A Buddhist Painting from 670 Years Ago Revived by an Art Student After 2300 Hours... Cultural Heritage Administration Also "Supports"

A short video under one minute showing the process of a university student majoring in art completing their graduation project has gone viral, surpassing 5 million views. The Cultural Heritage Administration's official YouTube channel left a comment on Mr. Kim's video saying, "We support you."

On the 11th, a video titled "A Certain Art Student's 2300-Hour Graduation Project" was shared across various online communities. The video was originally uploaded on the 'ARTUBE_BuddhistArt' channel on the 9th of last month. Within two weeks of posting, the video surpassed 5.7 million views and gained 10,000 subscribers.

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This approximately one-minute short-form content shows Kim Seongmun, a graduate of Dongguk University's Department of Buddhist Art, completing his graduation project. The work is a replica of the Mireuk Hasaeng Gyeong Byeonsangdo (Maitreya’s Descent Scroll) painted by Hoejeon in 1350.

The Buddhist art major is a specialized field that modernly recreates Buddhist art, where replication rather than original creation is the principle. While the original was commissioned by the royal court and painted collaboratively by many, Kim completed this painting alone.

According to the video, the painting, measuring 140 cm wide and 230 cm tall, took two months just for the pencil sketch, one month to draw the draft with a brush, and another month to transfer the draft onto the canvas. Kim then spent three months coloring it. But it did not end there. It took an additional two months to draw the lines and add detailed patterns within the painting.

On the 9th, through the 'SBS News' channel, Kim revealed that he dedicated about 10 months to his graduation project starting from the end of January last year.

'A College Art Student's 2,300-Hour Graduation Project' with Over 5 Million Views on YouTube [Photo by YouTube Channel 'ARTUBE_Bulgyo Misul']

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He said, "I recorded the working hours on a calendar every day. Adding them all up, it was 2,340 hours. On a low day, I worked 8 hours, and on a high day, 12 hours." He expressed frustration, saying, "Some people misunderstood and said I traced (putting transparent paper over a drawing and copying it)."

Kim stated that he completed the work after investing a total of 2,340 hours and about 2 million won in materials.

Kim said, "From February to October 2023, my daily routine was to paint from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and then go home. It was a once-in-a-lifetime graduation project, and I wanted to make it perfect."

He added, "People around me worried that I would collapse, and I painted like I was obsessed. As a result, I succeeded in reinterpreting a Goryeo Dynasty painting in my own way."

Regarding why he put so much effort into the graduation project, he said, "It was my own ambition. I wanted to express everything I could. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime graduation project and my debut work as an artist. Since I was going to paint it anyway, I wanted to do my best and enjoy it like crazy. I didn’t want to paint just to graduate."

The video received over 9,000 comments praising his effort. Even the Cultural Heritage Administration’s official YouTube account left a message of encouragement. Online reactions included comments such as "It inspires awe," "It’s touching," and "He could become a talent in cultural heritage restoration."

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