Anak Tomb No.3 Mural of the Empress

The composition of this mural painting may generally be horizontally divided into tri-folds by using the outlines of the canopy as the frame. The outlines of the canopy are thinly traced in a magenta pigment, signifying the thinness of the pillars in reality. Such thin pillars, however, are manifested to support an elaborately designed square-shaped canopy decorated with layers of veils. In addition, the veil's creases and outlines repeat the magenta-red pigment found in the pillars and extend to the regularly parallel lines present in the top tier of the canopy. These parallel lines might imply the use of bamboo or wooden strings to support the stretched veil covering the surface. The vertical lines from these geometrically lined structures at the headcover converge at the top center of the canopy, where a magenta-red outlined lotus sits. In other words, the mural painters effectively use geometric lines in the same color and limited variations of thinness to carefully create a form that organically guides the audience’s attention toward the lotus on the very top of the canopy. This lotus icon is repeated by the half-sized lotuses at the canopy's two edges. The nearly symmetrical composition of the three lotus offsets the variation in scale, rendering visual rhythm and harmony. But why three times? And Why lotus? Ahn Hwi Joon observed how a lotus flower was painted on the lantern ceiling of the burial chamber of the same tomb and furthered, “similar representations appear in other Goguryeo tomb murals as well as on the plinth of the Tamamushi Shrine” (Joon 2015, 15) in Japan. His observation indicates that the use of the lotus icon wasn’t confined to the Korean Peninsula; rather, its cross-cultural presence might arguably relate to the transmission of Buddhism from the Asian continent to Japan at that time period.

Under the intricately executed canopy, the largest human figure of the entire piece sits on a square-shaped platform. Closely examining, I believe this figure’s hairstyle is another proof of the appreciation of symmetrical composition at that time period: the center bun is evenly surrounded by a circular-shaped lock of hair, while two locks of hair at each side suspending from the circular lock. The overall composition of her hairstyle is a synergic consideration of horizontal and vertical space. This careful consideration of space is also evident if we look at how painters activated the background of the entire piece with elaborate but abstract patterns. However, these patterns were also painted in the same magenta, which is present throughout the entire mural. In this way, it becomes mysterious to dismantle whether the patterns appear at the back or the front of the centered lady. In other words, it is arguable to what extent the artisans developed a sense of perspectives or dimensions (foreground vs. background). This reminds me of Wu Hung’s analysis of how “the rund vat was treated as a flat picture surface” (Wu, 17).  

Together, we could see how the mural painters effectively formed lines to highlight the lotus due to its religious significance but showed disinclination in distinguishing the dimensions or perspectives. In this case, it becomes perplexing whether the latter was genuinely not an important matter as the artisans showed their skills in arranging lines…

Wu Hung, “The Legacy of Ritual Art: ‘Costly’ Art,” in Monumentality, 24-27

Ahn Hwi-Joon, “Development of Goguryeo Tomb Murals.”