Korean Religious Painting

Korean Religious Painting
One of the most significant Buddhist traditions which developed in Korea was that of religious painting, the so-called t’aenghwa (hanging painting), comprising both painted icons in the form of hanging scrolls of framed pictures as well as actual wall paintings.

It is not known when Buddha votive paintings and the methods for making them were first known on the Peninsula, however it seems likely that they were introduced more or less simultaneously with Buddhist teachings and practices during the late 4th to early century.

Unfortunately no Korean Buddhist paintings from such an early period are extant today and consequently our knowledge about their possible origin and incipient developments remains purely hypothetical.

There is, however, some indication that the early Korean t’aenghwa tradition followed Central Asian and Chinese norms relatively closely with regard to iconographic models and the use of stencils.

Comparison with metal engravings of guardian spirits as well as Buddhist rock carvings from 7th century Silla and figure in the T’ang wall paintings from Tun-huang would seem to lend some degree of credibility to this.

Despite the possibility that the Korean t’aenghwa tradition may date back as early as the 4th - 5th centuries, the oldest surviving paintings are not older than the first half of the 13th century, i.e., late middle Koryo dynasty.

Today the great majority of the extant Koryo t’aenghwa is preserved in Japanese collection, most notably the treasure house of Chion-in, the famous Pure Land Temple in Kyoto, which holds a significant number of very fine paintings.

Other Koryo and early Yi t’aenghwa are scattered all over Japan with at least one important private collection in Kyusu.

A smaller quality of paintings can be found throughout the world, with museums in Berlin, Cologne Boston and Cleveland owning some of the best.
Korean Religious Painting