The God of Mercy or the King of the Hell? Plastic Surgeon Depicted in Parodies of Altar Portraits of Buddha

초록

Purpose : The aim of this paper is to see how the plastic surgeons are depicted in some recently made parodies of altar portraits of Buddha. Methods : Three of Kim’s traditional paintings depicting a plastic surgeon were collected and 3 types of altar portraits of Buddha were also collected. Results : The Water-Moon Avalokiteshvara (水月觀音圖) sits on a rocky outcropping above the waves. At the lower right, is the boy pilgrim Sudhana (善財童子). In the ‘Plastic Surgeon as a Bodhisattva’, the plastic surgeon is wreathed in gold necklaces and seated on stones as if he were a divine being, only it is his services that allow for transformation. Below him, there is a female who yearns for man-made beauty. In Emma’s court, there is a ‘Mirror of Perfect Clarity’ that reflects the past misconduct and sins of the dead. In ‘Judgment of the Obese’ (審判圖), the plastic surgeon looks down on his patients from above and makes judgments about their looks. The women are holding their hands out desperately, standing haggard in front of the mirror, pleading to the doctor. The Great Master of Seon Buddhism holds a large fly-whisk. In the ‘Portrait of a Plastic Surgeon’ (院長圖), a surgeon is sitting in a chair holding a huge surgical knife as if the patriarch holds a monk’s stick.