Uigyeom Deung Pil Suwolgwaneumdo

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.1204

Category

Painting

Designated year

1994

Location

용산구, 서울특별시— 서울특별시 용산구 서빙고로 137 (용산동6가, 국립중앙박물관)

Coordinates

37.572950, 126.979358

Gwaneum or Avalokitesvara is the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy who leads people from the world of agony to the world of happiness after appearing before people with many different faces. The painting of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Suwolgwaneumdo) depicts Jeongto, the pure land of saints, where Gwaneum lives. The painting measures 105.5 cm wide and 143.7 cm long, with Gwaneum depicted at the center of the picture. The Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva wears a big, tall crown and has a round face with the eyes, nose, and mouth depicted very beautifully. It has a robust physique with wide shoulders and big, firm lower body. The robe is painted with green and red colors in contrast, but the colors look a little faded. On top of the rock depicted on the right side of the Avalokitesvara is a flower vase holding willows; on the left side are a couple of bamboo trees. The composition of this painting is similar to that of paintings drawn during the Goryeo Dynasty. Note, however, that the appearance of Gwaneum looking straight ahead, colors of the robe, and shape of the rock are quite different from those in the paintings of the Goryeo Dynasty, showing the characteristics of the Buddhist paintings of the Joseon Dynasty. Drawn by Uigyeom, the best monk artist of the 18th century, in the 6th year of King Youngjo’s reign (1730), this painting of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is the best Buddhist picture of that time. This kind of painting was drawn a lot during the Goryeo Dynasty but was very rare during the Joseon Dynasty; thus, this painting is considered to be very valuable in studying the history of Korean painting.

Location