한국 나한도의 독자성 (The Identity of Korean Arhat Paintings)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 미술사연구회
· 수록지 정보 : 미술사연구 / 25호 / 309 ~ 337페이지
· 저자명 : 신광희

초록

Arhats are those disciples of Shakyamuni who attained enlightenment and were lifted to the stage known as “arhathood.” They were, however, given the mission by Shakyamuni to stay on earth until the advent of Maitreya, postponing their entrance into Nirvana, to defend Buddhism and guide sentient beings. In the Arhat cult, Arhats were not worshipped individually, but the devotional practice directed at a group of 16, 18 or 500 Arhats. The Arhat cult was widespread across East Asia, including China, Japan and Korea. Paintings portraying Arhats were also produced widely in all three East Asian countries. In Korea, portraits of Arhats were produced particularly popularly in Goryeo and Joseon. Arhat painting in Korea was a tradition developed under Chinese influence, but, which eventually acquired its own unique characteristics. Korean Arhat paintings are distinct from their Chinese or Japanese counterparts, in four main aspects: Firstly, the names of the five hundred Arhats used in Korea are different from those used in China or Japan. The names used for the sixteen Arhats, for example, are identical among all three East Asian countries. Meanwhile, for the five hundred Arhats, there exist currently two different genealogies of names. One is the one used in China and Japan, and the other is used only in Korea. The names of the five hundred Arhats in Korea were established already during the Goryeo period, sometime before 1235, and were unchanged and used consistently since then, within the Korean peninsula. The second difference resides in the purposes of paintings. The Arhat cult, worshipping beings benevolent towards sentient beings, had a strong characteristic of a cult emphasizing the attainment of worldly happiness. People frequently implored Arhats to bestow rain in times of drought or to grant a long and healthy life. In Korea,Arhats were also worshipped as givers of rain, health or longevity, but, their favorable disposition was also often sought for the defense of the country from foreign invasion.
This probably has much to do with the location of the Korean peninsula and the surrounding geopolitical context exposing it to frequent foreign invasions and wars.
The third difference concerns the Korean acceptance of Chinese iconographic elements. Although Arhat paintings were created in Korea chiefly through selection and acceptance of Chinese iconographic elements, there was also a great deal of adaptation of these received elements. This is due to the fact that the use of Arhat paintings and places they were housed were much more varied in Korea than in China. Aside from placing them in a worship hall of a Buddhist temple, Arhat paintings were also produced in Korea as a way of getting in the good graces of Buddha through show of faith and good deeds. Arhat paintings were produced, meanwhile, in multi-panel paintings with varying numbers of panels. As for iconographic elements from China, once they gained hold in Korea, they tend to be used continuously over a long time. Finally, Korean Arhat paintings show a high degree of originality in terms of expressive techniques.
Korean Arhat paintings integrate worldly or mundane images more actively and liberally than their Chinese or Japanese counterparts. In terms of patterns on garments worn by Arhats, unlike in Chinese or Japanese paintings where the focus is on coloring, Goryeo paintings are characterized by the use of gold. In late Joseon, color variation-centered patterns, used in neighboring countries, were seen at times. But, the widespread use of a pattern known as “dongsimwonjeommun(concentric circle patterns composed of dots)” became a characteristic that set late Joseon Arhat paintings from their counterparts from other countries and other historical periods. These characteristics make Korean Arhat paintings culturally significant as well as original, and help also to tell Korean works apart from works from other historical periods and countries.

영어초록

Arhats are those disciples of Shakyamuni who attained enlightenment and were lifted to the stage known as “arhathood.” They were, however, given the mission by Shakyamuni to stay on earth until the advent of Maitreya, postponing their entrance into Nirvana, to defend Buddhism and guide sentient beings. In the Arhat cult, Arhats were not worshipped individually, but the devotional practice directed at a group of 16, 18 or 500 Arhats. The Arhat cult was widespread across East Asia, including China, Japan and Korea. Paintings portraying Arhats were also produced widely in all three East Asian countries. In Korea, portraits of Arhats were produced particularly popularly in Goryeo and Joseon. Arhat painting in Korea was a tradition developed under Chinese influence, but, which eventually acquired its own unique characteristics. Korean Arhat paintings are distinct from their Chinese or Japanese counterparts, in four main aspects: Firstly, the names of the five hundred Arhats used in Korea are different from those used in China or Japan. The names used for the sixteen Arhats, for example, are identical among all three East Asian countries. Meanwhile, for the five hundred Arhats, there exist currently two different genealogies of names. One is the one used in China and Japan, and the other is used only in Korea. The names of the five hundred Arhats in Korea were established already during the Goryeo period, sometime before 1235, and were unchanged and used consistently since then, within the Korean peninsula. The second difference resides in the purposes of paintings. The Arhat cult, worshipping beings benevolent towards sentient beings, had a strong characteristic of a cult emphasizing the attainment of worldly happiness. People frequently implored Arhats to bestow rain in times of drought or to grant a long and healthy life. In Korea,Arhats were also worshipped as givers of rain, health or longevity, but, their favorable disposition was also often sought for the defense of the country from foreign invasion.
This probably has much to do with the location of the Korean peninsula and the surrounding geopolitical context exposing it to frequent foreign invasions and wars.
The third difference concerns the Korean acceptance of Chinese iconographic elements. Although Arhat paintings were created in Korea chiefly through selection and acceptance of Chinese iconographic elements, there was also a great deal of adaptation of these received elements. This is due to the fact that the use of Arhat paintings and places they were housed were much more varied in Korea than in China. Aside from placing them in a worship hall of a Buddhist temple, Arhat paintings were also produced in Korea as a way of getting in the good graces of Buddha through show of faith and good deeds. Arhat paintings were produced, meanwhile, in multi-panel paintings with varying numbers of panels. As for iconographic elements from China, once they gained hold in Korea, they tend to be used continuously over a long time. Finally, Korean Arhat paintings show a high degree of originality in terms of expressive techniques.
Korean Arhat paintings integrate worldly or mundane images more actively and liberally than their Chinese or Japanese counterparts. In terms of patterns on garments worn by Arhats, unlike in Chinese or Japanese paintings where the focus is on coloring, Goryeo paintings are characterized by the use of gold. In late Joseon, color variation-centered patterns, used in neighboring countries, were seen at times. But, the widespread use of a pattern known as “dongsimwonjeommun(concentric circle patterns composed of dots)” became a characteristic that set late Joseon Arhat paintings from their counterparts from other countries and other historical periods. These characteristics make Korean Arhat paintings culturally significant as well as original, and help also to tell Korean works apart from works from other historical periods and countries.

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