Gamrotanghwa (Nectar Ritual Painting)

This Gamrotanghwa (nectar ritual painting) was produced in 1759 (the 35th year of King Yeongjo's reign). Overall, the brush strokes are elegant, the painting is full of vitality throughout, and deep, murky red and green colors form the main tone, well exhibiting the universal characteristics of 18th-century Buddhist paintings. Through the inscription, not only the exact production date and artist can be known, but since it was painted solely by the painter O-gwan, it is also valuable material for understanding O-gwan's style, making it worthy of designated preservation.<br> Gamrotanghwa is a Buddhist painting that primarily depicts scenes of guiding sentient beings trapped in hell to paradise. It is also called Ulanbun-gyeong Byeonsangdo (Illustration of the Ullambana Sutra). It depicts the story of the Ullambana Sutra, in which Maudgalyayana, seeing his deceased mother suffering from hunger in the realm of hungry ghosts, appealed to the Buddha. Following the Buddha's teachings, on the day of Baekjung (the 15th day of the 7th lunar month), he made offerings of white flavors, rice, and five fruits to the Buddhas and monks of the ten directions for his parents of the past, present, and seven generations, thereby rescuing his mother and allowing her to enjoy bliss in heaven.<br> Therefore, in Gamrotanghwa, centered around a holy offering table (seongban) set in the middle, the upper part depicts scenes of the Buddha and his retinue coming to welcome sentient beings and the guiding by the Guide King Bodhisattva (Inrowang Bosal). To the left of the central holy offering table, a scene of performing a memorial rite (jae) is depicted; on the opposite side, Taoist deities including the Queen Mother of the West (Seowangmo) are shown; below the holy offering table, various painful scenes of hungry ghosts and hell, along with diverse aspects of real life, are vividly portrayed. In this respect, Gamrodo (Nectar Painting) can be said to be a Buddhist painting that best shows the aspects of Joseon Dynasty Buddhism, which combined various thoughts and beliefs such as Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and folk beliefs. Additionally, the diverse real-life scenes at the bottom display genre painting elements, making it a Buddhist painting of note in various fields such as general painting.<br> In this Gamrodo, the hell scenes and real-life scenes depicted below the holy offering table are relatively simplified, while the upper part of the screen, which includes the scene of Amitabha Buddha and his retinue coming to welcome, occupies a large portion. The upper part of the screen is divided into three sections: the center has five Buddhas, the left has Avalokiteshvara and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, and the right has the Guide King Bodhisattva.<br> These three scenes are demarcated by mountains, and the hell and genre scenes in the lower part of the screen are also demarcated by mountains and trees.<br> The screen is free and full of vitality due to the depiction of various scenes, and this vitality is further enhanced by the deeply furrowed mountains and relatively realistic tree expressions. Deep, murky red and green, along with brown and black for the background, create an overall dark tone.<br> Although this Buddhist painting shows cracks and flaking paint in a few places, it is a work that well displays the universal characteristics of mid-18th-century Buddhist paintings, such as dignified figures, meticulous descriptive lines, and murky tones. In particular, the expression of mountains in the upper part of the screen, which emphasizes the heavenly realm, and the lively, diverse expressions of the figures in the scenes of performing rites, hell, and genre scenes, make it a good work in that it achieves a vivid screen for a Buddhist painting of this period.<br> Furthermore, through the inscription, the exact production date (1759) can be known, and since only O-gwan is recorded as the painter (hwawon), indicating he painted it alone, it is also good material for understanding O-gwan's style. Produced in 1759 (the 35th year of King Yeongjo's reign), this Gamrotanghwa has elegant brush strokes overall, is full of vitality throughout, and features deep, murky red and green as the main colors, well possessing the universal characteristics of 18th-century Buddhist paintings. Through the inscription, not only the exact production date and artist can be known, but since it was painted solely by the painter O-gwan, it is also good material for understanding O-gwan's style.