NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA
QUARTERLY MAGAZINE
VOL.51 SPRING 2020
Celadon Maebyeong with Inlaid Cloud and Crane Design (detail) Goryeo Dynasty, 12th–13th century H 30.0 cm Treasure No. 1869
Spring is gradually taking over the outdoor garden of the National Museum of Korea. In this season when everything comes back to life the plum blossoms, cherry blossoms, rhododendrons, and daffodils are waking one by one, brightening the surrounds. Like the spring days that have come to us through the pandemic, everyone is waiting to go back to normal life when they can freely roam the museum again.
02
12
32
Current Exhibition
Art Inspired by Tradition
People Met at the Museum
The Iksan National Museum is situated
Yeesookyung does not rely on any
While looking at the exhibitions indoors
on the Mireuksa Temple Site, where the
blueprint to make a finished work.
is ruled out during the COVID-19
aura of the Baekje Kingdom remains.
Every moment is focused on the ceramic
pandemic, some people are still coming
Newly opened this year, the museum is
shards and the act of joining them
to the museum to walk around the garden
expected to discover untold stories of
together. In doing so, inevitably she
covered in spring flowers. Inspecting the
Baekje during the time its capital was
reaches a moment of realization and
stone relics in the outdoor exhibition, while
located at Iksan.
enlightenment, as in spiritual practice.
maintaining a decent distance from others
These experiences are behind the birth of
in this quite space, can be a wonderful way
her beautiful works of art.
for emotional healing in these times.
CONTENTS
02
CURRENT Opening of the Iksan National Museum as
a Center of Baekje Culture 08
FOCUS
12
ESSAY Fragments Transcending Time and Space
tone Pagoda at the Mireuksa Temple Site, Iksan: S A Creative Challenge that Opened New Horizons
Publisher National Museum of Korea 137 Seobinggo-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul 04383, Republic of Korea www.museum.go.kr/site/eng/home Editorial Direction Design Team, National Museum of Korea Tel: (82 2) 2077–9573 Fax: (82 2) 2077–9258 Email: polagu47@korea.kr Design and Production aNSWER Photography Park Jung Hoon Photo Studio
18
ESSAY
22
COLLECTION Dragon Motifs: Elaborate Decoration on
The World of Real Scenery Landscape Painting
the Things as an Auspicious Indication 24
RENEWAL
Rain of Flowers: Buddhist Hanging Scroll at A Eunhaesa Temple
28
WORLD ART GALLERY
entral Asia Gallery: Invitation to the Silk Road C Connecting East and West
32
INTERVIEW
ealing in Museum’s Outdoor Garden and H the Spring Breeze
36
NEWS & PUBLICATION
40
ONLINE
Visiting the Museum from the Comfort of Home
Translation Cho Yoonjung / Timothy Atkinson Revision Chung Eunsun / Hwang Chiyoung Publication Date April 25, 2020 ISSN 2005 – 1123 Printed in Korea. Copyright © 2020 National Museum of Korea. Note to Readers Throughout the magazine, East Asian names are listed in the order of family name followed by first name. The related information of image is given in the following order: title, period or produced date, artist, material, dimensions. Items from other institutions are classified by their collection names. www.museum.go.kr/site/eng/ archive/ebook/all (PDF downloads available)
CURRENT
By Song Hyunkyung Assistant Curator, Iksan National Museum
Opening of the Iksan National Museum as a Center of Baekje Culture From January 10, 2020 Iksan National Museum
© Park Jaehong
After many years of preparation, the Iksan National Museum opened on January 10, 2020 as a place devoted to conservation, exhibition, and education activities related to the history and cultural heritage of Iksan, ancient capital of the Baekje Kingdom 18 BCE–660 CE. In January 2009 a set of sarira reliquaries was discovered at the Mireuksa Temple Site in Iksan, then in July 2015 the “Baekje Historic Areas” was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, and in December the same year Mireuksa Temple Site Exhibition Hall became a national institution. The opening of the new national museum comes four years after this event.
Located at the southwestern end of the site of the largest Buddhist temple of the Three Kingdoms period, the museum was designed to blend in naturally with its setting. The building, with two floors underground and one floor above ground, closely adheres to its site. The permanent exhibition is naturally centered on the Mireuksa Temple Site, the museum’s collection being comprised of some 23,000 items excavated from the site and another 30,000 from various historic sites in the northwestern Jeollabuk-do. Featuring 3,000 objects, including one National Treasure (one piece) and two Treasures (seven pieces), the display also presents videos and models that will enhance visitors’ understanding of the Baekje culture that became firmly established in the Iksan region. The permanent exhibition ranges over three galleries. The first gallery, named “The Baekje Kingdom in Iksan,” introduces the dreams and visions of King Mu r. 600–641 and the royal palace that he built in Iksan, the land that was to shape the future of the Baekje Kingdom. Wanggung-ri (Historic Site No. 408), Jeseoksa Temple Site (Historic Site No. 405), and Ssangneung (Historic Site No. 87) are some of the most elegant and complete sites, exemplifying the new technological and cultural achievements Baekje had made. In the first gallery,
part of the Wanggung-ri archaeological site was recreated, including the rear garden, workshops, dining tables used by government officials, and the office area of the royal palace that once stood there, the most meticulously designed of any palace of Baekje during its Iksan (Sabi) period. Moreover, the Reliquaries from the Fivestory Stone Pagoda in Wanggung-ri, Iksan (National Treasure No. 123) can be seen in this gallery in their hometown of Iksan, fifty-five years after the discovery of the whole set of reliquaries. Also featured in this part of the exhibition are a clay Buddhist monk sculpture and demon sculpture from the former site of Jeseoksa Temple, which received the patronage of the state. These items recently excavated are first shown to the public. One item that must not be missed in the first gallery is the wooden coffin from Daewangneung, one of the two royal tombs of Ssangneung which means twin tombs. Discovered by Japanese scholars in 1917, during the Japanese occupation period, the coffin is now being revealed to the public for the first time in 102 years. Finishing off the first gallery is a virtually restored version of the face of the Stone Seated Buddha in Yeondong-ri, Iksan (Treasure No. 45). Though now lost, the face was restored with the help of specialists using models and media mapping. The second gallery is the heart of the
Gilt-bronze Incense Burner Unified Silla Kingdom H 30.0 cm Excavated from the Mireuksa Temple Site, Iksan Treasure No. 1753
04
Iksan National Museum’s permanent exhibition. It introduces various aspects of the history of Mireuksa Temple and the myths and legends surrounding it, as well as its public works and architecture. On either side of the entrance to the gallery stands a giant chimi, a large decorative ridge-end tile in the shape of an owl’s tail, enhancing the grandeur of the entrance as they once did for the ancient temple buildings. Mireuksa was a Buddhist temple built during the reign of King Mu of Baekje that remained influential until the early Joseon period, which means it lasted at least one thousand years. The major exhibit from the Mireuksa Temple Site is the sarira reliquary set that was discovered inside the temple’s stone pagoda, considered the acme of Baekje Buddhist art. The record of sarira enshrinement found with the reliquary states that the stone pagoda was constructed in the first month of 639 (Gihae Year) under the commission of Queen Sataek, consort of King Mu. This record, engraved on a gold plate, along with the glass reliquary, gold inner reliquary, and gilt-bronze outer reliquary, represents the essence of both relic worship and metal craftsmanship during the Baekje period. Another featured item is a piece of silk cloth embroidered with gold thread that was used to wrap other votive objects enshrined inside the pagoda’s central
© Park Jaehong
Glass sarira bottle and inner gold sarira reliquary in the first gallery
© Park Jaehong
Bronze Bodhisattva Hand in the second gallery
NMK 2020 SPRING 05
Gold Inner Sarira Urn and Gilt-bronze Outer Sarira Urn Baekje Kingdom H 5.9 cm (left), 13.0 cm (right) Excavated from the Stone Pagoda of Mireuksa Temple Site, Iksan Treasure No. 1991
Gilt-silver Plate of Diamond Sutra Unified Silla Kingdom 17.8 × 14.8 cm (each, total 19 plates) Excavated from the Five Story Stone Pagoda of Wanggung-ri, Iksan National Treasure No. 123
06
pillar, shown to the public for the first time. Installed above the sarira reliquary display is a contemporary artwork titled “Ambiguous Wall: Stone Pagoda of the Mireuksa Temple Site” by Kim Byungjoo, a contemporary interpretation of the Mireuksa Temple pagoda that gives visitors the experience of walking inside the pagoda and seeing for themselves the sarira reliquary enshrined there. The third gallery is named “History and Culture of Iksan and Northwest Jeollabuk-do.” An historical overview generally unfolds in chronological order but the permanent exhibition at the Iksan National Museum runs in reverse, starting with the Joseon Dynasty and ending with prehistoric times. This arrangement is for the benefit of visitors as it allows them to first observe familiar works from the recent past. The exhibits were carefully selected and arranged under themes to showcase the era in Korean history when the Iksan culture was most brilliant. The role of Iksan as an intersection for exchange of civilizations and catalyst for cultural development is explored through a range of items such as old maps and documents reflecting the city’s human geographical environment during the Joseon period, Goryeo celadon and other ceramics that were retrieved from the seas off nearby Gunsan, and white porcelain wares excavated from the kiln site at
