# Snowscape with Figures

**Kim Si** (Korean, 1524–1593)  
1584  
hanging scroll; ink on silk  
Painting only: 53 x 67.3 cm (20 7/8 x 26 1/2 in.); Overall: 148.6 x 90.2 cm (58 1/2 x 35 1/2 in.)

Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1987.187. [The museum's record](https://clevelandart.org/art/1987.187).

## About this work

This hanging scroll is a rare surviving example of early Joseon period painting. The painter Kim Si (1481–1537) was a member of the aristocracy, or high-ranking men. However, after his father, Kim Anro (1481–1537) fell out of power, Kim Si retreated himself and spent his life as a reclusive artist. In such a context, this image of a solitary scholar in his studio surrounded by trees and snow-covered mountains does not simply render an idealized life of a recluse focusing on scholarly pursuits; rather, it is the painter’s mindscape, indicating that the glory of his family has become a forgotten part of his past.

_Text from the Cleveland Museum of Art._

Kim Si painted this in 1584, aged 60. It is now at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

### How it was made

- **Hanging scroll.** A painting mounted on silk with a wooden roller at the foot. It was rolled up for storage and brought out to hang for a season, a guest or an occasion.
- **Ink and colour on silk.** Silk was sized with glue and alum so it would hold a crisp brushline, and mineral colours were built up in thin layers. The sheen of the weave still shows through.

### [Kim Si](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/kim-si)

Korean, 1524–1593

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- Culture: Korea, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)
- The artist was 60
- Real size: about 59 × 36 in (149 × 90 cm). The original is larger than our largest print, 20 × 30 in, so every print is a reduction.
- Century: 16th century
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/740.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/740/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/snowscape-with-figures-cma-153664).