Choe Buk


Choe Buk, was a Korean painter of the late Joseon period. He used many pen names, Samgijae, Hosaenggwan, Songjae, Giam, Geogijae among them.

Life

His childhood remains unknown, as well as the social status of his family. The Grove says 'floruit c. 1755-85'. Nevertheless, the Korean wiki page :ko:최북 says: 최북은 조선 숙종, 영조 때의 화가이다... and gives a reference to AKS ... that explains why 1720 can be guessed as his birth year.
It seems that, despite the fame of Choe Buk in Seoul, his excessive drinking left him perpetually short of cash, and he resorted to making trips to other cities to sell his works. He may have died in Seoul, but the year remains unrecorded.

Style and Galleries

Choe Buk was acquainted with Kim Hong-do, Kim Deuk-sin, Yi In-mun, but his works are dissimilar to theirs.
The Korean Copyright Commission lists 20 paintings for Choe Buk, while Towooart gives a short notice.