1、0001 Monastic reflections of an artistMonastic reflections of an artistby MAJORIE CHIEW, The Star (Malaysia), Oct 20, 2004Whether it is through his whimsical and pleasing artwork or writings on monkhood, Korean monk Rev Won Sung has opened a window to offer glimpses of what monastic life is like ? o
2、r at least what his serene mind?s eye sees. Mesmerised by Rev Wons artwork, MAJORIE CHIEW chats with the charming young monk.Monks are perceived to live a cloistered, religious life. Within the four walls of their monastery, they are devoted to study the sutras, engage in prayer and meditation. What
3、 else do they do? How do they spend their leisure? What is happiness to them? Rev Won Sung autographing one of his books. Apart from his talent for art, he has written eight books which have sold three million copies worldwide. Handsome and boyish-looking Korean monk Rev Won Sung, 32, is dubbed Budd
4、hist World?s Little Prince, the character of great purity and innocence created by the writer and illustrator Antoine De Saint-Exupery. Despite the fame he never sought, the internationally renowned artist and writer continues to amaze many with his delightful works. In all his paintings, plump, che
5、ru-bic young monks go about their daily chores in the monastery, playing, smiling, enjoying green tea or gazing at the moon or the stars. Some are imaginative works that dwell in fantasy or the realm of dreams. Even the monks have their flights of fantasy ? riding on a mythical dragon, a giant torto
6、ise or flying on the back of a crane. A child monk having a romp with a friendly tiger and magpies appear to be an imaginative piece but these days it can be real ? monks have been filmed walking with tigers in a sanctuary in Thailand. Rev Won cites three reasons for choosing to depict only child mo
7、nks: ?They make good subjects because they are innocent and say true things. They open up themselves easily and they are easy to trust.? Young monks also make us reflect on childhood, youth and a time of innocence. We reminisce about the past and cherish those good old days. Lastly, little monks are
8、 cute and funny. As people take to such images kindly, Rev Won thinks that they will easily understand the themes of his art. By painting young monks, he feels the closeness with them, like they are his brothers. Beautiful Mind, of a monk standing by a doorway with intricate wood carved motifs, is t
9、he most expensive piece at his Beautiful Mind art exhibition which is being held until Oct 30 at Metro Fine Art, the Legend Hotel, Ground Floor Arcade, Kuala Lumpur. Metro Fine Art manager Kim Koh had invited Rev Won to exhibit in Kuala Lumpur after being captivated by his paintings of young monks.
10、And she was surprised when the famous monk humbly came to visit her before agreeing to stage his art exhibition here. Rev Won implored StarTwo not to reveal the price of his paintings because he wants people to come and view his works for their own merit. ?I want people to come to my exhibition and
11、enjoy my works. It?s for everybody, not just for the rich,? he says. Other than paintings, which are for sale, he also has prints of original works. Even students, he says, can take home pieces of his art work (prints) as they are also available as bookmarks or postcards as well as stationery sets.
12、Prints of his works are indeed very affordable and are almost sold out. A plump, cherubic young monk saying a little prayer in Devotion. Besides little monks with smiling faces, he has incorporated nature in his paintings. There are also more serene scenes such as Moon of Prayer depicting a monk wit
13、h clasped hands by the window, gazing at the full moon. A chubby monk in his robes and a long string of prayer beads in Three Thousand Bow(s). Devotion shows a monk saying a prayer. Blissful sleep appears to be a favourite theme. In With Ducks, a boy monk is having a nap over cool waters, oblivious
14、of little ducks swimming nearby. ?I choose to paint about monks because I am a monk. Some people say, ?Oh, you?re the famous painter or writer.? But I don?t want to be (known as) a famous writer or painter. I want to be a good monk,? says Rev Won, who regards his paintings as a unique medium to spre
15、ad Buddhism in modern times. He is also famous for his writings, most of which are essays of life as a monk. He is author of eight books, which sold three million copies in South Korea. His three best-selling books are Punggyeong (Wind Chime, 1999), Geoul (Mirror, 2001) and Siseon (Line of Sight, 20
16、02). His watercolour paintings have themes reflecting happiness and peace. But sometimes, he does capture themes of longing and loneliness. Nevertheless, as interpreted by Rev Won, a monk?s life is one that is full of joy, purity and serenity. He says: ?It?s a monk?s work to tell about and explain B
17、uddhism. That?s my mission.? Rev Won made his debut as a painter in 1995 and to date has over 31 successful exhibitions including 10 abroad in the United States, Italy, Germany, Japan and Taiwan. In a short time, he has sold over 1,000 paintings. It was at university that a professor suggested that
