Buddhist Painting of Donghwasa Temple, Daegu (Amitabha Buddha)

This Buddhist painting of Amitabha Buddha was made in 1699 by the chief painter Uigyun together with Myohae, Jiyeong, Sangmyeong and others, in a format that divides the Buddha, bodhisattvas and guardian deities across three separate panels. Although all three panels have suffered severe flaking and loss of pigment, the fine ironwire brushwork that gives volume to the faces, the balanced bodily proportions, the delicate facial expressions and the subtle tones of light colouring all clearly show Uigyun's outstanding skill with the brush and sense of colour. Furthermore, unlike the usual format for such paintings, which places the principal Buddha together with bodhisattvas, arhats and guardian deities all on a single panel, this work places Amitabha Buddha and the Eight Great Bodhisattvas on one panel and divides the arhats, Brahma, Indra, the Four Heavenly Kings and other guardian deities between the two flanking panels, so distinguishing the Buddha's preaching scene from the guardian figures. As the oldest surviving work by Uigyun, a leading painter who was active mainly around Palgongsan Mountain from the late 17th to the early 18th century, this painting is of great importance for understanding his early artistic development.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Dong-gu, Daegu

Designation

Treasure · 보물