Sinyong-ri, Iksan. In addition, the third gallery shows items excavated from the tombs of the leaders of the confederacies that existed in the Iksan area before Baekje ruled the region, including Mahan pottery and iron weapons from the third and fourth centuries and bronze ritual implements from the early Iron Age. In a three-dimensional screen based on the structure of Ipjeom-ri Tomb No. 1, a corridor-style stone chamber tomb, a media mapping video shows the events that led to the discovery of gilt-bronze crowns and shoes and the other relics that were excavated with them in the tomb. In the last part of the third gallery is an art wall where pottery excavated from the Iksan area forms a high and wide display. The opening of the Iksan National Museum was marked with a special exhibition titled Sarira Reliquaries: The Art of Korean Buddhist Relic Worship. Running through April 26, the exhibition delved into the meaning of the sarira reliquary enshrined inside the stone pagoda at the Mireuksa Temple Site, as commissioned by the Baekje royal court. With this centerpiece of the museum, the exhibition brought together fifteen sarira reliquaries in all, including nine commissioned by Korean royalty over the ages, such as that excavated from the site of Wangheungsa Temple in Buyeo (National Treasure No. 327), and that
© Park Jaehong
excavated from Geumgangsan Mountain Offered by Yi Seonggye, founder of Joseon (Treasure No. 1925). Overall, it featured two state-designated national treasures and eight treasures. The exhibition also gave visitors a chance to see first-hand thirty sarira relics discovered in the Fivestory Stone Pagoda in Gwangju where Seonggeosa Temple is said to have existed, and the rare opportunity to see the Outer Reliquary from the West Three-story Stone Pagoda at Gameunsa Temple Site (Treasure No. 366) and that from the East Three-story Stone Pagoda (Treasure No. 1359) at the same site as a set. These two items have not been presented together before as they are preserved in different places, one at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul and the other at the Gyeongju National Museum, respectively. For the second half of the year the Iksan National Museum is planning a special exhibition titled Green Glazed Wares, showcasing roof tiles and a range of other ancient Korean objects. Centered on the Stone Pagoda of Mireuksa Temple, the largest and oldest pagoda in Korea, and the items that were discovered inside it, the Iksan National Museum plans to rewrite the story of the Baekje Kingdom in the Iksan area as it works on its vision of growing into a cultural institution that can satisfy the demands of all visitors.
A display showing the Buddhist sculptures excavated from the Mireuksa Temple Site
© Park Jaehong
Outdoor exhibition area
NMK 2020 SPRING
07
Fig.1 Condition of the west pagoda at the Mireuksa Temple Site in Iksan in 1910, during the Japanese occupation period
FOCUS
By Shin Soyeon Associate Curator of the Future Strategy Division, National Museum of Korea
Stone Pagoda at the Mireuksa Temple Site, Iksan: A Creative Challenge that Opened New Horizons
Fig.2 Excavation of the reliquaries inside the stone pagoda at the Mireuksa Temple Site in Iksan ©National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage
Korean stone pagodas boast a long history and tradition dating back to the Three Kingdoms period, and many still stand today. They come in creative forms and are known for being unmatched as Buddhist temple structures, even in East Asia. Korea’s oldest extant stone pagoda was completed at Mireuksa Temple in Baekje in 639 Fig.4. The site where that temple once flourished is in Iksan today. Most of the pagodas at Baekje Buddhist temples in the sixth and seventh centuries were made of wood. Only two stone versions from that period are extant: west stone pagoda at the Mireuksa Temple Site and a fivestory stone pagoda that was built on the former site of Jeongnimsa Temple before the fall of Baekje Kingdom. However, stone became the main building material for Korean pagodas soon after Baekje’s
collapse, making the construction of the stone pagoda at Mireuksa Temple all the more significant. Originally, the Mireuksa Temple compound was laid out so that people would pass through a central gate to reach a wooden pagoda in the center of the main courtyard, which was flanked on the east and west by stone pagodas. A main temple hall (“golden hall,” where the Buddha statues or images were enshrined) stood behind each of the pagodas. The wooden pagoda as well as the stone pagoda on the east side were lost over time, but in the modern era the east pagoda was rebuilt in a project completed in 1993. The west pagoda is believed to have had nine stories originally, but the stone material became badly damaged, and the stonework was reinforced up to six story in the seventeenth century. The remaining stone members were recently taken apart and reassembled Fig.1. The west stone pagoda features a low base, and entranceways for people were built into the center of each side of the pagoda body on the first story. Each entranceway is flanked by stone columns that are a bit raised above the base, in the manner of a column of a wooden building. Individual structural members were carved out of stone to create lintels, flat beams atop the lintels, a bracket system, and slightly uplifted eaves on each story. Thus, the stone pagoda at the Mireuksa Temple Site appears to have all the features found on a wooden building on the outside, while inside narrow
09
Fig.3 Inside the first story of the main body of the stone pagoda at the Mireuksa Temple Site in Iksan ©National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage
passageways were built in the shape of a cross. A reliquary was discovered inside the base stone for the central pillar in 2009 Fig.3. The gold plate found with it bears an inscription that states a Baekje queen donated her wealth to establish the temple as a prayer for the wellbeing of the royal family. It records that sarira reliquaries were enshrined here in 639 CE Fig.2 . The cross-shaped walkways occupy minimal space within the pagoda body, which bears the tremendous weight of the stone structure. The fact they were built indicates that they were an important architectural element which allowed people to enter and exit the pagoda. The pagoda that stands on the Mireuksa Temple Site is the first Korean example showing transition from wood to stone as the construction material. Why did the Baekje royal family decide to do this? Several reasons exist to explain the emergence of stone pagodas, but the most obvious would be that wood was vulnerable to fires, and that stone was more solid and easier to maintain. Moreover, quality stone material was readily available in the surrounding area. The former site of Jeseoksa Temple, also near Iksan, was one among numerous examples of a monastery compound that was completely destroyed by fire. Given this experience, perhaps the builders of Mireuksa Temple wished to preserve the precious sarira for all
time and promote peace and prosperity under King Mu r. 600–641. They may also have been influenced by the fact that a pagoda made of brick-shaped stones, designed to resemble bricks, was completed at Bunhwangsa Temple in neighboring Silla in 634, during the reign of Queen Seondeok r. 632–647. This pagoda also shows the use of unprecedented material. During the first half of the seventh century, people in both Baekje and Silla shared the same concerns over the difficulty in getting quality wood and the susceptibility of wood to fire. They must have recognized the need to find new building materials. Today, switching from building with wood to working with stone can be considered a new way of thinking. It can also be viewed as a creative experience for the people of Baekje Kingdom. However, the question remains: If thinking has changed, how did the carpenters, stone masons, and project promoters all come to agreement on building a pagoda out of stone? In some sense, the sudden adoption of stone, without having gone through a transitional period or having tried some experimental testing, was a very rash and dangerous decision. Replacing wood with heavy stone as the material for structural members and then proceeding to build a structure as high as nine levels would have expended tremendous effort, no matter how sophisticated the construction methods were. The foundation would have to be much sounder, and the columns would need to be thicker than was the case when working with wood. Baekje construction techniques were truly excellent, as evidenced by the outer and inner city walls as well as the tombs they left behind. However, could such a project proceed smoothly, without any concerns or opposition raised, solely based on the Baekje queen’s religious supplication or the royal family’s authority? The process of founding Mireuksa Temple is unknown, but such a large-scale stone pagoda
Fig.4 Stone pagoda at the Mireuksa Temple Site in Iksan, built in 639, Baekje ©Park Jaehong
NMK 2020 SPRING
construction was never again attempted. This fact clearly shows that the project was an unprecedented demonstration of Baekje King Mu’s power, just as the pyramids in Egypt projected the power of the pharaohs. Wasn’t this what the Baekje royal house wanted as well? Replacing wooden pagodas with stone ones is more than simply changing the construction materials. The specialties of the craftsmen in charge of the project are different. It also means the end of the sublime clay figures and other Buddhist iconography that went inside the wooden pagodas. At this time, the country’s fate was in jeopardy, yet the craftsmen employed their limited strength and resources and applied their woodbuilding tradition to create a new style of stone pagoda that fulfilled its intended reliquary function. The stone pagoda that stands on the Mireuksa Temple Site today was the first
