 일본의 書畵會 전통을 배경으로 유길준과 함께 제작한 1901년의 書畵合璧들은 이후 시기 다수의 망명객과 서화합벽이 보다 빈번히 제작되는 기반이 되었을 것으로 추정된다.

김응원은 1904년부터 동학교주 孫秉熙(1861~1922)와 그 일파인 趙羲淵(1856~1915), 權東鎭(1861~1947), 吳世昌(1864~1953) 등과 교유하면서 이들이 주도하는 재일 망명자 세력 규합에 포함되었다. 그리고 1905년부터는 이들과 깊은 관계를 맺게되면서 義和君 李堈(1877~1955)과 이준용을 이들 세력과 연결하는 가교 역할을 하였다. 이 시기에 걸쳐 오세창과 조희연, 권동진 등 다수의 망명 인사들이 題를 더한 서화합벽들은 당시 상황을 입증하는 증거일 뿐만 아니라 모임을 기념하기 위한 친목의 증표가 되었던 것으로 여겨진다.

1907년 10월 초 최종 귀국한 김응원은 재일기 활약에 힘입어 이듬해 中樞院 副贊議에 임명되었으나 사임하고 직업 전문서화가로 입지를 전환하였다. 그는 1910년대부터 문예단체 활동에 적극적으로 참여하며 후학을 양성하고 화단을 대표하는 서화가들과 다수의 합작도를 제작하였다. 그리고 이를 통해 초대 政務總監인 야마가타 이사부로(山縣伊三郞, 1857~1927)에게 난법을 전수하였으며 데라우치 마사타케(寺内正毅, 1852~1919) 등의 일본인 유력 인사와 서화합벽 제작에 참여하기도 했다. 아울러 그는 한국인 화가로는 최초로 개인 전람회를 개최하여 각계각층의 서화청구에 적극적으로 부응하였다. 1918년 화단의 원로가 된 김응원은 安中植(1861~1919), 趙錫晋(1853~1920) 등과 함께 書畵協會를 창립하며 말년까지 활발한 활동을 이어 나갔으나 향년 67세를 일기로 1921년 10월 7일 생을 마감하였다.

김응원의 묵란화는 대부분 石蘭 형식으로 수 백 여점의 작품이 전한다. 그는 30대 후반부터 자신의 이름으로 묵란화를 그리기 시작한 것으로 추정되며 재일기 기년작은 35점이고 1907년 귀국한 이후부터 몰년까지의 기년작은 43점이 확인된다. 본고는 기년작을 생애 주거지 변화와 화풍을 기준으로 하여 전기 묵란화와 후기 묵란화로 나누어 고찰하였다.

김응원 묵란화풍의 연원에 있어서는 이하응의 石坡蘭 영향이 절대적이었다. 시기가 올라가는 묵란화들을 살펴보면 1890년대 초반 석파란 화풍의 특징과 이하응 묵란화에 날인된 사구인 및 제화시 활용 양상이 일치하는 것을 확인할 수 있다. 다만 기년은 없으나 초기작으로 추정되는 墨蘭畵帖 들은 錢載(1708~1793)와 羅聘(1733~1799) 등의 묵란화첩과 金正喜의 《蘭盟帖》, 그리고 『芥子園畵傳』 「蘭譜」 등과 다양한 영향관계가 확인되는데, 이로써 그가 석파란이라는 한 가지 준거에 얽매이지 않는 화학수련 과정을 거쳤음을 알 수 있다.

전기 묵란화는 유길준과 일본을 유람한 1901년을 기점으로 분명한 양식적 변화가 나타난다는 점에서 재일 전반의 묵란화와 재일 후반의 묵란화로 나눌 수 있다. 재일 전반의 묵란화는 난법은 기본적으로 석파란을 따랐으며 이하응의 사구인을 模刻하여 날인하면서도 두 가지 다른 형식의 묵란화를 조합하고 이를 대각선으로 배치하는 구성의 묘를 보였다. 그리고 연폭 병풍에 묵란화 형식을 종합함으로써 자신만의 개성을 드러내고자 하였다. 재일 후반의 묵란화는 1901년 즉석휘호 활동 경험을 통해 席畵 제작 특징에 영향을 받아 간일한 농묵을 사용하여 바위의 윤곽을 강조하는 변화가 나타났다. 또한 당시 청대 서풍이 유행했던 일본 書壇을 배경으로 鄭燮(1693~1765)과 趙之謙(1829~1884)의 서풍을 수용하여 제화시 서풍을 일신하였다. 그리고 이러한 변화는 일본의 전통적인 金裝屛風에 묵란화를 그리고 서예를 하여 이를 한 쌍의 병풍으로 만든 예를 통해 종합적으로 살펴볼 수 있었다. 아울러 본고에서는 書畵風 변화와 함께 재일기 號印과 姓名印의 사용례를 분석하여 제작시기를 알 수 없는 재일기 묵란화의 편년 기준을 제시하였다.

후기 묵란화에서는 귀국 이후 정섭과 나빙 등의 揚州畵派의 묵란화풍과 丁學敎(1832~1914)에 의해 창출된 근대기 괴석도 화풍을 수용함에 따라 ‘小湖蘭’으로 일컬어지는 석란화풍이 완성되었다. 그리고 완성된 석란화풍을 다변화하여 서화시장의 일반화된 병풍수요에 대응하였던 것으로 추정된다. 김응원의 석란화는 潤墨과 淡墨을 적절하게 조화시켜 바위의 양감을 자연스럽게 구현하였고 석파란의 2단 구도를 계승하여 변형을 가미했으며 立式 혹은 疊式 괴석을 활용하거나 양주화파의 ‘深谷幽蘭’ 이미지를 수용하여 懸崖蘭을 다양한 경물과 결합하는 등의 특징을 지닌다. 한편 김응원은 화단의 새로운 경향에 발맞추어 길상성이 강조된 芝蘭圖와 淡雅한 채색을 특징으로 하는 彩色蘭圖를 제작하였다. 특히 그는 채색난에서 화훼화로서의 사군자화라는 시대 양식을 토대로 자신만의 화풍을 이룩하였다. 마지막으로 소호란의 진수를 대표하는 국립고궁박물관 소장 《石蘭圖10幅屛》는 ‘深山幽谷에 핀 蘭’을 대작의 연폭 화면에 구현해 냄으로써 이하응의 ‘空谷幽蘭’에 안주하지 않고 묵란이라는 전통적 소재를 회화적으로 극대화한 역작으로 평가될 수 있으며 본고에서는 양식 비교를 통해 그 제작 시기를 1914년경으로 판단하였다. 이로써 필자는 김응원을 난이라는 전통적 소재를 전문으로 하였음에도 변화를 거부하지 않으며 근대기 난 그림이 나아가야 할 방향을 끊임없이 연구한 화가로 평하고자 한다.