Painting of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva by Buddhist Monk Uigyeom

Avalokitesvara (Gwaneum) is the bodhisattva of compassion, who appears before all beings in many forms to lead them from suffering into a world of peace and ease; the Suwol Gwaneumdo, or Water-Moon Avalokitesvara painting, depicts the Pure Land in which this bodhisattva dwells. This painting, measuring 105.5 cm wide and 143.7 cm high, shows the face of Avalokitesvara wearing a large, tall crown, with round and gently pretty features filling the centre of the composition. The figure has a sturdy build, with broad shoulders and a wide, ample lower body. The robes are painted in contrasting green and red, though the colours have faded somewhat. To the right of Avalokitesvara, on a rock, stands a vase holding a willow branch, and to the left is a pair of bamboo stalks — a composition similar to those found in paintings of the Goryeo period. Compared with Goryeo works, this arrangement is similar, but the frontal pose of Avalokitesvara, the colours of the robes, and the shape of the rock have all changed considerably, revealing characteristics distinctive of the Joseon period. Painted in the sixth year of King Yeongjo (1730) by Uigyeom, the foremost monk-painter of the 18th century, this Suwol Gwaneumdo is a masterpiece of its age. Such paintings were produced in great numbers during the Goryeo period but are extremely rare from the Joseon period, making this a precious work and a valuable resource for the study of the history of Korean painting.

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Where it is

Region

Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물