화승의 회화 제작 역량과 영역 - 민화와 관련하여

Abstract

Following the spread of Buddhism during the Three Kingdoms period, monk painters were tasked with the jobs of dancheong (the art of decorative coloring on wooden buildings and artifacts) and painting, decorated Buddhist temples, and created paintings for Buddhist services. Those responsibilities were handed down to modern-era monk painters. While their main job was to create Buddhist-themed paintings, those monk painters also had the ability to create paintings in other areas. Recently, there has been a growing interest in the folk paintings created by these monk painters, which stems from the clear similarities in subject matter and techniques between temple murals and those folk paintings created from the 19th to 20th centuries, in addition to the general elements of painting. The remaining records and artworks related to some of those monk painters confirmed that they had abilities in the area of general painting, as well as in Buddhist-themed paintings. Some of the examples found also reveal that the painters created artworks using subjects and techniques that pertained to the area of folk painting. The existing definitive records and artworks, however, indicate that the paintings created by monk painters for the purposes of enshrinement and decoration in temples only partially show the motifs and techniques specific to folk painting that were in vogue at the time. Other than that, there is little to no specific evidence that monk painters took the lead or were actively involved in the creation of folk paintings for purposes other than religious worship outside of their temples. This is probably because those monk painters regarded painting as the chief way to seek the truth or enlightenment as practitioners, to practice good deeds, or to propagate Buddhism.