Baekimdang Pungsok Hwacheop (Album of Genre Paintings by Baekimdang) is one of the most significant works by the Korean court painter Baek Eun-bae (1820–1901), who was active during the late Joseon Dynasty. In this painting album, there are several genre paintings depicting typical daily life scenes in Korea that give some insights regarding the social interaction, occupations, traditions and pastimes of common people living in Korea during the nineteenth century. This artwork plays a significant role in recording history through painting as it reflects the lifestyle of common people rather than royal portraits and religious paintings. Through his expressive gestures, composition and realistic portrayal of figures, Baek Eun-bae proves himself as a great artist. It is his ability to realistically represent the common people's life and make the viewers understand their feelings and emotions. This album represents a part of Joseon painting tradition where the artists tried to represent the life of common people. Every image created by Baek Eun-bae is full of movement, emotions and narratives through the use of colors and ink on paper.The piece illustrates how art can function as a record of social history as well as a creative expression.
The painting given above gives a glimpse into the then society of erstwhile Korea (now divided between North and South). It also presents a classic example of East Asian artistic styles. Unlike many forms of paintings contemporary to it, the artwork given above carries the use of light, soft colours, a simple serene effect with a surreal touch to it; quite opposed to the ornate detailing and rich palettes of its counterparts. The image appears almost two dimensional though a lively effect had been attempted to give into it using light shading. Another charactersic feature of this artwork is the use of common face types and a soft, abstract depiction of the surrounding natural flora- classic elements of Korean and Japanese painting styles of that era.
