The Painter of the Wind

Director

Cast

Moon Geun-yeong

Park Shin-yang

Ryu Seung-ryong

Bae Soo-bin

Jeong In-gi

Lim Ji-eun

Kim Eung-soo

Park Jin-woo

Moon Chae Won

Lee Mi-young

Yoon Joo-sang

Han Jeong-soo

Lee Joon

New Drama on Joseon’s Legendary Painters

Based on the bestselling novel of the same name, SBS-TV’s new drama “The Painter of the Wind” reinterprets and rewrites the lives of leaves of leading Joseon Dynasty painters Kim Hong-do and Shin Yu-bok. While the series retains the usual elements of intrigue and murder, politics and warfare take a back seat. Romance and the essence of the late Joseon Dynasty, an era of reform and cultural renaissance, come to the forefront, imbuing the period piece with a strong sense of humanity and intimacy. More importantly, the series takes an approach reminiscent of lush period pieces like E. Jyong’s “Untold Scandal” (2003), by focusing on issues of sexuality and gender. Posing the classically Shakespearian question: “What if the famed painter Shin Yun-bok had been a girl pretending to be a boy?” the drama — like the original novel — toys with themes of homosexuality and forbidden love while highlighting the inequalities of a male-dominated society. Actress Moon Geun-young took up the challenge of playing girl-turned-boy Shin Yun-bok. And she does a surprisingly good job of portraying a confident and rebellious girl struggling to make it in a world ruled by men. “I tried to copy my older male costars,” said Moon, 21, at the press conference. The precocious actress did more than just mimic her male colleagues. She managed to convey the mischievous and anguished nature of her character, at times playing a sweet and innocent tomboy, at others, a cocky and seductive painter. Though there is no evidence that the real Shin was a woman, his talent at capturing the beauty of women and creating exquisite intimate paintings remains undisputed. While fellow genre painter Kim Hong-do a.k.a. Danwon (1745-1806) enjoyed a relatively prominent career as an artist, painter Shin — who was expelled from the royal painting institute, Dohwaseo — lived a more obscure life. “The Painter of Wind” takes historical liberties with the lives of Kim Hongdo and Shin Yun-bok, depicting a fullblown romance between Kim, played by Park Shin-yang, and Moon Geunyoung’s character, against the backdrop of 18th century Korea.

Actress Breaks Nose, Falls Into Well

Actress Moon Geun-young will stop filming scenes for the SBS drama ``The Painter of Wind'' for one week, after she fractured her nose last week. Moon sustained the injury while filming an argument scene with actor Park Shin-yang, Oct. 9 at the Korea Folk Village, Yongin. Park accidentally hit Moon on the nose with his elbow, and the actress had to be rushed to the emergency room for immediate treatment. In a press release, SBS Drama said X-ray results showed a slight fracture of her nose. Doctors have advised Moon to rest for a week, so she stopped filming the drama temporarily. Moon is starring in the drama as legendary artist Shin Yun-bok, who lives as a man to figure out the mysterious death of her family during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). She earlier suffered minor injuries on the set when she fell into a well. Park was quoted as saying he was worried about the Moon's health, and wishes her a speedy recovery. SBS will air re-runs of ``The Painter of Wind'' this week. New episodes of the drama will be aired next week.