18、he paint for charity after his talent for art was discovered. He held his first solo art exhibition where 100 paintings were showcased. All his works were sold. His artistic skills are incredible considering that he has no formal art lessons at all; it was only a hobby. ?If you have a strong desire
19、for something, you can do it,? he says, claiming he ?can play the piano very well? even though he has had neither lessons nor a piano at home. Surely there had to be a better explanation for such inexplicable talents. In 2000, he divulged to a journalist that he had eight past lives, one of which wa
20、s that of a painter in China. That is probably a better explanation for his prowess in art (but only if you believe in reincarnation). Spring Sunshine captures an aspect of life as a monk. As a youngster, his mother told him the virtues of being a monk. He heard that ?it?s better? to be a monk than
21、to be the president or prime minister (of a country) or the general (in the army). ?A monk can study for life and have more real freedom. You can find out about the real world and yourself. You know what you are and it makes you peaceful,? he says. When he was about 14, he read voraciously books on
22、philosophy and about Buddhism. He also went in search of answers and wisdom to life?s perplexing questions like ?Where do I come from? Who am I? Even today, he says, many parents do not want their sons to become monks because they want continuity in the family line; they want grandchildren. Perhaps
23、his mother had somewhat been a major influence as she had established a temple called Daebul Jeongsa. She had also wanted at least one of her three sons to be a monk. But Won made it clear that it was his ?own choice? to be a monk. He quips: ?My life is my life and my mother never pressured me to be
24、 a monk.? At 17, barely out of high school, he told his pious mother that he wanted to enter monkhood. His parents were happy for him and threw him ?a big party? to celebrate his noble decision. He was very happy for their ?big blessings?. Unlike him, his two elder brothers did not choose to tread t
25、he religious path. Afternoon In a Mountain Temple captures an aspect of monastic life within the cloistered walls of a temple. He studied four years at Hein Temple in Kungnam Hapchun, about eight hours? drive from Seoul. He laughed when asked who his peers were, for who would expect that of 200-odd
26、resident monks there, he was the only teenage monk. Like it or not, his friends (or ?brothers?) were mostly senior monks in their 40s to 60s. Generation gap or not, he got along fine and never regretted his decision. ?I?ve not been disappointed for answering my calling,? he says. Up until now, Rev W
27、on is happy to be a monk. If he has to make that major decision again, he says: ?I will forever want to be a monk.? Some people remarked that he was too young and good-looking to be a monk and persuaded him to just give up his faith. But he stood his ground and would not be swayed. Nowadays, it is u
28、nusual for teenagers to take vows of celibacy for the sake of religion. Usually, it is more common to find males in their late 20s and 30s becoming monks. During the first three years as a monk, Won missed his parents. Whenever he felt homesick, he would creep out of the temple to use the public tel
29、ephone to call home. For the next five years, he studied at Central Monastic University in Seoul (for monks) where he majored in social welfare. Beautiful Mind featuring 56 original works of Rev Won Sung is being held at Metro Fine Art at the Legend Hotel, Ground Floor Arcade, Kuala Lumpur, until Oc
30、t 30 (Mon-Fri, 11am-6.30pm; Sat-Sun, 10.30am-7pm). Related Links: Gallery: Monks eye view Monastic life fraught with challenges0002 Chinese Buddhist sculptures see new lightChinese Buddhist sculptures see new lightBy ALICE THORSON, The Kansas City Star, Oct 25, 2004Kansas City, Kansas (USA) - Deep v
31、iolet walls and a newly painted white barrel vault herald a dramatic reinstallation of the early Chinese Buddhist sculpture collection at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.?Its something Ive wanted to do for 25 years,? said the museums director and CEO, Marc Wilson, a specialist in Chinese art and mas
32、termind of the reinstallation.?You couldnt see anything before,? he said as he gazed around the newly renovated gallery. ?The room was dreary. (The sculptures) were lined up like bowling pins.?Its the best collection in the country but (had) the worst display.?With all the construction and renovatio
33、n going on elsewhere on the museum campus, the Chinese galleries were not budgeted for a big fix. But the idea that the museums world-renowned Chinese collection would not look its best for the 2007 opening of the new Bloch Building moved Wilson to action.His mission is to spruce things up at minima
