Betty Anderson, a volunteer at the Maridon Museum, poses with the new Korean painting titled, “Painting of the Sun, Moon, and Five Peaks,” recently acquired by the museum.

“Painting of the Sun, Moon, and Five Peaks” a traditional Korean folk painting by Young-Ran Kim, was recently added to the collection at the Maridon Museum, 322 N. McKean St.

In Korean, the name “Il-Wol-Oh-Bohng-Doh” literally means sun-moon-five-peaks-picture. This is a popular theme of traditional Korean paintings. The painting is divided into three parts representing heaven, earth and man.

A screen with this design was traditionally set behind Uh-Jwah, the king’s royal throne in the Joseon era from 1392 to 1910. It was believed that the Il-Wol-Oh-Bohng-Doh could be complete only when the king sat in front of the screen, linking heaven, earth and man, thus bringing harmony to the universe.

This painting is rich in symbolism.

The sun and moon depicted together express the principle of heaven, the Yin and Yang. “Yin” (negative/moon) and “Yang” (positive/sun) are believed to be the two main factors of the universe that promote stability and continuous growth through harmony.

The “almost” red represents the king as the yang, the positive male principle, while the white moon represents the queen as the yin.

The five peaks are thought to represent five significant mountains in Korea: Mt Baekdoo, Mt. Keumkang, Mt. Myohyang, Mt. Jiri and Mt. Samgak. They also may represent the five virtues of patience, justice, politeness, knowledge and trust.

Two fast-flowing streams represent Korea’s many rivers and streams. The red pines on the edges of the painting symbolize how the king links heaven and earth.

The land is hilly, representing the mountainous land of Korea.

The paint consists of a mineral-powdered watercolor used for traditional Korean paintings and contains gold and color pigments.

This work of art was presented to the Maridon on July 18 by Song-Hee Kim on behalf of the artist, his sister, Young-Ran Kim.

Song-Hee Kim is a former visiting professor in the department of modern languages and cultures at Slippery Rock University. He was active with the Maridon’s foreign film series.

The Maridon is the only museum in Western Pennsylvania with a specific focus on Asian art and culture coupled with German Meissen porcelain. The museum — both the objects and the buildings that house them — were the gift of Mary Hulton Phillips.

The museum is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and by appointment only Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays. The museum will be closed Thursday and Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and students, and free for children younger than 8; children must be accompanied by an adult. Tours are led by trained docents and are available with advance notice. Call 724-282-0123 or visit www.maridon.org.