Kamro paintings refer to a type of Buddhist paintings used at funerary rituals, such as Soo-ryuk Jae (the Water Dragon Ceremony) or Sasip-gu Jae (the 49th Day Memorial Ceremony), conducted to guide a dead person?s soul to the hereafter. Some of Budd...
Kamro paintings refer to a type of Buddhist paintings used at funerary rituals, such as Soo-ryuk Jae (the Water Dragon Ceremony) or Sasip-gu Jae (the 49th Day Memorial Ceremony), conducted to guide a dead person?s soul to the hereafter. Some of Buddhist paintings attested in China must have been related to Soo-ryuk Jae and contributed to the development of Kamro paintings. However, Kamro paintings produced during the Chosun Dynasty are found only in Korea.
The following four stages are identified in the development of Kamropaintings: (1) the beginning period showing the emergence of the typical composition in the sixteenth century; (2) the transient period of the seventeenth century, when the typical composition was taking root; (3) the settling period of the eighteenth century, when the typical composition was firmly established andwidely used; and (4) the transformational period of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when altered compositions are adopted along with the typical one.
The paintings created in the sixteenth century including the Kamro painting in the Bukchon Art Museumbelong to the beginning period. They feature six or five Buddhas or the triad of Amitabha Buddhas as a main character. Those works usually have one or two famished devils (a large one and a smaller one) under the offering table or left to the table. One or two Inrowang (leading the deceased to the hereafter) Bodhisattvas also appear in those works. In addition, monks officiating at the ceremony under the offering table are depicted large in most of the works.
The Kamro paintings produced during the transient period of the seventeenth century include those at Bosŏk-sa and Chŏngryong-sa. Like the Chŏngryong-sa Kamro painting, those in this period generally display Amitabha Buddha as a main character, clearly showing the characteristics of the beginning period. At the same time, however, some of them, like the Bosŏk-sa Kamro painting, herald the composition of the early settling period of the eighteenth century by featuring seven Buddhas as a main character with one Inrowang Bodhisattva and two famished devils under the offering table. Butthey do not feature officiating monks any more.
The composition of Kamro paintingscame to maturity during the settling period of the eighteenth century. Like the Kamro paintingat Namjang-sa, seven Buddhas appear above the offering table as a main character with one Inrowang Bodhisattva and two famished devils. Some other works demonstrate unusual characters but the basic composition remains unchanged.
The transformational period of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries created paintings of the typical composition such as the oneat Hoguk-jijang-sa. At the same time, however, some works reemphasized the role of Amitabha Buddha, as in the Kamro paintingat Heungkuk-sa in Namyangju City, Korea.
The iconography of Kamro paintings, first defined by many Buddhist scriptures and ceremony guidebooks, had evolved in the course of time. Some of the paintings faithfully followed the traditional iconography while others reflect social changes of the time. In addition, it is possible to observe similar composition and iconography attributable to personal and local associations among Kamro painters.
For instance, the Kamropainting in the Bukchon Art Museum reveals iconography and composition similar to those of Kamro paintings at Japan?s Asada-ji and Komyo-ji, which were produced in the almost same period. It has been suggested that those in the Bukchon Art Museum and at Asada-ji were created by the same painter. In addition, the Kamro painting at Komyo-ji may have been painted by the same painter or the same group of painters.
Finally, the Kamro paintings produced in Seoul and Kyŏnggi Provinceduring the nineteenth and twentieth centuries exhibit innovative expression, iconography and composition, which cannot be found in those painted in other regions. The similar iconography and composition of the paintings from Seoul and Kyŏnggi Province can be attributed to personal relationship of painters and their practice of sharing original drawings.