Hanging Painting of Odeoksa Temple

A gwaebul is a large Buddhist painting hung in the courtyard in front of the main hall of a temple for major rites and ceremonies. This gwaebul depicts Sakyamuni Buddha holding a flower branch at the centre, together with attendant figures including Amitabha Buddha, Bhaisajyaguru Buddha and the Four Heavenly Kings. This hanging painting at Odeoksa Temple measures 956.3 cm in length and 578.3 cm in width, and takes the form of a group composition depicting the Three Buddhas of the Three Ages—Sakyamuni with Amitabha and Bhaisajyaguru—together with the Ten Great Disciples, Brahma and Indra, the Four Heavenly Kings, and various guardian deities. The colouring departs from the intense red typical of the eighteenth century, making notable use of vermilion, while medium tones such as gold, bright green, pink and blue give the work a bright feeling. In this hanging painting the principal Buddha is depicted large, Amitabha, Bhaisajyaguru and the Four Heavenly Kings are of medium size, and the attendant figures in the upper section are rendered very small, creating variation across the composition. The upper section is densely filled with attendant figures beneath halos of five-coloured light, while the lower section, containing only the Four Heavenly Kings, has a more spacious arrangement.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Buyeo, Chungnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물