추사(秋史)의 <세한도(歲寒圖)>에 나타난 선어(禪語) 「정전백수(庭前栢樹)」 = Chusa’s Use of the Zen Words Jengjenbacksu (庭前栢樹) in Sehando

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This paper interpreted Chusa (秋史) Kim Jung-Hee’s (金正喜) Sehando (歲寒圖) focusing on the Zen words (禪語) “Jengjenbacksu” (庭前柏樹), a topic of a Zen song, instead of focusing on the Confucian perspective. This attempt was based on the fact that the topic of pine trees from Sehando matches the content of “Jengjenbacksu,“ and that the image of the painting is filled with Zen taste (禪味).
The postscript in Sehando written by Chusa and its reviews by the 16 Confucian scholars of the Qing Dynasty were all written from the Confucian viewpoint according to The Analects of Confucius and the compilation of Jahan. This is because the quote “It is possible to know the azureness of the pine tree only during the cold winter times” from the postscript of Sehando was the sole focus, and did not leave room for other ways of interpretation. Also, in terms of reviews, it was the mainstream to focus on the moral values of the work rather than the aesthetic values.
While working on Sehando, Chusa quoted the topic of “Jengjenbacksu” in his letters with the Zen priests during his life in Jeju Island. Also, in another work of poetry, Chusa used the term Cham jill (參質) to refer to the azureness of the pine tree to emphasize the meaning of the essence and nature of Seon. As it is common to identify the topic of an artwork from the everyday life, and the basis of artwork naturally conveys the overall thoughts of life, there is sufficient evidence to state that Sehando may be analyzed from the perspective of Zen words of “Jengjenbacksu.”
The boundaries between “emptiness (空) and color (色)” and between “color (色) and emptiness (空) are expressed with the blank spaces in Sehando, then lead to the emptiness (空) of Seonji (禪旨). The overall composition of the painting that is looking downwards gives a sense of contemplativeness. Thus, considering the Zen words and the Zen argument used by Chusa while working on Sehando, the topic of 'Jengjenbacksu' was prevalent in Chusa's thoughts and mind, which may be expressed with the painting.
The perspective focusing on the Zen words when admiring Sehando introduced in this paper is significant as it provides a greater variety and depth in understanding the aesthetic world of Chusa.