Korean jewel painting is a form of picture whose main material is natural jewel powder.
It was newly created in the latter part of the 1980s on the basis of the Korean painting that has a long history and national tradition.
With its harmony of vividness, softness and elegance in colour, and its wonderful decorative effect made by delicate and elaborate technique and combination of diverse materials, it gives special emotion to the people.
In particular, powders of colour stones are utilized as they are or by freely changing their density of colour in Korean jewel painting in keeping with an artist’s depictive intention so as to ensure the sense of the reality and animation better.
It can be preserved permanently without any decoloration even for hundreds of years thanks to the materials utilized to paint it.
Lots of Korean jewel paintings have been created under different themes in Korea up to today.
Typical are “Generalissimo Kim Il Sung--gifted military strategist and ever-victorious iron-willed brilliant commander,” “Snow Falls,” “Tiger on Mt. Paektu,” “Sobaek Stream in Winter,” “River Taedong in February,” “Wisteria Flower and Puppy,” “Road to Mt. Paektu,” “A Tiger” and so on.
All the products were depicted in a delicate, soft and vivid way on the basis of technique peculiar to the Korean painting and thus the people further feel the sense of the reality and are attracted by them.
The Korean jewel painting is praised by the world people.
The Korean jewel paintings won a gold medal in the international invention exhibition held in a country, special prize and medal in international stone processing technique show held in Poland in 2003 and were highly praised in the exhibitions held in different countries including Malaysia, Germany and Russia.
They were highly appreciated at the art festival of the 20th “Master Class” international arts festival held in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
After enjoying the Korean jewel paintings created by the artists at Mansudae Art Studio, members of the organizing committee of the festival and the art experts admired their high level, praising the level of their depiction. The participants praised that the Korean jewel paintings are the highest in the preciousness and brilliance of the material and in the softness and delicacy in depiction.
Introducing the aspects of the development of art in the DPRK that paved a new phase of pictorial art, TASS in Russia reported that the peculiar Korean-style jewel painting, an independent form of formative arts, enjoys high appraisal in the world. And it gave an account of the means and objects of depiction of jewel painting and stressed that the works represent the appearance of Korea, a land of morning calm and give the emotion of the nature and the surrounding world and the harmony of manners of the prevailing state of society.
The Korean jewel painting serves as the great pride and treasure of the Korean nation for its superiority, originality and beauty, making continuous development.