of its kind on the Korean Peninsula and among the first in East Asia. No detailed records remain of the process in which it was built, but available stone materials from nearby areas were employed while woodworking methods were adapted and improved upon to achieve this exceptional Baekje structure. Many brick pagodas were built in China, and most of Japan’s pagodas are made of wood. However, the Baekje stone pagoda sparked a tradition in which stone pagodas have remained among Korea’s greatest Buddhist architectural achievements from ancient times to the present day. However, even though the Baekje craftsmen managed to endure severe trials and tribulations to shape this tradition, the Baekje Kingdom fell in 660, only a few years later. Isn’t this a tragic twist of historical fate?
11
ESSAY
Translated Vase _2018 TVG 3 2018 Ceramic shards, epoxy, and 24k gold leaf 137.0 × 91.0 × 96.0 cm Courtesy of the artist Photo: Yang Ian ©Yeesookyung
12
By Yeesookyung Artist English editing by Jeesun Park
Fragments Transcending Time and Space
Celadon Incense Burner with Openwork Design Goryeo Dynasty, 12th century H 15.3 cm National Treasure No. 95
13
Installation view of the Exhibition Whisper Only to You. MADRE · Museo d’arte Contemporanea Donnaregina, Naples, Italy Courtesy the Fondazione Donnaregina per le Arti contemporanee · Museo Madre Photo: Amedeo Benestante
14
A few years ago I saw a liquor ewer produced by the Yi Royal Office of Art Production 1911–1922 (Yiwangjik Misuljejakso) during the Japanese occupation period in a collector’s house. At a time when Korea’s fate was like a candle in the wind, it is said that Emperor Gojong built a kiln inside the royal palace to recreate Goryeo celadons in order to reminiscence the glorious cultural heritage of the nation. But there was something awkward about the celadon ewer replica. Perhaps I felt that way because, I was unconsciously and ceaselessly comparing it to original Goryeo celadon ware. The ewer was unevenly glazed and had a peculiar shape. But still it was an important object that gave me endless questions than any other artefact. Such objects I encounter by chance sometimes get stuck in my head like map coordinates,
creating pathways for my thoughts and sometimes even changing their course. When I look at Goryeo celadon ware in a museum it seems the time and space inside the glass display cabinet and outside it are completely different. When these objects are in front of me, having crossed hundreds of years where they had a particular function, I feel that time and space that they have passed becomes frozen and crystallized. I am mesmerized by the uncanny and transcendental beauty that they emanate. My own work begins with fragments. Ceramics, particularly those reproduced using traditional methods, are simultaneously the condensation of great amount of energy and stress. They come from the earth, their bodies are formed by mixing earth with water, and baked twice in a hot fire as they change in nature and become a totally different entity. But should a ceramic vessel break, it loses its function and value. Yet, the moment it shatters, its precarious fate loaded with anxiety of breaking will end and it is freed from apparition of the original. For me, fragments are like seeds that conceive new life. That is, in the sense that the rise and fall of the object ends and begins to ride the next wave of growth and extinction. At a residency in Albisola, Italy in 2001, I read a poem called Baekjabu (1947), which sings the praises of Joseon white porcelain written by Kim Sangok to a local potter. Then I asked this local potter, who had never seen Joseon vases, to decorate twelve vessels in the way she envisioned or imagined eighteenth century Joseon Dynasty porcelain. As such, the creation of these vases became a translation and transculturation of Joseon Dynasty white vases into hybrid objects, interweaving forms and images with Korean and Italian regional cultural characteristics. That same year, I saw a Korean master potter in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do, break almost every porcelain that he made in a traditional kiln because of tiny flaws. Even today, master potters allow only a small number of their finest works to survive and unhesitatingly destroy the rest. I believe such behavior is one way of interpreting Joseon white porcelain in Korean ceramic art today. It seems, this is the way myths of the creating masterpieces are made. With the permission of a master potter, I gathered fragments of the broken vessels and spread them out on my worktable for a while. And a few months later, as if by accident, I began to slowly put the fragments together. And I started gilding over the cracks with gold because “gold” and “crack” are homonyms in Korean. And that is how the Translated Vase series began in 2001. My work process is far removed from relying on a blueprint or plan in order to make a finished work. As I piece the fragments together, concentrating on the pieces every moment, I realize that the process of creation resembles spiritual practice, NMK 2020 SPRING
Moonlight Crown _Bari’s Tears (detail) 2019 197.0 × 42.0 × 42.0 cm Courtesy of the artist Photo: Yang Ian ©Yeesookyung
Installation view of Translated Vases Albisola. AtteseCeramics in Contemporary Art, Albisola Museum of Ceramics, Albisola, Italy, 2001 Courtesy of the artist Photo: Yeesookyung ©Yeesookyung
Moonlight Crown _Dragon’s Bride 2018 Steel, brass, glass, epoxy, wood, pearl, 24K gold leaf, and mother-of-pearl 162.0 × 90.0 × 90.0 cm Courtesy of the artist Photo: Yang Ian ©Yeesookyung
where one is necessarily conscious or aware at every moment. This approach to my work challenges me every day. I shift my focus from conceptual and existential questions to thinking about interrelated that connects all things in the universe and the invisible energy of all creation. Fascinated by the yeonggi (spiritual energy) patterns drawn next to hunters on horseback in ancient Gorguryeo tomb murals, I became drawn to this expression of powerful yet invisible energy emitted by the hunters, which mirrors the universe filled with tangible and intangible energy. Moreover, I became aware of the varied ornamental motifs on the Gilt-bronze Incense Burner made during Baekje period (twelfth century) that are organically connected to each other, condensing and interweaving different forces of energy. This incense burner is wholly decorated, alluding to this world so full of energy—from air to soil. It is perhaps this kind of visual world which attracts me and that I ultimately seek in my artistic practice. Since 2017 I have been working on a series called Moonlight Crown. Though it is a crown, it cannot be physically worn due to its body. The crown’s surface is a composition of fragmented motifs from the grand narrative of Western and Eastern faiths, to be consumed in our everyday lives simply as beautiful ornaments. Angels, hands joined in prayer, dragons, tigers, and other symbols of religious rites or auspiciousness cover the surface of the crown. While working on these crowns, I often imagine the old Korean Peninsula when transnational exchange took place along the Silk Road. This series was greatly inspired by a research paper which I read in 2017 written by the former NMK Director-General, Kim Hongnam. Kim wrote about the Stone with Lion and Peacock Design (eighth– ninth century), a large stone carving preserved at the Gyeongju National Museum. She researched the lion and peacock motifs—uncommon subjects during Buddhist state Silla Kingdom, as they are more closely linked to early Christian motifs—and traced their vibrant cross cultural journey into the Korean Peninsula. Her fortuitous discoveries helped me to understand internationalism and cultural diversity of the ancient Unified Silla period. Having grown up in 1970’s Korea educated under the myth of racial homogeneity and severe cultural censoring under military dictatorship, embracing fragmented identity and looking for missing cultural links to connect the
Flame Variation 1-4 2012 Pigment on silk 120.0 × 70.0 cm (painting), 138.0 × 195.0 cm (scroll) Courtesy of the artist ©Yeesookyung
past and present has become an inevitable underlying premise of my work, regardless of my intentions. I am fascinated by all things ephemeral that break, get damaged, fail, or disappear. Looseness caused by such weaknesses create new narratives by freely fusing and joining with objects. But all in all, I have no intention of healing or fixing the objects. Rather, my work can be seen as glorification of the fateful weakness of being, including myself. Gold, one of the most important materials in my work, is used not to restore or heal but to highlight that breakage and find a unique beauty in objects that sparkles in the midst of ruins. In the wave of the rise and fall of an object, the end of any phenomenon must follow a new beginning, so perhaps, time and space in my works are unfolding in another plane. My interest in joining and fusing disparate things makes me crave for a strange kind of beauty even more. How can I reach that world of uncanny beauty, which is not institutionalized and as yet unnamed? My artistic journeys always begin with a trifling question that gives rise to many more serious questions. The unknown world of the Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje, as well as Emperor Gojong’s celadon ewer, full of outlandish beauty, and the Stone with Lion and Peacock Design, will for the time being, function as important coordinates for my artistic explorations.
