As a medieval rebel artist from Korea, watermelons and mice became famous

It was named in honor of the patron Saint of pregnant women and mothers, but the whole life of Sin Saimdang rebelled against the traditional female role. Excellent education, which was not due to Korean women in the middle ages, the unspoken role of the head of the family, spiritual practices, poems and paintings… in South Korea, she is considered a national heroine and is decorated with portraits of stamps and banknotes. And her drawings of… watermelons and mice became famous.

Sin Saimdang was born in the XVI century in the ancient and noble family of Penson Sin, which composed legends. The ancestor of this family was considered a sharpshooter, who pleased the first king of Korea with his hunting skills, and the descendants, miraculously – all Koreans named Shin. At birth, the Sin Saimdang called In a Dream. Continue reading →