Ro Son-ju was an established Chosonhwa painter who drew on a thorough grounding in traditional techniques to give figure paintings, landscapes and other subjects a distinctly Korean feeling.

His style was influential in Nampo, where a number of Chosonhwa painters adopted related approaches.

He rejected needless exaggeration and ornament, seeking to reveal the beauty of his subjects through faithful observation of their actual appearance.

His works have consequently been praised for their warmth, familiarity and refined feeling.

He developed his own way of depicting the shapes and folds of rocky mountains, combining seemingly rough passages into a harmonious whole.

He was particularly skilled at rendering trees and pavilions. His landscape painting reached maturity after the 1980s, and his works appeared regularly in exhibitions abroad.

He became known as a talented painter in China, Japan and other countries.