About the author Born in Seoul in 1963, Yeesookyung graduated from the department of painting at Seoul National University in 1987 and earned her master’s degree from her alma mater in 1989. She has since participated in many residency programs around the world including the United States, Italy, Germany. Her first solo exhibition in 1992, Getting Married to Myself, was held in Seoul and subsequently in Tokyo. Her work has been the subject of international solo and group exhibitions since. Recently she has participated in the Venice Biennale in 2017 and held a solo show titled Whisper Only to You at Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte and Museo d’arte Contemporanea Donnaregina in Italy in 2019. Her works can be found in the permanent collections of many prestigious art institutions in Korea and abroad including Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul; The British Museum, London; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Fukuoka; and M+ Museum, Hong Kong.
NMK 2020 SPRING 17
ESSAY
The World of Real Scenery Landscape Painting Fig.1 Ten Scenic Sites of Gwanbuk Joseon Dynasty, 1890 By Jo Jungmuk Ink and color on silk 151.6 × 37.8 cm (each painting, twelve-panel folding screen))
By Lee Jaeho Assistant Curator of the Fine Arts Division, National Museum of Korea
Real scenery landscape painting is a genre that seeks to transfer natural scenes accurately onto the canvas. How do you feel when, while traveling, you encounter unforgettable scenery? Wouldn’t you want to snap a picture with your traveling companion as you admire the breathtaking view? Every time you would take out the photograph later, you could recall the joy you felt at that special moment. Joseon artists produced real scenery landscapes for that same purpose.
These works faithfully record the affection and wonder that a Joseon artist felt when traveling through his beloved land. The National Museum of Korea presents some colorful examples of real scenery landscape paintings from the Joseon Dynasty in Volumes 26 and 27 of Korean Paintings and Calligraphy of the National Museum of Korea, a series that introduces artifacts in the Museum collection. The tradition of landscape painting goes back a long way in East Asia, with
landscape specialists coming on the scene in the Tang Dynasty, China, as early as the eighth century. However, the landscape depictions were usually not intended to be accurate reproductions of what the artist witnessed in nature. Instead, the artist would grasp the essence of reality and then embellish upon it poetically to create a Utopian vision. The same process was also at work to some extent in real scenery landscape painting. The painters would faithfully reproduce the actual scene while
striving to include the force of nature in their depictions. Historical records show that real scenery landscapes of high quality were produced in the Goryeo period. Emperor Huizong r. 1100–1125 of the Northern Song Dynasty is said to have been impressed by Painting of the Yeseonggang River by Yi Yeong, a professional artist who was commissioned by the Goryeo royal court. A number of real scenery landscape works survive from early Joseon, indicating that
the tradition had continued unbroken. However, most of the extant real scenery landscapes are from late Joseon, between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. This coincides with the period when travel literature was widely being produced. Countless poems and essays by literary people identified which places on the Korean Peninsula were the most scenic and described what natural wonders were there. Specific locations became famous as a result, and artists sought them out to
Fig 2 Bodeokgul Cave from Album of Mount Bongnae Joseon Dynasty, 1768 By Kim Yungyeom Ink and color on paper 27.5 × 39.0 cm
paint landscapes. Kang Sehwang 1713–1791 is quoted as saying, “Awareness of land is not maintained simply because the scenery is outstanding; rather, its reputation is handed down to succeeding generations thanks to people who have a special affinity with it.” Real scenery landscape paintings can be born when nature and people as well as literature and art come together. The region of Geumgangsan Mountain tops the list of Korea’s most famous scenic locations. You can start with the illumination on some twelve thousand peaks, encounter the waterfalls and lakes in each valley in between those peaks, and end up at the shore of the East Sea. This area seems to embody every conceivable form of nature. Jeong Seon 1676–1759 presented a new model for real scenery landscapes of Geumgangsan Mountain, and numerous artists produced paintings of Geumgangsan Mountain scenes in their unique styles. For example, Kim Yungyeom 1711–1775 reinterpreted the Geumgangsan Mountain landscape geometrically, a style that is well evident in his Album of Mount Bongnae Fig.2. He renders boulders, peaks, and even valley streams in abstract forms, to include hexahedral and cylindrical shapes, in his Bodeokgul Cave. Kim explored the intrinsic qualities of form and interpreted the scenery intellectually by using fresh, 20
light color-washes. Kim Hongdo 1745–after 1806 was commissioned by King Jeongjo r. 1776–1800 to travel around Geumgangsan Mountain and Gangwon-do and sketch famous natural scenes that would eventually fill the pages of the Album of Famous Mountains in Eastern Korea. The artist demonstrated great sincerity in his mission to record the landscape for the King to view. His draft sketches were painstakingly detailed so that nary a rock formation was omitted. Among his works on this trip, Manmulsang Rocks is particularly unconventional. The sharplypointed rock formation in the foreground stands out starkly and penetrates the upper margin, while the details of other peaks become increasingly hazy the more distant they appear in the scene. The East Sea horizon is furthest back. This composition, which mimics a camera shot, suggests that Kim Hongdo was exploring the application of perspective techniques taken from Western painting. Kim Hajong 1793–after 1875 accompanied Chuncheon Magistrate Yi Gwangmun 1778– 1838 on an excursion to Geumgangsan Mountain. They would stop whenever they encountered exceptional scenery, and Kim would sketch the scene on paper, while Yi composed poems beside him. The Album of Sea and Mountains was produced from
this venture, and the artist’s feelings are clearly shown. The painting entitled Myeonggyeongdae portrays two scholars sitting next to a massive rock formation. The bottle and cup-box next to them suggest they are having a drink while appreciating the fine view. Perhaps the pair represents the sponsor and the artist, transcending their place in society to bare their feelings in the presence of Nature. Hanyang (present-day Seoul) was nestled amid beautiful surroundings, with rocky crests and valleys in the Samgaksan Mountain area north of the city wall, and wide Hangang River flowing south of it. Much of the area inside the walls was densely crowded with buildings, with royal family members and the leading capitalbased yangban classes concentrated on the north side. The lesser yangban families and jungin people households were in the central and southern parts of the city. Members of the elite class as well as the so-called “back-alley literati” would go on outings to natural settings both inside and outside the city walls, where they would hone their poetry and prose writing as well as their landscape painting. The city wall was built along the top of Inwangsan, the mountain on the western edge of the capital, and the part inside the wall has long been famous for its granite formations and streams cascading down
the mountainside gullies. Jeong Seon captured a night view at the southeast slope of Inwangsan Mountain in his Strolling in the Moonlight at the West Garden. The Hanyang city wall is shown winding up a mountain spur, with Jubong (main peak) and Beombawi (tiger rock) looming in the distance. A scholar is wandering in the field behind the residence at the foot of the mountain. Jeong Seon purposely made the objects in the scene appear blurred to give the appearance of their being illuminated by the moon. A pink tint has been lightly applied to suggest the delicate fragrance of a spring night when the apricot blossoms are in bloom. The idyllic life in nature, away from the hustle and bustle of the urban center, was a target of envy for many people. The purpose for Joseon real scenery landscapes diversified in the nineteenth century, as evidenced by Ancestral Grave on Inwangsan Mountain, produced by Jo Jungmuk 1820–after 1894 in 1868. His painting, mounted on a majestic silkscreen, captures an extensive area on the west side of Inwangsan Mountain Fig.3. The series of peaks on Bukhansan Mountain appear in the distance, while Muakjae Hill, Hongjewon (guesthouse for Chinese envoys), and Moraenae Stream are shown
