조선시대 불교는 개국 초 세력이 크게 위축되었으나 승려들의 救國에 대한 희생과 실학자들과의 교유, 內佛堂 및 願堂 창건과 佛經引出, 上寺禁法 폐지와 佛事 시행, 追福水陸齋 설행 등을 통한왕실과 귀족의 崇佛과 信佛로 흥기의 싹이 텄으며, 후기에 들어 교리와 염불신앙이 조계종(禪宗)에 통합되는 새 불교가 일어나 사원의 중건과 재창건 등이 행해지고 불교미술 역시 양적 팽창을 가져오게 된다. 특히 조선조 후반기 제1기는 光海君-景宗代(1609-1724)로서 전반기(1392-1608)와영-정조대(1725-1800) 이후 불화를 연결해주는 가교역할을 하여, 후반기 불교회화 중 차지하는 비중이 지대하다.
후반기 제1기의 불화는 괘불도 33점과 후불도 14점 등 47점이 전해져 온다. 이에 대해 광해군-효종대와 현종-경종대로 나누어 연구를 진행한 결과 첫째, 두 시기 모두 주제면에서는 영산회도가가장 많이 조성되었으며, 구도면에서도 앞 시기가 안정된 반면 후반은 보다 동세가 엿보이는 구성법 사용이 파악되었다. 둘째, 존상의 얼굴 및 머리(肉髻) 모양, 신체 형태와 손 모양, 광배 형태 등에 있어 앞 시기가 부드럽고 자연스러우며 원만한데 반해, 후반은 다소 경직성이 엿보이는 시기별변화를 볼 수 있었다. 그리고 셋째, 전반기는 맑고 밝은 색채와 간단한 문양을 채용하여 세선 위주의 섬세한 필선을 구사함으로써 자연스럽고 세련되었으며 투명하고 밝은 느낌이 있는데 비해, 후반에는 보다 복잡해진 문양을 채택하여 다양한 색채를 사용하고 굵은 직선 위주의 필선 구사로 경직된 면이 파악되나 화려해지는 경향을 엿볼 수 있었다.
현종-경종대인 후반에 들어서 비로소 등장하는 후불도 역시 괘불도와 괘를 같이 하며, 영산회도위주에 세부 양식적인 면에 이르기까지 후반부 괘불도의 영향을 살필 수 있었다는데 본 연구의 의의가 있다고 하겠다.
Though the power of Buddhism largely shrank since the foundation of Chosun, the mood of prosperity comes into buds as the royal family and the nobility had faith for Buddhism in tandem with Buddhists’ sacrifice for national salvation, exchanges with Silhak scholars,construction of intramural temples and royal shrineswithin the palace, publication of Buddhist bibles, abortion of Sangsageumbeop, and Bulsa Seolhaeng, Chuboksuryukjae Seolhaeng. Furthermore, as a new strand of Buddhism rose by the late Chosun Dynasty,which integrated creeds and invocative faiths with Jogyejong(Zen Buddhism), numerous Buddhist projects including remodeling and reconstruction of many temples were carried out and hence the quantitative expansion of Buddhist art was also brought about. Especially, the first part of the late Chosun Dynasty, the period of Kings from Gwanghae-gun to Gyeong-jong(1609~1724), a period playing the role of bridge connecting the Buddhist drawings in the days of Kings Yeong-jo and Jeong-jo(1725~1800) with those in the first half of the Chosun Dynasty(1392~1608), had extremely great importance in the Buddhist paintingin the second half of the Chosun Dynasty.
47 Buddhist drawing pieces in total, including 33 banner paintings and 14 rear paintings,in the first part of the late Chosun Dynasty have been handed down. As a result of the study with the banner paintings and rear paintings divided into those in the period of Kings from Gwanghae-gun to Hyo-jong and those in the period of Kings from Hyeon-jong to Gyeong-jong, first, Yeongsahoedo paintings were overwhelmingly created on the side of theme in both of the two parts of the period. And the paintings in the first part are stable on the side of composition while use of more dynamic method of composition has been founded from the drawings in the second part. Second, as for the forms of Buddha’s face and head(Yukgye), body appearances and hand morphologies, and the forms of the halo, we have found some changes by times in that the drawings from the first part are specifically soft and smooth, while those from the second show a bit of rigidity. Third, as for the use of colors, patterns, and drawing lines, the paintings from the first part are natural and elaborated, and give transparent and bright feelings as they adopt clear and bright colors and simple patterns and freely use delicate drawing lines mainly including fine lines, whereas the drawings from the second part adopt stronger and more diverse colors and complicated patterns and freely use thick sold lines, which strike us as rigid but having a tendency toward splendor.
This study has some significance in that it has generally found out that the rear paintings,having firstly occurred toward the second part, the period of Kings from Hyeon-jong to Gyeong-jong, have been much influenced by those from the first part with their concentration on Yeongsanhoedo and on the side of their detailed mode.