PLACES The formation of lineages and histories cannot be separated from place. From the Confucian emphasis on the importance of recognizing one’s position in a broader societal structure to the vast displacements that shaped the Korean diaspora in the modern period, place has long been deeply ingrained in Korean art, with ties to notions of belonging, homeland, and identity. Notably, Korean landscape paintings o昀琀en carry deeper meanings beyond an interest in nature. During the Joseon dynasty, landscape was one of the most revered subjects, and it provided opportunities to demon- strate skills in controlling ink and the calligraphic line.�� Known as the Three Perfections, calligraphy, painting, and poetry were considered the highest forms of art, and they are all found in gyehoedo, a 昀椀昀琀eenth- and sixteenth- century Korean landscape genre that records notable social gatherings, usually of men in government.�� In the hanging scroll Gathering of Government O昀케cials, from about 1551, the lyrical inscription at the top identi昀椀es the painted event as a reunion of sixty- year- old men who entered the civil service around the same time (昀椀g. 24). Written by Jeong Sa- ryong (정사룡 鄭士龍, 1491–1570), an eminent poet, calligrapher, and civil o昀케cial, the text o昀昀ers a vivid description of the camara- derie among colleagues as they feast and recite poetry together. The gathering is rendered with an unusual amount of detail, showing that this is a well- planned event with cushions, books, and writing implements; plenty of food and drink; and ten attendants on hand to serve. Nevertheless, it is the landscape that takes center stage in the scroll; the 昀椀gures are small and situated on an outcrop in the lower right. The importance of nature is conveyed through the large rocky mountains that recede into the distance, the long winding stream, and the crashing waves carefully rendered with thin lines. Apart from the group, the landscape is devoid of human life. This image is as much about communing with nature as it is about social interactions. The seated 昀椀gure holding his knees next to the table con昀椀rms this fact by looking into the distance. While recording an actual gathering, the painting is an idealized landscape with every element skillfully executed in an elegant style that fuses multiple pictorial traditions. Over time, landscape became a means of displaying di昀昀erent painting techniques, including an engagement with Western art, which was known in Korea as early as the sixteenth century through Joseon Koreans’ direct encounter with Europeans in Qing China and Edo Japan and through the circulation of printed images. By the mid- nineteenth century, some Korean artists had begun to incorporate linear perspective and chiaroscuro into their work.�� 21