to the west of the mountain. The beautiful springtime scene features imposing mountain contours and blooming peach blossoms. Bak Gyeongbin commissioned this work to record the geomantic layout in the vicinity of his father’s grave, and the artist did so in painstaking detail. The painting reveals the importance placed upon filial piety with respect to the serving of deceased ancestors. Bak Gyeongbin is represented by the scholar, who is depicted heading toward a cluster of burial mounds in a pine grove on the mountainside. The painting takes the place of daily grave visits, something difficult to do. The work introduced on the first page is a rare look at Cheonji (Heavenly Pool), the crater lake on top of Baekdusan Mountain. This scene, entitled Gwaegungjeong Pavilion in Gapsan, is one of the panels of a folding screen painted by Jo Jungmuk, depicting ten famous scenic spots in Gwanbuk (present-day Hamgyeongdo), in what is now North Korea Fig.1. The clouds floating above the mountain and the lake in the background add a touch of mysteriousness. The blue water of the lake is shown flowing westward, while the imposing figure of Hyesanjin, a garrison protecting the frontier river Amnokgang, appears in the foreground. Gwaegungjeong Pavilion was so-
named to impart the sense of constant readiness to repulse incursions by the Jurchen tribes from the north. The crumbling stone pagoda that appears across the river from the fortress is from the tale of a pagoda honoring a brother and sister in the Record of the Ten Scenic Sites North of the Pass, written by Nam Guman 1629–1711. Nam Guman served as governor of Hamgyeong-do, and he wanted to bring attention to the region, which had been largely neglected by the Joseon government and elite class. Therefore, Nam selected ten scenic sites in the Hamgyeong-do region, wrote stories about them, and had the scenes painted. In other words, literature and real scenery landscape painting were employed together to stimulate greater interest in the people who lived in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. The above examples show the affection that Koreans had for their land during the Joseon Dynasty. The National Museum of Korea encourages people today to view the people and landscapes of old days through the Korean Paintings and Calligraphy of the National Museum of Korea series. A new perspective on nature awaits you if you take an interest in the names and verses that have been written about Korea’s mountains and streams.
Fig.3 Ancestral Grave on Inwangsan Mountain Joseon Dynasty, 1868 By Jo Jungmuk Ink and color on silk 169.2 × 366.0 cm (entire folding screen) NMK 2020 SPRING 21
Dragon Head Decoration Goryeo Dynasty Metal L 23.3 cm
COLLECTION
Dragon Motifs: Elaborate Decoration on the Things as an Auspicious Indication
Gilt Silver Cup with Handle in the Shape of Dragon Goryeo Dynasty Metal H 2.8 cm Excavated from Gaeseong area
White Porcelain Jar with Cloud and Dragon Design Joseon Dynasty Ceramics H 41.5 cm
Celadon Brush Stand with Dragon Head-shaped Ornament Goryeo Dynasty Ceramics H 8.8 cm Excavated from Gaeseong area Treasure No. 1932
22
Sword with Ring Pommel with Dragon Design Three Kingdoms period Metal L 95.5 cm
Twin Dragon-shaped Key Holder Joseon Dynasty Metal L 19.7 cm W 13.2 cm
Gold Buckle from Seogam-ri Nangnang Commandery Metal L 9.4 cm Excavated from Pyongyang National Treasure No. 89
White Porcelain Jar with Dragon Design Joseon Dynasty Ceramics H 43.6 cm D 36.6 cm
Brick With Dragon Design Baekje Kingdom Clay W 29.3 cm H 4.2 cm
NMK 2020 SPRING 23
Buddhist Hanging Scroll at Eunhaesa Temple Joseon Dynasty, 1750 Color on silk 1165.4 × 554.8 cm Eunhaesa Temple in Yeongcheon Treasure No. 1270 ©Research Institute of Sungbo Cultural Heritage
24
RENEWAL
By Yoo Suran Assistant Curator of the Fine Arts Division, National Museum of Korea
A Rain of Flowers: Buddhist Hanging Scroll at Eunhaesa Temple
The National Museum of Korea has celebrated the holiday of Buddha’s Birthday with an annual exhibition of gwaebul (large hanging scrolls of the Buddha, used in outdoor rituals) since 2006, making this year’s event the fifteenth in the series. Along with the hanging scrolls, which give form to Korean Buddhist cultural identity, we introduce each year a Korean Buddhist temple that carries on the traditions and culture shared by the Buddhist faithful. The exhibition this time around presents the hanging scroll of Eunhaesa Temple. The name conjures up beautiful images of layered silvery fog in the
Yeongcheon area, where the temple is located, some 280 kilometers from Seoul. The temple was founded in 809 at the foot of Palgongsan Mountain, in Gyeongsangbuk-do, and today boasts a history that spans more than a millennium. The massive hanging scroll is normally enshrined inside the main Buddha hall, so viewing it is extremely difficult for temple visitors except on special days. The scroll measures eleven meters high, a size rarely seen for this art genre outside museums. The Buddhist Hanging Scroll at Eunhaesa Temple was completed in the fourth lunar month of 1750, while spring
was still in the air. The temple began to hold an outdoor Buddhist ritual featuring the hanging scroll, and word of the massive artwork gradually spread among the public. Crowds thronged the temple’s central courtyard to gaze at the image of Buddha descending from Heaven amid a gorgeous floral deluge. The lone Buddha figure is depicted treading upon peony and lotus blooms that have filled the yard, while more of the splendid flowers flutter about him as if paying homage. What was the Buddha’s message to the faithful who gathered there? And how was such a massive Buddhist painting produced? The Koreans who were living 270 years
Renewed Buddhist Painting Gallery
Descent of Amitabha and the Heavenly Retinue Japan, 15th–16th century Color on silk 124.9 × 66.0 cm
Portable Shrine Plates Joseon Dynasty Gilt-bronze H 19.5 cm
Shortcut to Rebirth in the Pure Land by Chanting the Name of Amitabha Joseon Dynasty, 1750 Color on silk 161.5 × 308.0 cm Eunhaesa Temple in Yeongcheon Treasure No. 1857
26
Saving Hungry Ghosts by Giving Nectar on display
ago lived in a time and environment far removed from today’s, and an unusual spectacle of this magnitude was bound to have piqued their curiosity. The painting was executed on nine connected pieces of silk, and the center of the scene is occupied by a single Buddha figure exhibiting a calm and peaceful facial expression. Such a composition is typical of paintings depicting Shakyamuni delivering sermons on Vulture Peak. However, the images of flowers and majestic birds that surround the Buddha suggest Amitabha’s Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. The flowers may also be symbolic of immaculate offerings to Shakyamuni in praise of his teaching. On the other hand, Amitabha has also been depicted in other paintings descending from Heaven into his Pure Land paradise amidst a cascade
of flowers. Thus, the raining flowers in the painting provide a new look at a lone standing Buddha figure. The Buddhist Painting Gallery, on the second floor of the Permanent Exhibition Hall at the NMK, displays the Buddhist Hanging Scroll at Eunhaesa Temple, and the setting is unmistakably the Pure Land, where Buddha and bodhisattvas dwell. In connection with the thematic exhibition, the NMK has put some new items related to the Pure Land on display inside the Gallery from January 21, 2020. Buddhist paintings and illustrations from Buddhist scriptures have been displayed under the theme “Paradise: The Pure and Ideal Land,” providing visitors with a look at the Buddha and bodhisattvas that lead the faithful into the Pure Land. Buddha’s paradise is a world
of sensory delights, with radiant treasures in abundance and beautiful music in the air. Additionally, it is filled with the joy of ascetic practice in the quest for nirvana. Paintings of the Buddha preaching present the realm of the Pure Land, where inhabitants transcend sensory pleasure to reach enlightenment. A grand view of both Buddha in the Pure Land and a realm of transcendent awareness awaits visitors at the NMK’s Buddhist Painting Gallery. The Shortcut to Rebirth in the Pure Land by Chanting the Name of Amitabha, which illustrates Amitabha and his splendid Pure Land, will be also featured in the Buddhist Painting Gallery until August 23. Visitors may enjoy a restful moment as they gaze at an idealized Buddhist world, awash in a floral shower until this autumn.
