▲This photo, provided by the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage shows Hanging Painting of Jungnimsa Temple (Sakyamuni Buddha). (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)(Yonhap)
 

▲This is a screenshot from the 'Korean Gwaebul Gallery.' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

 

SEOUL, September 20 (Yonhap) --The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage announced on their "NRICH Research Portal" that they will be releasing high-resolution images of 47 gwaebuls which are designated as treasures or national treasures from September 18 onwards. 
 
The term "gwaebul" refers to Buddhist paintings produced for use during large-scale outdoor Buddhist rituals, and the paintings depict a scene of the Buddha preaching. 
 
These gwaebul paintings are marked by their massive sizes, mostly over ten meters. Due to their overwhelming size, these paintings have not been easy to access by the public.

The photos revealed online were taken for the In-depth Research Project of Large Buddhist Hanging Scrolls Research, which will be done in collaboration with the Cultural Heritage Administration, the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, and the Institute of Sungbo Cultural Heritage. 
 
In addition to the high resolution picture of the Hanging Painting of Jungnimsa Temple (Sakyamuni Buddha) produced in 1622, the Hanging Painting of Chiljangsa Temple (Five Buddhas), the Hanging Painting of Gapsa Temple (Buddha Triad) and more, a total of six national treasures and forty-one treasures in high resolution pictures are released for the first time. 
 
The NRICH Research Portal also provides information to interested researchers on the inscriptions on the paintings regarding their production. Moreover, visitors to the portal who may be relatively unfamiliar with Buddhist paintings can learn the names of the Buddha’s many followers depicted in the paintings by using the word balloon function. 
 
Of all the total project subjects, the remaining 15 photos will be released sequentially.
 
An official from the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage said, " The NRICH Research Portal will allow users to examine previously inaccessible details of the paintings by zooming in on them. The zoom function enables users to appreciate the beautiful, detailed designs and exquisite brushwork applied by skillful monk-painters of the Joseon Dynasty. "
 
The pictures will be available on the NRICH Research Portal (https://portal.nrich.go.kr) "Korean Gwaebul Gallery." 
 
 
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Dowon Kim.)
 
 
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