Legendary painter Hyewon hits silver screen

Shin Yun-bok, better known as Hyewon, is hitting the silver screen next month, adding to the trend of rediscovering the legendary painter from the Joseon period. "The Portrait of a Beauty (Miindo)," directed by Jeon Yun-su, is the first big-screen movie devoted to the hidden life of the 18th century artist. Last year, a novel titled "The Painter of Wind" touched off a Hyewon boom in the country's culture scene. A major television network recently followed by launching a drama series of the same title based on the novel. Both the novel and the drama are based on a wild supposition that Hyewon was a woman disguised as a man. "The Portrait of a Beauty" seems to be a latecomer in the Hyewon frenzy, but Jeon set about the project several months earlier than the television adaptation. One disadvantage for the film is that Moon Geun-young, a top-rated actress, plays Hyewon for the television drama series, a development that seems to put pressure on Jeon and other cast members. "I am watching every episode of 'The Painter of Wind' on television and its unexpectedly detailed portrayals surprised me," Jeon said at a news conference held in Seoul yesterday. "But the movie version will have a very different impact on the audience because it depicts the dramatic life of Hyewon and human desire in a very colorful and dramatic fashion that will certainly overwhelm audiences." Jeon made his debut with "Besa Me Mucho" in 2001, and solidified his career with "My Girl and I" (2005) before revealing his box-office potential with "Le Grand Chef" (2006), which sold about 3 million tickets. As with the novel and the drama, the movie pins the key plot on the imaginative setting in which Hyewon hides her true identity while she works as a court painter known for his enviable talent in painting. Kim Min-sun plays Yun-jeong, the younger sister who is later forced to carry on the life of Hyewon after he dies. "There was a hunger for getting a title role in a movie that I really wanted to join, and I think I have waited for about 10 years," Kim said. "I instantly knew that this film is the very one that I was waiting for, and I made every effort to get a role, even going to the national museum to take a look at Shin Yun-bok's original paintings." Even before the press conference yesterday, the film's marketers released materials highlighting what they call "sensational nudity" involving Kim Min-sun's role, which is a primary difference with the television series. Kim said there was a moment of hesitation about the provocative scene, but the necessity of the footage for depicting Hyewon's life helped her make the decision. In the film, Hyewon falls in love with Gang-mu (Kim Nam-gil), but their love affair runs into problems as Hyewon's teacher, Kim Hong-do (Kim Young-ho), is strangely drawn to the charm of his talented male student, and a female entertainer named Seol-hwa (Chu Ja-hyun), pulls some wicked strings in an effort to destroy Hyewon. The movie, to be released on Nov. 13, will also feature some Joseon-period erotic paintings in connection with Hyewon's free-spirited style. Hyewon, born in 1758, built up his fame as a master of realism and satire, often inserting bold sexual symbols into his paintings with a touch of playfulness that was rare in the Joseon era.

[TALK OF THE TOWN]SBS drama ‘Painter of the Wind’ breezes into Japanese TV market

Avex Entertainment, a major distribution company in Japan, has bought the televising rights and DVD distributorship for SBS TV’s “The Painter of the Wind.” The drama depicts the lives of painters Shin Yun-bok (1758-early 19th century) and Kim Hong-do (born 1745). The company paid $2 million, according to production company Drama House. The third episode of The Painter of the Wind, starring Park Shin-yang and Moon Geun-young, airs today on SBS at 9:55 p.m.

Korea's Sweetheart Moon Becomes Mysterious Artist

Actress Moon Geun-young started her acting career at the age of 12 in a low budget film ``On the Way'' in 1999. The aspiring actress then appeared as the young Eun-Seo in the hit drama ``Autumn in My Heart'' the following year. Now, 21, Korea's sweetheart is returning to the television screen for the first time in five years as a gifted artist who lives as a man to figure out the mysterious death of her family during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) in the drama ``The Painter of Wind.'' Although Moon only appeared in her first shows as the younger characters of already famous actresses including Song Hye-gyo in ``Autumn'' and Lee Mi-yeon in ``Empress Myeongseong (2001),'' she left an impression among the Korean public as A young, pretty actress who could act. She soon started to play the heroine in films and dramas, and eventually became known as ``Korea's little sister,'' especially with her cute role as the young bride in the movie ``My Little Bride (2004)'' co-starring with heartthrob Kim Rae-won. She proved once again that she was one of Korea's favorite actresses as reporters and cameramen filled the press conference of the drama ``The Painter of Wind.'' Dressed in a long navy gown, she waved to the cameras with her trademark shy yet ravishing smile. ``It feels awkward in a dress, I'm so used to being a man. Even my voice seems to be more like a boy than a girl,'' she said laughing. Moon plays legendary artist Shin Yun-bok, while star actor Park Shin-yang will act as fellow artist and mentor Kim Hong-do. Based on the bestselling novel of the same title by Lee Jung-myung, Shin is born as a girl, but due to restrictions of education and other activities among women, she lives as a man her whole life, later finding herself in love with her tutor Kim. ``I'm more used to Western paintings, but I got to learn so much about Shin and Korean traditional paintings through the drama. I learned painting both in practice and theory, and I came to realize how hard it is to paint with a brush. Large strokes are easy, but it's so hard to show thin lines and describe the smallest details. But that was what Shin did best during his time,'' she said. Painting was not the only thing Moon learned through the drama: she learned to tone down her image from the usual fun and bright to a more romantic and mysterious one. ``I chose this work because I like the calm and mysterious atmosphere. I didn't want to be called `Korea's little sister' anymore. When we first started shooting, I think I tried too hard to change my cute image. But now, I'm more comfortable. I've learned to respect my assets and try out for new ones steadily,'' she said. From a young empress to a high school bride and now a painter, Moon is up to the task, both as a favorite among television and movie fans and also as a talented actor who can bring a character into life in her own style.