Production and Enshrinement of Arhat Paintings during the Late Joseon Dynasty

Abstract

Arhats are those who attained arhatship, the highest level a Buddhist monk can achieve through the practice of asceticism. They have been worshiped by humans since the early period for their supernatural powers that served to protect Dharma and provide benefits to ordinary people. Paintings of arhats have long been popular in Korea, but most of the remaining examples date to the late Joseon dynasty. In the late Joseon dynasty, paintings of the sixteen arhats and the solitary saint were produced in large numbers and murals of arhats adorned many spaces inside a temple. At that time, arhat paintings were commissioned by Buddhist monks and laypeople and produced by Buddhist monk painters, who were open to the sharing of iconography but influenced the style of their works with personal artistic characteristics. As a result, painters could freely demonstrate their signature styles in arhat paintings, which allowed them considerable freedom of expression. A set of paintings of the sixteen arhats, in particular, sometimes features a combination of different painting styles, indicating that several master monk painters participated in the production. In the late Joseon dynasty, paintings of the sixteen arhats were generally enshrined in arhat halls, while in comparison paintings of the solitary saint were installed in relatively diverse areas around a temple. Most of the murals of arhats were painted in the upper portions of the walls of main halls dedicated to Buddhas. Paintings of the sixteen arhats and the solitary saint mainly served as objects of worship inside a temple hall, and murals of arhats, especially those on the spaces between bracket sets or over naemokdori bars below the ceiling, are more likely to have provided adornments to protect Buddhas and the Buddhist world. Arhat paintings of the late Joseon dynasty include several subcategories within the genre and served various purposes. They are significant in that they shed light on the working methods of the Buddhist monk painters of the time.