NMK 2020 SPRING 27
WORLD ART GALLERY
By Kwon Youngwoo Assistant Curator of the Asian Arts Division, National Museum of Korea
Central Asia Gallery: Invitation to the Silk Road Connecting East and West
With the transformation of the National Museum of Korea’s former Asian Art section and its reopening as the World Art Gallery on December 16, 2019, the renewed Central Asia Gallery inside it was also unveiled. The theme running through the gallery is “The Silk Road Connecting East and West.” The Silk Road is a name that is familiar to us today with all its romantic associations. The Silk Road played a definitive role in binding the vast Central Asian region, inhabited by various peoples, into one cultural sphere. The diverse products of neighboring civilizations, including their religion, 28
ideologies, and art, were transmitted to Central Asia via this complex network of trade routes. The culture of this region is therefore unique, combining elements of the ancient cultures of the Mediterranean, West Asia, India, and China. For the most part, the exhibition in the Central Asia Gallery consists of items collected during the Otani expeditions, led by the Japanese Count Otani Kozui in the early twentieth century. They were kept at his house, Villa Niraku in Kobe, and when the villa was purchased in 1916 by the entrepreneur Kuhara Fusanosuke, the new owner donated the art objects and
artefacts remaining there to the Museum of Japanese Government-General of Korea in Seoul. After Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, the collection was transferred to the National Museum of Korea, where it now forms a crucial part of the Asian collection. The renewed Central Asia Gallery consists of the entranceway and three separate exhibition spaces, each with a set theme. Upon entering the gallery, visitors are greeted by a replica of the Afrasiab mural covering one whole wall. The ancient Sogdian mural was presumably painted around the mid-seventh century
Replica of the Afrasiab mural painting depicting foreign envoys including two people from the Korean Peninsula at the entrance to the gallery
in what is presumed to have been a reception room in the residence of a king or noble. Depicted in the right-hand corner of the mural are two figures from the Korean Peninsula wearing headgear embellished with feathers. As guides to the Silk Road from ancient times, they make us realize that for Koreans Central Asia was not the faraway and unfamiliar place it may seem. The first section, arranged on the theme “Flower of Religion Blooming in the Desert,” displays art objects from the diverse religions that were transmitted to Central Asia, particularly Buddhism. The
exhibition space, inspired by the interior of a Buddhist grotto, has a mystical ambience, being filled with murals from the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves of Turpan, as well as murals’ fragments and Buddhist sculptures excavated from various historic sites in Kucha and Khotan, which were Buddhist centers on the northern and southern routes of the ancient Silk Road, respectively. The second section is devoted to the display of items found around Lop Nor, a former salt lake, and the nearby archaeological site of the ancient Loulan civilization along the Silk Road. Thanks
Wooden Carvings of Human Faces Lop Nor 17th–15th century BCE Wood, leather, etc. H 7.7 cm W 5.3 cm
NMK 2020 SPRING 29
Religious sculptures including clay Buddhas on display
to the desert environment, objects such as baskets, head sculptures, and hats from the Xiaohe tomb complex near Lop Nor have been preserved in such good condition that it is hard to believe they date as far back as the seventeenth to fifteenth centuries BCE. The third section features grave goods from the Astana Tombs of Turpan. From around the third century a Han Chinese settlement began to form in the Turpan region and consequently the items yielded by the Astana tombs are marked by a mixture of Chinese and Central Asian elements. Amuse yourself for a while 30
by standing in front of the Painting of Fuxi and Nüwa, the brother and sister of Chinese mythology, and identifying the elements of each culture hidden in it. In addition to changing the composition of the exhibition, various measures were taken to more effectively convey the overall message of the exhibition. The gallery has been darkened and the glass in the display cabinets was replaced with low-reflective glass. LED bulbs with strong highlighting effects have been installed, enhancing the dramatic aspect of the objects on display. Moreover, videos are presented around the gallery
to help visitors understand the exhibits in their spatial and temporal context. The permanent display in the new Central Asia Gallery is a place to learn about the cultural and artistic characteristics of cosmopolitan, far-reaching Central Asia and to explore the traces of exchange that took place on the trade routes connecting East and West.
Painting of Fuxi and Nüwa Astana, Turpan 7th century Color on hemp 188.5 × 93.2 cm
Lady Murtuk, Turpan 8th–9th century Clay with pigment 43.0 × 21.0 cm NMK 2020 SPRING 31
Husband and wife walking around the Outdoor Exhibition area featuring stone stupas with Korean traditional designs carved on the body
INTERVIEW
By the Editorial Team With Chang Hoon and Lee Yunae Husband and wife
Healing in Museum’s Outdoor Garden and the Spring Breeze
Life is Beautiful when You’re Free to Enjoy Yourself
A couple who have been married for thirty-three years have deeply etched in their minds the idea that “Life is not about living diligently but enjoying it.” While the husband, Chang Hoon, has been an office worker for more than thirty years, the wife, Lee Yunae, has taken care of the home and the family. After their two children had grown up the couple set about finding ways to enjoy the rest of their lives. Lee goes to a woodcarving studio where she carves letters or pictures on wood, engrossed in making her own works. It has been ten years since she learned traditional woodcarving techniques, and she chooses her own wood to cut her own designs. With his wife, Chang occasionally goes to see wood carving exhibitions. He finds it interesting to listen to his wife explain with great fluency the techniques, such as engraving and relief carving, and the types of wood used. While Lee Yunae immerses herself in her craftwork, Chang Hoon trains for the marathon. He says that anyone who has entered a marathon competition and felt the thrill of finishing the course gets the itch to run again. According to him, longdistance running is the greatest of all sports. As he trains with members of his marathon club, he can feel himself improving while enjoying nature and the changing of the seasons. Lifestyle in the Time of Corona
The “untact” (un+contact) era opens as COVID-19 rages, and for more than three months now most Koreans have been staying home, stopping all gatherings and appointments. Lee’s wood carving studio is closed for the time being and Chang’s marathon club has suspended all activities. When the buds open on the cherry trees the couple usually go on an outing to Gyeongbokgung Palace and visit the National Folk Museum of Korea or stroll around the rear garden of Changdeokgung Palace. But this year they can’t even think about it. Instead, Chang has been watching concerts by the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra on YouTube. Not long ago he also heard that past exhibitions of the National Museum of Korea could be seen online on the museum’s website, and a whole new world opened up for him when he saw the special exhibition Gaya Spirit—
Iron and Tune online. When he clicked to watch the VR video on the Gold Crown (National Treasure No. 138), he felt as if he was actually in the exhibition hall and realized once again that Korea is indeed an internet powerhouse. Waiting to Return to Everyday Life
When the COVID-19 pandemic is over and airline schedules return to normal, Lee is planning on a family holiday overseas. In the winter of 2018, she spent two months in Chiang Mai, Thailand with her daughter and granddaughter, and last October they visited Da Nang, Vietnam for two weeks. Travel is like a ray of hope that helps to endure the routine of everyday life and simply planning a trip cheers her up. Chang is waiting for a recital by the pianist Lim Hyeonjeong. Lim has recorded the complete piano sonatas of Beethoven and is acclaimed around the world for her powerful yet lyrical performances. As it is not possible to go to a concert right now, Chang is finding solace by turning the radio to a classical music station and catching up on his reading. He recently started reading Paul Auster’s Moon Palace, and like the novel’s protagonist he hopes one day for the chance to visit the Brooklyn Museum to see Ralph Albert Blakelot’s painting Moonlight and the “apertures of whiteness looking out onto another world.”
