Korean Art History Research Paper - Essay Example

Korean Art History Research Paper Introduction Korea is among the countries with the richest cultural composition in the world.The Korean field of arts has evolved subsequently over the years. Many developments can be observed compared to past decades. The Korean government and other authorities have established various mechanisms for promoting the arts industry and preserving the ancient works. The LACMA is a renowned center for arts promotion and diversity. The Museums holds the works of art for various communities of the world. In addition, the works held in the Museum represent all ages, spanning from the ancient to the modern days. It is believed that the museum holds over a hundred thousand works of arts from different parts of the world. Best et al., (16) argues that among the most notable Korean works of art found in the museum is the Bottle Vase. Analysis Ikutaro (9) states that the Bottle Vase is believed to have been developed in the period between the 918- 1392 by the Goryeo dynasty of Korea. The ceramic is in the shape of a wheel-thrown stoneware that has incised and slip filled beautification and green contemplation. The work represents the autonomy of the Korean arts industry and the progressive developed from the ancient to present days. From this ceramic, it can be observed that the Korean culture is gifted with talented artists of all times. The ceramic was developed several centuries ago but remains attractive up to the present days. The silvery color of the ceramic together with the flowery carvings makes the ceramic quite unique. The flowers decorating the ceramic are a symbol of the Korean rich natural and user friendly environment. In essence the flowers represent the beauty of natural resources that are found in Korea. The mouth of the ceramic is coated with a shiny cup. The shiny top covering can be described to mean a bright future for the art industry. The neck of the ceramic is narrow and bulges outwards on reaching the central body. Moreover, the neck of the ceramic is upright or straight. The Bottle vase has a flat bottomed base that enhances stability and gives the piece of art a notable point of view. An analysis of the artistic style used to develop the ceramic reveals that the art is a blend of the ancient and modern technology. For instance, the flower decorations on the sides of the ceramic is an indication that at the time of developing the ceramic civilizations had started taking roots. The various features of the Bottle Vase are easy to distinguish from other works close to it. For instance, a lot of difference can be observed by comparing it with the Bottle with Ribs and Lotus Petals (BRLP). Lotus petals are shinny lilac colors that represent the beauty of arts. Comparison An observation of the BRLP reveals a wheel-thrown stoneware with sculpted and notched decorations. The ceramic is characterized by regular straight lines running from its neck to the base. The top most part of the neck of the ceramic is smooth and silvery. However, unlike the neck of the Base Vase Ceramic the BRLP ceramic has a slanting neck. In addition, the base for the Bottle with Ribs and Lotus petals is smaller compared to that of the Bottle Vase. In essence, the Bottle vase appears more stable than the Bottle with Ribs and Lotus Petals. The designs used to decorate the two ceramics are quite different in that one represents a traditional technology while the other portrays an advancing technology. Therefore, it can be concluded that the Bottle Vase Ceramic represents an advancing technology, and the other ceramic represents the old technology. Apparently, the works of art can be used to study the change of times and the people’s living style. Besides, the ancient generations used carvings, pottery, paintings and other types of art to mark seasons. In this regard, the various ceramic designs and types can be used as the source of information regard the ancient activities and events. Essentially, despite the many differences of the two ceramic, they still share some common features. For instance, they both have flat bottomed bases. In addition, both ceramics have incised decoration that has is green gazed. Contextualization Best et al., (17) points out that the Korean works of art had influence from diverse life aspects. In essence, the political, economic and social factors influenced the development of the various types of ceramic. In essence, every work of art in the ancient days was developed to represent either a stage of development, level of technology, unique social event or political realm. A lot of lessons can be learned from the Bottle Vase Ceramic regarding the Korean culture. In addition, the artistic style employed is unique to a particular stage of culture development of Korea. In this regard, all works of art should be studied critically to deduce the information they are intended to put across. It is imperative to identify that the ancient generations had diverse approaches for storing information. In this case, carving and modeling of ceramics was one of the various means of storing information. Religion played a significant role in the shaping the ancient field of arts. For instance, the early studies reveal that the Goryeo dynasty was a Buddhist state. In this regard, Buddhism had a significant impact on the daily operations in the kingdom. Yunjeong (55) states that the Taoist ritual was an important social event among the people or Goryeo dynasty. The king presided over the Chonje or Chorye rituals to seek favors and forgiveness from the gods. In essence during such times a painting or any other work of art could be made to mark the ceremony. Research shows that Taoist had some notable impact on the decoration of Goryeo Celadon. The Taoist immortals had the ability to fly, and they were named using symbols. These symbols were later used in decorating the works art such as the Plum Vase and later the Bottle Vase. From the Taoist study, it can be identified that the Bottle Vase had an approximate height of 14 cm, a mouth diameter of about 8.5cm and foot diameter of about 6.5 cm. Mowry (26) points out that the green-glazed ceramic are referred to as green wares in the Far East countries such as Japan, China, and Korea. The celadon glazes/green wares were first invented in China then spread to Korea. The manufacture of ceramics in Korea dates back in the 5000BC (Mowry 28). By this time, the Koreans were producing unglazed ceramics until the late eleventh century. Between the late eleventh century and the early twelfth century, the Korean porters started diversifying the skilled to match those of the Chinese potters. By this time, the Chinese had a developed an advanced structure of ceramic manufacture and, therefore, the Korean potters had so much to learn from them. Therefore, it can be identified that the Korean potter developed their design of manufacturing ceramics out of the knowledge gained from observing the Chinese works of art. Several studies reveal that the period that the Bottle Vase ceramic and the Bottle Ribs and Lotus Petal ceramic was made was in the 12th century. By then, people had developed distinguished intellectual skills to design unique ceramics. In addition, the level of technology had improved significantly to facilitate the spread of knowledge from one region to another. Conclusion The Korean field of arts has experienced massive transformation over the years. Many developments have taken place and currently people recognize that the fields of arts can be a permanent source of livelihood. The development of the arts industry has resulted to the emergence of museums that concentrate on preserving the ancient works. The modern technology has brought a renaissance of the art industry. Artists can market their products to various parts of the world without having to travel. In summary, the Korean arts industry has a bright future in that the country has talented artists whose core motivation is the passion about what they do. In addition, the incorporation of the modern technology in arts has facilitated quality production and, therefore, increased demand. References: Best, J. W., et al. Arts of Korean Ikutaro, I. Korean Ceramics of the Koryo and the chosen dynasties. Mowry, R. Koryo celadoms Yunjeong, K. The Influence of Taoism on Goryeo celadon. The Journal of Korean Art & Archaeology, 54:71 Read More