指演은 화승으로써 행적과 역량에서 조선후기 대표적인 화승으로 언급된 즉, 한 시대 또는 지역을 대표하는 화승들의 유명세에 묻혀 큰 주목을 받지 못했다. 특히, 지연이 활동한 지역인 경상도 일대의 18세기전반부터 대표적으로 화승으로 꼽히는 任閑 이후 화연관계가 있는 화승들 사이에서 별다른 두각을 나타내지 못한 화승으로 인식되어왔다.
본 논문에서는 화승 지연에 관한 기존연구의 견해를 수정․보완하여 그동안 충분히 알지 못했던 활동상황을 면밀히 살펴보았으며, 화풍의 특징을 좀 더 구체적으로 고찰하는데 그 의의를 두고자 하였다. 이에 따라 몇 가지 기록과 작품을 통해서 지연의 주 근거지가 경상북도 銀海寺를 중심으로 활동영역이 通度寺, 祇林寺, 石南寺 등 경상남도 일대를 포함해 경상도 인근을 벗어나지 않았다는 것을 알 수 있었다. 아울러 지연의 행적을 통해 대략적인 생몰연대가 1750-1840년대임을 추정할 수 있는 전거도 마련되었다.
지연은 화승으로 등장하는 현존하는 가장 이른 사례인 은해사 백련암 <지장시왕도>(1778)를 기점으로 1792년에 통도사 불사에 초빙되어 화승들의 무리를 이끌고 단청 및 전각보수, <괘불화>와 <삼장보살도>를 수화승의 역할로 참여하는 등 당시 불사의 중심으로 떠오른다. 지연이 통도사로 초빙된 연유에 관해서는 명확히 밝힐 수 없었지만, 통도사에서 불화를 제작한 화승들과 당시 불사의 화주인 지봉거기와의 관련성에 주목하여 그 실마리를 찾고자 하였다.
지연의 화풍을 살펴보는데 있어, 화풍의 수용과 특징으로 구분하여 작품을 통한 화연관계의 관련성과 몇몇 작품을 통한 독자적인 도상과 표현기법을 언급하였다. 지연은 이전에 제작된 불화의 화풍을 상당히 적극적으로 수용하였지만, 전대의 화풍을 계승하려는 의지만이 수화승의 역할로 작품에 참여한 지연이 추구했던 화풍은 아니었던 것으로 보인다. 몇몇 작품을 통해 드러나는 표현기법적인 특징과 통도사 <지장보살도>(1798)와 같이 도상을 인식하는 과정, 석남사 <지장보살도>(1803)의 지장보살과 동자상의 도상처럼 19세기중․후반 서울․경기지역의 <지장시왕도>제작에 결정적인 소스를 제공한 점은 주목할만 하다. 또한 은해사 거조암 <백선묘석가설법도>(1786)와 같은 선묘의 필력을 구사하는 사례도 역시 드문 점을 감안하면 지연의 역량에 대해 조명할 필요는 충분하리라 본다.
본 논문에서는 18세기후반 경상북도 일대와 통도사 그리고 그 인근지역에서 두드러진 활동을 보인 지연의 행적과 화풍의 특징을 중심으로 살펴보았다. 필자는 기존연구의 연장선에서 그동안 주목을 받지 못했던 지연에 대한 구체적인 활동상황을 사료와 작품 그리고 화풍을 통해 면밀히 다루었으며, 이를 통해 18세기후반 경상도 일대에서 지연의 역할과 역량을 확인하는 계기가 되었다.
Though Jiyeon(指演) was mentioned as a typical buddhist painter in the late period of Joseon Dynasty in the light of his capability and achievements, he could not greatly attract public attention under the penalty of popularity for buddhist painters representing a period and a region. Specially, in the Gyeongsang-do area where he had taken an active part, he was recognized as a buddhist painter failed to distinguish himself among buddhist painters to have relationship with him through painting after Yim Han(任閑) who was considered a representative buddhist painter since the first period of 18C.
This paper might be highly evaluated in the aspects to closely look around his activity that was not well known in the meantime by revising, supplementing the opinion of existing research and contemplate the characteristic of his style in detail.
Author could find based on some records and his works that the world of his works mainly remained in Eunhea Temple in Gyeongsangbuk -do, Tongdo Teple, Girim Temple and Seoknam Temple, and did not escape from Gyeongsng -do area including the whole area of Gyeongsangnam-do, additionally, found sources available to roughly estimate the fact that his life path period was between 1750 - 1840s through his achievement. He was soared up as a central figure from <Kistigarbha and the ten kings painting>(地藏十王圖)(1778) in Eunhea Temple, the earliest example remaining at present to make his appearance as a buddhist painter, and his buddhist works to repair exquisite beauty and temple palace in Tongdo Temple in 1792 by leading buddhist painters after being invited and to participate to play a role as 수화승 for <Gwaebul Painting>(掛佛畵) and <Three Bodhisattva painting>(三藏菩薩圖), etc.
The buddhist works in Tongdo Temple at that time was a considerably large scale in which those buddhist painters living around as well as some buddhist painters acting in Jeolla-do participated. Considering this period, he might be invited to Tongdo Temple based on his awareness and his work activity with Pogaun(抱冠) who painted buddhist painting in Tongdo Temple before 1792. From the first period of 18C, the painting technique of Yim Han, who was considered a typical buddhist painter in the area of Gyeongsang-do, was shared rapidly through relationship with other buddhist painters based on his works. Jiyeon also aggressively accommodated the painting technique established before, specially, he showed conservative aspect to repeatedly utilized former iconolgy instead of creating new iconolgy. However, his painting technique that he pursued was not looked to be limited to inherit only former painting technique, though he participated in to play a role as 수화승 for works. His characteristic of expression technique shown in few works, the process to recognize image like <Kistigarbha painting>(地藏菩薩圖)(1798) in Tongdo Temple and the image of Kistigarbha and a young boy in Kistigarbha painting(1803) could received great attention in that they provided decisive sources to paint Kistigarbha and the ten kings painting in Seoul, Gyeonggi area in the middle- late period of 19C. Additionally, considering the line drawings of <In white Line drawing Seokga sermon painting>(白線描釋迦說法圖)(1786) in Geojoam in Eunhea Temple, that had been rarely seen, the necessity to shed light on his capability might be enough.
This paper was focused on to look around his achievements and the characteristic of painting technique, who showed distinguished activities in Gyeongsangbuk-do area, Tongdo Temple and its neighborhood in the late period of 18C. Author handled the concrete activities of Jiyeon who had not attracted attention as an extension of existing researches based on documents, works and painting techniques, and had an opportunity to confirm his role in Gyeongsang-do area in the late period of 18C and his capacity.
