안견(安堅)은 조선시대 ‘화원(畫員)’의 종장(宗匠)이면서, 조선풍 산수화의 개조로 조선 초기 회화사를 크게 빛냈다. 이처럼 조선 초기 문화예술의 융성을 이루는 데 크게 기여한 안견은 그 명성에 비해 생애에 관해 전하는 기록이 매우 드물고, 남아있는 작품도 <몽유도원도>뿐이라 실체 파악이 매우 어렵다. 이 글은 조선시대 회화사의 서막을 열고 빛낸 안견의 생애와 작품세계의 전모를 새롭게 밝혀보기 위해 시도된 것이다, 안견의 생몰년과 본관의 지역 문제, 도화원 입속과 신분, 전성기의 회화 활동에 관련된 단편적인 기록과 추정된 논의를 역사적 맥락에서 검토하면서 재구성했다. 그리고 그의 작품세계에 대한 연구의 지평을 넓혀보기 위해 1점의 유작과 문헌에 전하는 112점가량 되는 그의 화적에 관해 쓴 제화시 및 감평 등을 분석하여 이들 유형과 화제별 창작 양상 및 경향을 살펴보았다.

An Gyeon (安堅) was a leading master among court painters (hwawon) of the Joseon dynasty and is regarded as the founder of Joseon-style landscape painting, making a major contribution to the history of early Joseon painting. Despite his prominence and his significant role in the flourishing of early Joseon culture and the arts, very few records of his life survive, and Dream Journey to the Peach Blossom Land (Mongyudowondo) is the only extant work securely attributed to him, making it extremely difficult to grasp his historical reality. This article seeks to newly illuminate the life and artistic world of An Gyeon, who opened and enriched the early history of Joseon painting. It reconstructs his life and career by examining fragmentary records and previous hypotheses concerning his dates of birth and death, the geographic origin of his family clan, his entry into the Bureau of Painting, his social status, and his artistic activities during the height of his career, all within their historical context. In order to broaden the scope of research on his artistic world, this study also analyzes one surviving work and approximately 112 paintings attributed to him in documentary sources, focusing on poems inscribed on paintings and critical appreciations. Through this analysis, it investigates the types of works associated with An Gyeon as well as the patterns and tendencies of his production according to subject matter.