Poster - Hen and Chicks, Byeon Sang-byeok

With this framed poster - Hen and Chicks, you make a striking statement in any room. Printed on high-quality, thick, matte paper.

• Paper weight: 189 g/m²
• 0.26 mm (10.3 mil) thick
• Black and white frame made of semi-hard alder wood
• Frame made of solid oak wood
• Front protective film made of Acrylit
• Including hanging fittings
• 21 × 30 cm posters are size A4
• Raw product components in the USA from Japan and the USA
• Raw product components in the EU from Japan and Latvia

How to attach the hooks to horizontal frames of 61 × 91 cm:
Place each of the mounting hooks 2.5 cm away from the frame corners when hanging the poster horizontally.

Hen and Chicks – Byeon Sang-byeok

An almost tangible liveliness

The painting "Hen and Chicks" is by Byeon Sang-byeok (변상벽), an outstanding court painter of the late Joseon Dynasty in the 18th century. Although Byeon's exact life dates are unknown, his reputation for detailed depictions of chickens and cats is undisputed. His extraordinary ability to make animals appear alive earned him the nicknames "Byeon Cat" (변고양이) and "Byeon Chicken" (변계). This work is among the finest examples of the flower-and-bird genre of that time and shows masterful liveliness.

The painting seems almost audible: the quiet chirping of the nimble chicks, the tapping of their beaks on the feeding bowl, and the gentle rustling of the mother hen's wings seem to accompany the scene. You feel transported to a warm spring day, as if sitting in a traditional Korean house with open windows. In a gentle, greenish yard, a hen and 14 yellow-black chicks are busily searching for food. The mother hen holds a worm in her beak, offering it to her young, and her gaze radiates both warmth and vigilance.

At the center of the depiction is the hen, who with her strong body, sharp eyes, and shiny, orderly feathers embodies a caring and proud mother. The finely drawn feathers, whose color gradients are carefully shaded from the tips to the base, give her a healthy, lively appearance. The long tail feathers were created with dynamic brushstrokes, harmoniously combining detail and expressiveness.

The chicks are depicted so realistically that you can almost feel them. Their fluffy down and individual poses – from hiding behind the mother to sitting comfortably between her legs to eagerly fighting for food – are captured precisely. This variety and liveliness invite the viewer to smile and create an emotional connection.

The background, showing rocks, butterflies, bees, and flowers, complements the scene. While the animals and plants are depicted realistically, the rocks are suggested with simple, bold brushstrokes. This combination of detailed foreground depiction and reduced background enhances the warm, spring-like atmosphere of the painting.