Dear list members,

Our next seminar will be held on Monday  1st September at 6.00 pm at University of Sydney in the Woolley Common Room, Woolley Building.  Please refer to Map (Ref 12E) for details.

Our presenter will be Professor Youngsook Pak on the topic of ‘Leading to Paradise: Buddhist Paintings of the late Koryŏ Period (13th-14th centuries)’

We do hope you can attend
AABS Executive

Leading to Paradise: Buddhist Paintings of the late Koryŏ Period (13th-14th centuries)
For the prosperity and protection of his new dynasty, the founder Wang Kon proclaimed Buddhism as the national religion. Throughout the Koryŏ dynasty (918-1392) numerous Buddhist rituals were held. Such ceremonies provided divine means to prevent natural disasters, to repel foreign invaders, to promote personal well-being and to accumulate merit on behalf of their patrons. Though it is not certain, most of the extant Koryŏ Buddhist paintings date to the second half of the Koryŏ dynasty. They were executed using expensive pigments and materials such as gold and silk. The lecture will focus on the ritual function and the patrons of paintings of Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Light, in order to consider the nature of Buddhism and Buddhist belief in the later Koryŏ period.

Professor Youngsook Pak
Department of Art and Archaeology
School of Oriental and African Studies
University of London