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| Seen are underdrawings and paintings of "the Eight Great Events of the Life of the Buddha from Tongdosa Temple," a national treasure, at the exhibition, "Monk Artisans of the Joseon Dynasty" in the National Museum of Korea (NMK) / Courtesy of NMK |
By Park Ji-won
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| Poster for the exhibition, "Monk Artisans of the Joseon Dynasty," by the National Museum of Korea (NMK) / Courtesy of NMK |
But what is lesser known about Buddhism during Joseon is that its paintings and sculptures actually flourished. Many paintings and sculptures in temples around Korea were produced during the latter half of the Joseon period following Japan's invasion in the 1590s, contributing to the artistic development of that period.
The 16th-century war was a turning point for Buddhism. Monks joined the war to defend the nation and their role was appreciated afterwards, leading to improved social status.
The kings asked Buddhist monks to pray for the wellbeing of the royal family and also restored the Buddhist architectural works devastated by the war, which partially led to the development of Buddhist fine arts as well as other forms of art. Documents show that about 1,000 monk sculptors and 2,400 painters were active in the post-war construction of art in Joseon.
"Monk Artisans of the Joseon Dynasty," a special exhibition by the National Museum of Korea (NMK) to be held starting Tuesday, will shed light on the life of the artisan monks, who played a role in the diversification of arts of the era. In the three-month exhibition with four sections ― "Who are the monk artisans?," "A space to sculpt and paint the Buddha," "The world dreamt of by monk artisan" and "Remembering the monk artisan" ― up to 145 sculptures and paintings, including two national treasures and 13 treasures made by 366 artisan monks during Joseon will be displayed. Some of them are being unveiled to the public for the first time.
"Unlike in Japan and China where artisans made ordinary Buddhist sculptures and paintings, monk artisans did the job in Korea. They were monks and at the same time artists, which was rare at that time, and this means they had deep knowledge about the art," said Yoo Su-ran, assistant curator of the NMK.
"In China and Japan, many artisans worked alone, but monk artisans in Korea teamed up with other monks for joint art projects while honing their skills under an apprenticeship system and passing them down to others … The works of artisan monks helped Joseon art take on diverse forms."
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| "Wooden Seated Amitabha Buddha Triad and Wooden Amitabha Buddha Altarpiece of Yongmunsa Temple," a national treasure, displayed in the exhibition, "Monk Artisans of the Joseon Dynasty" by the National Museum of Korea (NMK) / Courtesy of NMK |
One of the highlights of the exhibition is "Wooden Seated Amitabha Buddha Triad and Wooden Amitabha Buddha Altarpiece of Yongmunsa Temple," a national treasure created in 1684 by monk sculptor Daneung, who was active in the mid- and late 17th to early 18th century, in collaboration with eight other monk sculptors. The national treasure was revealed to the public for the first time in 337 years since it was installed inside the temple.
"Normally, the Buddhist paintings are displayed in the backside of sculptures, but the work broke that tradition," Yoo said.
"Illustration of the Avatamsaka Sutra (The Flower Garland Sutra) of Songgwangsa Temple," a national treasure painted in 1770 by Hwaryeon, who was active in the mid- and late 18th century, in collaboration with 12 other monk painters, will be displayed for the first time in Seoul. Also, both the underdrawings and the painting of "The Eight Great Events of the Life of the Buddha from Tongdosa Temple" will be displayed next to each other for the first time.
Some sculptures are filmed by using a computed tomography scanner so that visitors can see what's inside the works. In collaboration with vakki, one of the leading contemporary artists in Korea, seven sculptures will be displayed with the contemporary set. It is unknown who made them.
Via kiosks installed at the museum, visitors can search for more information about the sculptures and paintings. French media artist Jean-Julien Pous' video, "From the Hands," will be also displayed at the entrance to the exhibition hall. It is a reinterpretation of the monk artisans' arduous process of work with a metaphoric touch, the NMK said.
The exhibition will run through March 5, 2022.
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