NMK 2020 SPRING 33
The couple talking in front of two Buddha statues
Stroll through the Museum Garden Full of Stone Artworks
The NMK is closed for the time being due to the outbreak of COVID-19 but the outdoor exhibition grounds remain wide open. In the museum garden where spring is in full swing, visitors can enjoy a variety of sights such as Old Bronze Bell of Bosingak Pavilion (Treasure No. 2) in Jongno, Seoul; the man-made lake 34
At ordinary times, the couple would drop by the Silla Kingdom Gallery to look at ancient objects made of gold. These gold craftworks made hundreds of years ago, which exemplify the aesthetic sense and fine workmanship of ancient Koreans, have a charm that you don’t get tired of even when you see them over and over again. Chang clearly remembers the special exhibition Goryeo: The Glory of Korea, which he saw as he was passing through Yongsan last December 2018. The possibility that the statue of Goryeo’s founding monarch Wang Geon preserved in North Korea would be exhibited had incited his interest. His hopes of seeing it were dashed, however, when the loan from North Korea was not realized. But he believes he will see the statue one day, when cultural exchange between South and North Korea becomes more active. The exhibition was significant for the fact that Goryeo items preserved in various places overseas were all brought together. Among them, the Goryeo celadon pieces from the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London stuck strongly in Chang’s mind as they showed the essence of exquisitely crafted Goryeo celadon ware. When the Museum Reopens
Mirror Pond; Celadon Pavilion “Cheongjajeong” which has the elegance aura of the Goryeo Dynasty; and the trail through the lush pine forest as well as the outdoor library installed there. For the first time in months, Chang and Lee enjoyed the freedom of taking off their face masks as they walked leisurely around the garden, where the taste of spring is everywhere. As visitors are few it is not hard to main a decent distance from others.
When the NMK reopens, Chang thinks it would be a good idea to hold an exhibition focusing on the theme of family or generation. The museum is a place that is open to all members of the general public and he hopes that people worn out by the pandemic situation will be able to visit with their families and recharge themselves. If an event is held to invite families in line with the theme “Three Generations,” elderly grandparents can spend a precious day at the museum with their children, holding the hands of their grandchildren. Chang also mentioned the idea of holding an event for young students on the theme of tradition and dreams, for example, “Instant Composition Sent as a Text Message,” as a way of turning the attention of young people away from mobile games to gain a new perception of cultural treasures. In a situation where it is difficult toAvisit theshowing museum, display the burial living persons with the he hopes that, taking crisis as an opportunity,of more ways will be deceased customs found to encourage family visits to the museum.
NMK 2020 SPRING 35
NEWS
Symposium: Korean Buddhist Images and Dedication Practice A special exhibition Sacred Dedication: A Korean Buddhist Masterpiece at the Freer Gallery of Art & Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington D.C. ended on March 22. Co-organized by the National Museum of Korea and the Freer Gallery of Art & Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, this six-month-long exhibition showcased a Buddhist statue and votive objects originally enshrined inside it for the first time in a museum outside Korea and drew great attention among local audience. The exhibition was accompanied by a symposium on Korean Buddhist sculpture and the practice of enshrining votive objects inside a Buddhist statue for dedication purpose (referred to as “dedication practice” in this exhibition). Held on February 20 and 21, this symposium provided basic information for understanding Buddhist sculpture and dedication practice, theological background of such practice, and related rituals. Curators who participated in the investigation and exhibition of Seated Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, one of the main exhibits of this exhibition, presented major findings of the research of the statue. In addition to academic presentations, the symposium included lectures on the creation of Buddhist statues and the procedures of the dedication practice (dedication practice is about enshrining votive objects inside a Buddhist statue before installing a newly created Buddhist statue or painting, and is registered as National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 139) to present the details of the dedication practice in Korean Buddhist tradition. This symposium accompanying the special exhibition was made possible by the cooperation of the National Museum of Korea and the Freer Gallery of Art & Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and the sponsorship of the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism as part of its program for supporting overseas museums with Korean collections. The National Museum of Korea has long cooperated with the Freer Gallery of Art & Arthur M. Sackler Gallery by supporting the operation of the Korean gallery and the on-line publication of Korean cultural heritage at the Freer Gallery of Art. This exhibition was the first case of presenting a single Korean cultural object based on intensive academic research, and the related symposium helped the local audience broaden their understanding of Korean Buddhist tradition. In this way, Sacred Dedication: A Korean Buddhist Masterpiece presented a new direction of overseas exhibition of Korean cultural heritage.
36
Opening of Public Lecture Programs of 2020
The National Museum of Korea runs a lecture program for the general public with high interest in humanities, which deals with diverse themes of Korean culture and history or those related to the special and thematic exhibitions of the museum. Titled “History and Culture Lectures,” this program offers temporarily some online classes. This year, the program explores the Gaya Confederacy in six consecutive lectures and then covers diverse themes of art, archaeology, and history of Korea and other regions. In particular, the lectures on Egypt, Maya, Indus, and other ancient civilizations prepared in line with the opening of the World Art Gallery in 2019 will broaden and deepen the content of the program. For those who wish to attend the lectures, the National Museum of Korea posts videos of certain lectures on its YouTube channel.
The 14th Creative CEO Course
The Creative CEO Course, jointly operated by the National Museum of Korea and the Cultural Foundation of National Museum of Korea, is designed to help people understand the development of society through consideration of human society and art and culture from the perspectives of the humanities and find possible ways to communicate between different cultures. The theme of the 14th course of this year is “Invention and Discovery, Journey of Human Progress: From Hand Axes to Voyager 2.” This course explores how humanity has progressed through numerous discoveries and inventions in history and deals with diverse subjects including Homo habilis, creation of cities, discoveries and inventions of letters, electricity, nuclear power, life science, and aspirations for space exploration. The 14th course intends to help attendees take a broad view of human society, analyze our society, and develop insights for future society through discourses of anthropology, geography, natural science, and scientific theories. In particular, the classes of the second half of the year will discuss development of science and technology from the perspectives of the humanities, providing a good opportunity to understand our society that is rapidly changing spurred by innovations in science and technology and explore new possibilities for our society.
