Hanging Painting of Beopjusa Temple

A gwaebul is a large Buddhist painting used for great ceremonies and rites held outdoors, and this painting depicts a single bodhisattva figure filling the entire composition. The bodhisattva stands holding a flowering branch in both hands; the upper body is depicted large, while the lower body is rendered short. The figure wears an ornate jewelled crown topped with mountain-shaped decorations, and has a square face. The robe covering both shoulders is decorated with various patterns, and the halo is painted on a large scale, divided into a head halo and a body halo. The body halo is filled with floral and cloud patterns, which, together with the ornate patterns of the robe, create the impression of a scene from the world of the Buddha. Clouds envelop the upper part of the halo, and at the very top of the composition white rays of light swirl across the scene. The overall proportions are not entirely well balanced, but the painting conveys a weighty, dignified feeling, and its judicious use of varied patterns and decorations, together with bright, vivid primary colours and intermediate tones, gives it a splendid, luminous atmosphere. An inscription survives naming the many people who took part in its production and providing information on the founding of Beopjusa Temple and the Buddhist thought of the time, which adds further importance to the work.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Boeun, Chungbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물