Comparison


Dürer, Self-Portrait | by profzucker

Portrait of Sin Sukju (detail), second half of the 15th century, hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, 167 x 109.5 cm, Goryeong Sin Family Collection, Cheongwon, Treasure no. 613.

Albrecht Dürer, Self-portrait, 1500, 67.1 x 48.9cm (Alte Pinakothek, Munich)


Portrait of Sin Sukju (detail), second half of the 15th century, hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, 167 x 109.5 cm, Goryeong Sin Family Collection, Cheongwon, Treasure no. 613.

Portrait of Sin Sukju (detail), second half of the 15th century, hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, 167 x 109.5 cm, Goryeong Sin Family Collection, Cheongwon, Treasure no. 613




When looking at both of these portraits one can get lost in the detailing, both artist took great pride in capturing important features of each of their subjects. Unlike Albrecht Dürer’s piece the Portrait of Sin Sukju is not a self portrait.  In fact during the time of the Joseon Dynasty the portraits were commissioned to honor the subjects in both life and death and was seen as a tremendous award to both artist and subject. The Royal court had a special bureau dedicated to artists who were elected to paint portraits of honored subjects. Sin Sukju was a royal official who was selected because of his loyalty during a volatile time. He is dressed in his official robes with his rank badge on his chest. In accordance to Korean portrait customs, subjects were seated in full length view, often with head tilted and one ear showing. It was extremely important to make the portrait unique and stand out, even the littlest details in the subjects were captured like wrinkles and facial expressions.

In Albrecht Dürer’s Self-Portrait, he takes on more of a self-serving purpose in his portrait as if to demonstrate his skills. However, in his second self-portrait he took on a frontal pose that was normally reserved for Christ during that period. His also used dark colors throughout this painting given it a Christ-like tone throughout. He also placed very distinct lines from his eyes and his hands the tools an artist uses the most. Duper was an artist that intermingled art and science like Leonard Da Vinci and was very popular during this time.


Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris, "Albrecht Dürer, Self-Portrait(1500)," in Smarthistory, December 9, 2015, accessed February 13, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/albrecht-durer-self-portrait-1500/.


Dr. Kristen Loring Brennan, "Portrait of Sin Sukju," in Smarthistory, November 22, 2015, accessed February 13, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/portrait-of-sin-sukju/.






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