[KS] Not only Sokkuram but also other pagodas were painted

[sangoak at snu.ac.kr]

  I fully agree with Dr. Pak's saying: "I am quite sure that 
Sokkuram was originally painted and gilded, as all images in cave temples were, 
both in the west and east." 


In addition, 
there are some evidences that Dabotap/Tabot'ap was 
also painted
 
together with other (stony) 
pagodas.
 One can observe red-brownish color in the most inner 
parts of eaves of Dabotap, and also on other stony Buddha in 
Gyeongju/KyOngju area. [This was discovered by Prof. Pak Jong-guk, Curator of 
Wideok University Museum at Gyeongju.] 


  More accessively there is also one vividly extant example of painted 
pagoda in Jin-gwansa/Chin'gwansa Temple just in the Northern Seoul. This pagoda 
was donated in 1901 by my great-grandmother wishing to have/conceive my 
grandfather.  


  For those who are interested in this color painting at the central 
part of pagoda: Cf.


Sang-Oak Lee (1998) 
A Hanok in Seoul
--A Traditional 
Residential Architecture : A Study of the Yi PyOktong Residence of Hongmun-dong, 
Elizabeth, NJ & Seoul: Hollym, 


p.109. [I attach here that picture but usually the list-coordinator rejects 
attachments.]




Sang-Oak Lee


Dep't of Korean, Seoul National Univ.
--- Original Message ---
>From    : 
 "rmo at mail.utexas.edu"<rmo at mail.utexas.edu>
To      : 
 "Korean Studies Discussion List"<Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws>
Date    : 
 2005/11/20 일요일 오전 4:33:17
Subject : 
 Re: [KS] Two Sokkuram queries
Thanks to Professors Smith, Pak, and Lee.  This accords, I think, with what I've

been guessing.  Basically what I'm looking at is a document from pre-restoration

1911 that seems (and "seems" is an important word; it is not 100% crystal clear)

to describe how at least part of the grotto was painted, i.e. what colors. 

Basically I'm looking for anything out there that would correlate, but failing

that I will probably just go with what I have.



Rob Oppenheim

Assistant Professor

Department of Asian Studies

University of Texas at Austin



Quoting eun at sfsu.edu:



> The most expansive publication with many beautiful illustrations is Hwang

> Su-

> young's book entitled, "Sokkuram Cave Temple" (NB 1063 H 93 1989).

> 

> Eun Jung Smith

> Art History Department

> San Francisco State University

> 

> Quoting Youngsook Pak <yp at soas.ac.uk>:

> 

> > Dear Koreanists,

> > 

> >  

> > 

> > I am quite sure that Sokkuram was originally painted and gilded, as all

> > images in cave temples were, both in the west and east. When you visit

> > Chinese cave temples, Yungang, Longmen, Binglingsi, Mogaoku in Dunhuang,

> > Kizil, Bezeklik, etc., you will see there are no exceptions. The recent

> > excavations of hundreds of stone images from Qingzhou in Shandong 

> province

> > confirm this. Classical Greek marble sculptures, eg, Pergamon in Berlin

> and

> > Parthenon marbles in the British Museum, were once all painted, although

> they

> > have now become pure white.

> > 

> >  

> > 

> > Youngsook Pak

> > 

> > Department of Art and Archaeology

> > 

> > School of Oriental and African Studies

> > 

> > University of London

> > 

> >  

> > 

> >   _____  

> > 

> > From: Koreanstudies-bounces at koreaweb.ws

> > [mailto:Koreanstudies-bounces at koreaweb.ws] On Behalf Of Young-Jun Lee

> > Sent: 16 November 2005 02:16

> > To: Korean Studies Discussion List

> > Subject: Re: [KS] Two Sokkuram queries

> > 

> >  

> > 

> > I visited Sokkuram twice in the 1990s and entered inside the grotto but I

> > could not detect any trace of painting.

> > 

> > I would recommend you to view the video produced by KBS-TV:

> > 

> >  <javascript:open_window(> S??kkuram pulsang edo saek 큼l ch'irhaetta

> > [videorecording] / ch'aegim p'큼rodyus??, Nam S??ng-u ; y??nch'ul, O

> Su-s??ng

> > ; chejak, KBS. 

> > 

> >  

> > 

> > In the video, they insists that many statues were originally painted.

> > 

> >  

> > 

> > Best,

> > 

> > Young-Jun Lee

> > 

> > Visiting Lecturer, Korean Literature

> > 

> > University of California, Berkeley

> > 

> > Ph.D. Candidate,

> > 

> > EALC, Harvard University

> > 

> > ----- Original Message ----- 

> > 

> > From: Robert Oppenheim <mailto:rmo at mail.utexas.edu>  

> > 

> > To: Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws 

> > 

> > Sent: 2005??? 11??? 9??? ????????? ??ㅼ?? 11:23

> > 

> > Subject: [KS] Two Sokkuram queries

> > 

> >  

> > 

> > Dear all,

> > 

> > I wonder if anyone could help me with two questions.  Forgive me if these 

> > are obvious; I'm not an art historian:

> > 

> > 1) The central Buddha at Sokkuram retains traces of red paint on its 

> > lips.  Has anyone ever seen a discussion of how the rest of the stone 

> > surfaces of the temple were painted, traces remaining into the 20th 

> > century, etc.?  {Full disclosure: I've never been inside past the window to

> 

> > see up close}.

> > 

> > 2) Can anyone suggest a reference, more generally, to discussions of 

> > conventions of depicting human figures in Korean Buddhist temple painting?

> > 

> > Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

> > 

> > Rob Oppenheim

> > 

> > Robert Oppenheim

> > Assistant Professor

> > Department of Asian Studies

> > University of Texas, Austin

> > 1 University Station G9300

> > Austin, TX 78712

> > 

> > 

> 

> 














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