Where Color Guards the Threshold (2005) Photograph by sangwon jeon

This photograph looks up at the eaves of Geungnakjeon Hall at Bongjeongsa Temple in Andong, South Korea — the oldest surviving wooden building in the country, dating to the Goryeo Dynasty. Above the entrance, a weathered wooden plaque bearing the hall's name sits framed by dancheong: layered bands of jade, ochre, and vermilion painted directly onto the beams, their lotus medallions and geometric borders still vivid against centuries of exposed timber. Deep blue sky presses against the dark curve of the roof tiles, sharpening every brushstroke below into clear relief. What strikes me most is the contrast between the plaque's plain, worn wood and the riot of pattern surrounding it — as though the builders reserved their restraint for the name itself, and poured everything else into color. To stand beneath this doorway is to pass, however briefly, under thirteen centuries of paint and prayer. Printed on fine art paper. Sold unframed; ready to be mounted or framed to the collector's preference.

Details:

• Photograph on Paper
• From a limited edition of 10
• Size: 25 x 38 x 0.1cm / 25 x 38cm (actual image size)
• Signed and numbered on the back
• Style: Photorealistic
• Subject: Architecture and cityscapes