Goryeo Buddhist paintings reflect China-Korea artistic ties

A magnificent painting of the Water-Moon Avalokiteshvara, recreated by Venerable Hyedam, a South Korean master of Buddhist painting, offers a glimpse into the art of Buddhist painting during Korea's Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392).

Goryeo Buddhist paintings reflect the cultural and artistic exchanges between China and Korea. Many of their subjects are drawn from scriptures of the Chinese Buddhist tradition. The image of the Water-Moon Avalokiteshvara also reached the Korean Peninsula from China.

Hyedam has devoted her life to studying and recreating Goryeo Buddhist paintings, bringing renewed attention to an art form that had long fallen into decline. Over the decades, she has made repeated visits to China to study traditional Chinese painting and draw inspiration from it.