Untitled
Date/ Undated
Artist(Credit Line)/ Nam June Paik
Classification/ Painting
Dimensions / 71.1×101.6cm
On the colorful background similar to color bars in the television test pattern, Nam June Paik drew the Bodhisattva with a Thousand Arms. While he depicted its hands like a trident in other similar works, a distinctive feature here is that the hands have rounded fingers. The specific Bodhisattva having a thousand hands is said to have an eye on each palm, thus having a thousand eyes, which symbolizes the endless power of mercy and salvation. Nam June Paik drew the Buddhist being with an ability to save people from fire and brimstone, over the color bars, one of his frequently used motifs, and wrote next to it as the figure’s name, “Ga Na Da Ra“ in Korean that are the first four basic letters you have to familiarize yourself with when you learn Korean language. Perhaps this might imply the artist’s agony and torment out of his disabilities in writing and speaking after a stroke occurred to him.
On the colorful background similar to color bars in the television test pattern, Nam June Paik drew the Bodhisattva with a Thousand Arms. While he depicted its hands like a trident in other similar works, a distinctive feature here is that the hands have rounded fingers. The specific Bodhisattva having a thousand hands is said to have an eye on each palm, thus having a thousand eyes, which symbolizes the endless power of mercy and salvation. Nam June Paik drew the Buddhist being with an ability to save people from fire and brimstone, over the color bars, one of his frequently used motifs, and wrote next to it as the figure’s name, “Ga Na Da Ra“ in Korean that are the first four basic letters you have to familiarize yourself with when you learn Korean language. Perhaps this might imply the artist’s agony and torment out of his disabilities in writing and speaking after a stroke occurred to him.
