題畫詩에 나타난 동물 형상과 그 의미

Animal Figure and Its Meaning in Painting Poetry

As for a human being, an animal was an antagonist and a rival at the same time and was an existence of giving a help sometimes and a companion, too. According to this, a human being has regarded an animal as a material of picture and literature from a very early age. A fact as saying that animals of appearing in old picture and painting poetry are very diverse just implies that the relationship between a human being and an animal is so complex. However, the animals that appear in picture and literature show common aspect in that they have a symbolic meaning given by a human being. A symbolic meaning of animals, which appear in an old picture and painting poetry, is very various and has even a case that one animal has many symbols. Yet, it can be divided largely into a few categories as follows. First of all, there are animals that became the object of fear and envy because of having more excellent physical capability than a human being. A tiger and a horse can be said to be the typical example. In the meantime, like a case of deer or crane, this was ever regarded as the object of respect by giving a lofty symbol to its ecological nature. Like a cat or an oriole, there is also a case of having been embodied as the object that a human being loves owing to usefulness and beauty. Like a quail and a rabbit, there is even a case of having become the object of Gamgye[鑑戒, mirror and reproof] owing to its ecological characteristic. A symbol that animals have is not what is fixed. For instance, a wild goose in an old picture and painting poetry not only implies the heart of yearning for family or hometown, but also indicates stupidness sometimes of failing to realize that a hunter draws near. Accordingly, there is a need to fully consider even the historical and cultural background as well as the context when analyzing a symbol of being possessed by animals in picture and literature.