34、l cost. For the Chinese sculpture he recycled carpeting and light fixtures from the old loan galleries downstairs. He removed the wall sconces but retained the existing wood pedestals.Wilson designed the new stepped interior walls that create nichelike settings for the objects, a vast improvement ov
35、er the ?bowling pin? setup. Thin marble strips cap the new walls, echoing the newly polished marble of the gallery baseboards. The trim strips came from old marble pillars that were ?salvaged and sliced,? Wilson said.Most of the more than 60 Chinese Buddhist sculptures on view in the refurbished gal
36、lery were displayed there before. He added five pieces from storage and several previously displayed in other Chinese galleries and the hallway.Wilson wanted to make the collection more accessible and understandable to visitors and encourage them to have ?dialogues? with individual pieces. The large
37、 works are displayed without vitrines, although smaller pieces, including more than a dozen gilt bronze sculptures, do appear behind glass.About half of these small bronzes were given to the Nelson by its second director, Laurence Sickman, the museums first curator of Oriental art and the man respon
38、sible for securing many of its Chinese treasures.One of the most striking changes in the gallery is the lighting.?I wanted soft light,? Wilson said. ?I didnt want to blow the form away and lose the nuance of surface.?The one dissonant note in this inviting new scheme is the fluorescent bar illuminat
39、ing the early sixth-century relief ?Procession of the Empress as Donor with Her Court? on the gallerys far west wall.Mounted along the side of this 6-by-9-foot work, the fixture contributes a daylight effect, evoking the way the dark gray limestone slab might have appeared in the Binyang Caves at Lo
40、ngmen.Yet in this context the white light seems harsh, and it doesnt help that the fluorescent tube is visible from some vantage points. But the problem will be fixed, Wilson said.The works in the gallery range from the fifth to the 10th centuries, when Buddhism, which originated in India, became de
41、eply ensconced in Chinese society and had a dramatic impact on Chinese art.For one thing, it encouraged the creation of large-scale, permanent effigies of its deities in a country where sculpture had not been a major art form. For another, these were deities ?you could really talk to,? as Wilson poi
42、nts out, in the struggle to attain release from the cycle of suffering, death and rebirth, which is Buddhisms primary focus.Chinese artists responded to Buddhist ideas by gradually exchanging their centuries-old, flat, linear style for a rounder, fleshier, more naturalistic mode. The influence of In
43、dian art also factors in here, as seen in the heightened sensuality of the later figures with their exposed upper torsos, rounded bellies and body-hugging robes. As time passed, the jewelry and ornaments adorning the deities became more sumptuous, a clue to the increasing wealth and sophistication o
44、f Chinese society.The reinstallation presents objects chronologically, which illustrates the shift from a more linear style. But the scheme does not always hold. For starters, Wilson plucked two mid-sixth-century guardian figures out of chronological sequence to create a ceremonial entrance at the g
45、allerys east end, where most of the seventh- and eighth-century works are grouped.The big sixth-century Empress relief, though, which falls later than many of the objects around it, had to stay where it was.It was simply too large and too heavy to move.When the museum acquired it in the 1930s, it wa
46、s in hundreds of pieces and took two years to reconstruct.For chronologys sake, Wilson moved the two big limestone stelae, or tablets, that appear in the center of the reinstallation, after reinforcing the floor with a big steel beam.One of them, ?Stele of Shakyamuni Buddha,? retains traces of paint
47、, clearly visible under the new lighting.All of these Buddhist sculptures, Wilson said, originally were painted. ?The bodies were gold. Light is synonymous with knowledge and wisdom.?Wilsons reinstallation is the first update of this collection since it was put on view in 1941. Although the new disp
48、lay has been open since Oct. 2, it remains a work in progress as far as the interpretative materials go.Nonspecialists can expect a lot more help in appreciating and understanding this gallery after the first of the year, when its violet walls will feature new labels and other didactic materials.-Sc
49、ulptures ? THE SHOW: ?The Glory of the Law: Treasures of Early Chinese Buddhist Sculpture,? a permanent collection reinstallation? WHERE: Gallery 204, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 4525 Oak St.? WHEN: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Closed Mondays. ? HOW MUCH: Free with regular museum admission.? FOR MORE INFORMATION: (816) 751-12780003 Digital technology helps preserve South Koreas Buddhist scripturesDigit
