Father Andre Bouton
When I first came to Andong, a painting entitled “Virgin Mary and Child of Andong” drew my attention. It is very specially illustrated.
Framed copies of the painting are hung at the Andong Diocese History Museum, in the Pauline bookshop, in the dining room of our community and other places. I didn’t know about the artist who painted it.
An interesting exhibition is now on display on the third floor of the parish office of the Diocese of Andong through Nov. 14 this year, titled “Mural paintings, the landscapes we meet again."
Father Andre Bouton (1914-1980), a French painter and missionary, came to Korea in 1966 and worked at the Order of Saint Benedict Waegwan Abbey. During his 10-year stay in Korea, he presented creative murals. His painting style is called “Fauvism” and uses simple, intense primary colors with thick and rough brush strokes.
Primarily based on European traditions, he expressed the local life and culture of Korea. He tried to combine the indigenous culture with Christianity to share Christian messages and teachings through the images, going beyond language.
He interpreted Korean colors and aesthetics in a modern way and sublimated the enculturation of faith into art. He also produced print works and ceramic pieces to illustrate the Korean people’s figures, traditions and unique local colors.
At that time, liturgy and sacred art in Korea were inclined to Western-centric authoritarianism. Naturally, his modern and unconventional painting style felt unfamiliar to some Koreans.
Centering on the Diocese of Andong, he carried out his missionary work through mural paintings in the Catholic churches, stations and public halls across the country.
A mural painting about Korean traditional marriage, hidden behind a wall and thus unseen for over half a century, was unveiled in January. It was painted on the former Andong Ceremonial Hall, now used as an Urban Regeneration Support Center.
In the Daeheung-dong Cathedral of St. John the Worker in Daejeon, there are 10 mural paintings. Among them, eight murals were covered in white paint, trapped in the wall between 1977 and 1979.
Probably because some of the Korean priests and believers preferred rich colors and gentle, beautiful sacred paintings, Father Bouton’s painting style would have been a source of bewilderment. However, celebrating the centennial anniversary in 2019, the church community decided to recreate Father Bouton’s murals.
Today, his works of art are being reevaluated as an attempt to cross the boundaries between faith and art. His murals are more than mere decoration; they are contemplative prayers to God and a record of profound reflection on the encounter between faith and culture.
“Artists who paint sacred images must express the invisible world of God, so much prayer is necessary," Father Bouton said in an interview with a Catholic newspaper in April 1972. "Before I paint a single painting, I must undergo the pain of giving birth to it. Only by experiencing this in prayer can I reveal the true nature of sacred painting.”
Kim Ae-ran is a member of the Daughters of Saint Paul (Figlie di San Paolo), living the Good News and proclaiming it through various means of social communication.