Motyw „Awalokiteśwara wody i księżyca” ("Suwŏlgwanŭm") w tradycyjnym malarstwie koreańskim
Moon-Water Avalokiteśvara ('Suwŏlgwanŭm') in Korean Traditional Painting

Author(s): Anna Piwowarska
Subject(s): History of Religion, History of Art
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Suwŏlgwanŭm; Suwŏlgwanŭm-do; Avalokiteśvara; Korean painting; Buddhist art
Summary/Abstract: This paper attempts to analyze one of the main motifs of traditional Buddhist painting – Suwŏlgwanŭm (Water-Moon Avalokiteśvara). The starting point for this discussion is one of the theories of Hans-Georg Gadamer’s hermeneutics, the never-ending process of interpretation. This theory is especially applicable to all manifestations of pre-modern art. In this case, the reception of a work changes with the passage of time, the development of research in a given field, and, importantly, changing perspectives of both the interpreters and the art recipients. Based on this assumption, the paper conducts a thorough iconographic and iconological analysis of Suwŏlgwanŭm-do paintings created during the Koryŏ period (918–1392). This analysis then demonstrates the connections between Suwŏlgwanŭm’s symbolism and both canonical Buddhist texts and Korean Buddhist schools. Finally, it proposes new directions for the development of research on the Korean Avalokiteśvara.

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