NMK 2020 SPRING 37
NEWS
First Education Boxes for Children Created for Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje
The National Museum of Korea created for the first time an education box for children on Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje (National Treasure No. 287) (hereafter, “education box”). The creation of this education box is meaningful as the box helps children learn about the culture and history of Baekje reflected in the gilt-bronze incense burner using multiple digital media and activities. Consisting of five boxes, the education box allows children to think and feel by themselves through diverse activities. The first box, “Story of King Wideok of Baekje,” shows a video on the changes of the capital of Baekje Kingdom and the political backgrounds during the reign of King Seong and King Wideok to promote understanding of the historical backgrounds of the creation of Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje. The second box, “The World Dreamed by Baekje People,” shows a large three-dimensional plan of the lid and body of the incense burner so that children can closely observe and find various people and animals featured on the incense burner. The third box, “Baekje Children’s Orchestra,” provides historically restored copies of ancient musical instruments of the five musicians featured in the incense burner so that children can touch the instruments and listen to their sound. The fourth box, “Costume of Baekje,” includes with a detailed guide a smart mirror that allows children to see themselves 38
dressed in the costume of Baekje musicians, women, or the missionary featured in the Illustration of Envoys Presenting Tribute at the Liang Court. The fifth box, “Dream of Giltbronze Incense Burner of Baekje,” allows children to explore diverse aspects of the ancient incense burner using different tools. Children can burn incense themselves using an exquisite reproduction of the original incense burner and closely observe minute details of the incense burner which are hardly seen to the naked eye. They can also watch a video on excavations of the ancient temple site of Neungsan-ri where the incense burner was discovered. The National Museum of Korea cooperated with artists, artisans, and other experts of various fields to make the education box with high design quality. Jo Seongsang made the automata, Park Shinwoo designed typography, Lee Daegeun applied colors, Park Jongho painted for animations, Cho Joonsuk recreated Baekje musical instruments, and Yoon Jiwon reproduced Baekje costume. The National Gugak Center supervised the reproduction of the musical instruments of the five musicians and provided relevant audio files. The education box is used at the Children’s Museum at the National Museum of Korea and the Buyeo National Museum located in the home of Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje.
PUBLICATION
Golden Splendors: The Royal Tomb of Silla Hwangnamdaechong
ISBN: 978-89-8164-197 Language: English
The National Museum of Korea publishes and distributes an English-language catalog every year to widely promote the excellent and original nature of Korean culture outside Korea. By publication of these catalogs, the NMK hopes to respond to growing interest in Korean culture and raise awareness of Korean cultural heritage worldwide. Golden Splendors: The Royal Tomb of Silla Hwangnamdaechong, published in December 2019 includes many research findings of the tomb, which were presented in the special exhibition of the same title held in 2010. Hwangnamdaechong is the largest known example of Silla tombs and consists of twin graves adjoining each other, one in the north and the other in the south. This catalog presents the structure of the huge tomb and the images of splendid golden accessories and large quantity of burial goods to help readers understand ancient tombs in a comprehensive and systematic manner.
Journal of Korean Art & Archaeology vol.14
ISSN: 2577-9842 Language: English
The National Museum of Korea published the Journal of Korean Art & Archaeology, vol. 14, with a special focus on Buddhist Art of Goryeo. The journal includes articles of five sub-themes: Handicraft, state rites, Buddhist sculpture, dedication practice, and the patterns on textiles depicted in paintings of Water-moon Avalokiteshvara from the Goryeo period. These articles contributed by scholars who have long studied Buddhist art, including Professor Choi Eungchon at Dongguk University, Professor Kang Hosun at Sungshin Women’s University, Professor Choe Songeun at Duksung Women’s University, Curator Lee Seunghye at Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, and Professor Sim Yeonok at the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage, will help readers deepen understanding of the elegant and splendid culture of Goryeo. The texts can be downloaded in PDF form at the NMK’s website.
Catalog in Celebration of the Opening of the Iksan National Museum
ISBN: 979-11-88648-14-6 93910 Language: Korean
The Iksan National Museum published a catalog on its permanent collection to celebrate its opening in January 2020. This catalog consists of three sections and helps readers understand the culture of Baekje that flourished in the Iksan region. Part 1 focuses on the cultural area around Iksan which promoted cultural development of Baekje, acting as an intermediary between several regions. Part 2 presents elegant cultural accomplishments from the Sabi period when the Baekje culture reached its prime. The images included show the remains at the Wanggung-ri archaeological site, Jeseoksa Temple site, and Ssangneung (twin tombs). Part 3 shows diverse aspects of ancient Mireuksa Temple, including its history and related legend, construction of the temple, and production activities and economy at the temple. Each part includes detailed images of the exhibits and essays by curators or researchers to provide useful material for understanding the culture and history of Iksan.
NMK 2020 SPRING 39
ONLINE
By the Editorial Team
Visiting the Museum from the Comfort of Home
http://museum.go.kr
40
As part of the drive to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the National Museum of Korea was closed temporarily from February 25 until further notice. According to one newspaper report, as more people voluntarily practice social distancing, six out of ten people feel that their everyday lives have come to a standstill. Visiting the museum is one of the pleasures of everyday life, and in an attempt to alleviate people’s disappointment at not being able to actually visit the museum, the NMK came up with measures that will make sure people can still visit it from the comfort of home during the time it is closed.
Online Exhibition Hall
Naver TV Live
Morning Happiness Alert
Past special exhibitions of the NMK can be revisited in virtual reality. If there is a special exhibition that you missed or would like to see again you can simply choose from the selections on the NMK’s website. VR videos that take you through the galleries of eight highly popular recent exhibitions, including Gaya Spirit—Iron and Tune, The Etruscans—Rising to Rome, and The Dream of a King: Masterpieces from the Dresden State Art Collections, have been prepared. They are accompanied by ten-minute videos featuring stories behind the exhibitions, explanations by the curators, and exhibition highlights, which will make you feel as if you are at the museum. Access to a greater selection of video contents is available by subscribing to the NMK’s YouTube channel.
The special exhibition Man, Matter, Metamorphosis—10 000 Years of Design was the first exhibition ever held at the National Museum of Korea on the theme of “design.” Presented very differently from usual visual arts exhibitions held in Korea, it was acclaimed for its originality. The exhibition garnered great popularity as news spread about the way it introduced the things, culture, and technology that evolved in Finland over the past 10,000 years from a new perspective. As visitors were unable to see the exhibition first-hand due to the temporary closure of the museum, a special broadcast on Naver TV took them inside the galleries. Featuring NMK curator Baik Seungmi and television host Yun Ingu, the program was pre-recorded and broadcast at 7 p.m. on March 13. As a follow-up, the NMK prepared a broadcast of the Egyptian Gallery, which aired on March 25, allowing viewers to see from home 94 Egyptian items including a mummy and casket, stone sculptures, and funerary objects on loan from the Brooklyn Museum in New York. They can still be seen through the Naver TV VOD service.
Anyone who becomes a member of the NMK’s website or a friend of the museum on social media can receive one MMS or email from the museum once a week. The objective of this service is to “knock on your heart to bring early morning happiness” by conveying news to those who love Korea’s cultural heritage in a warm and friendly manner. Though changes are made according to what is timely, generally a new message with a new concept is provided each week. For example, in the first week the message dealt with individual ways of looking at museum exhibits, in the second week moments of happiness felt by regular museumgoers, the third week one item chosen by visitors who had won prizes in various competitions hosted by the museum, and the fourth week stories told by curators about planning exhibitions. To put together these weekly messages, the NMK has organized a diverse team of writers, including children, artists, creators, and CEOs. In this way, the NMK is actively reaching out to a wide range of people.
http://museum.go.kr https://www.youtube.com/user/koreanmuseum
https://tv.naver.com/v/12856617 https://tv.naver.com/v/12953674
Facebook @ NationalMuseumofKorea Instagram @ nationalmuseumofkorea Twitter @ the_nmk
NMK 2020 SPRING 41
Celadon Wares from Different Eras All sorts of feelings arise the moment the two works meet crossing space and time. The elegant form and jade-green color of the Goryeo Dynasty Maebyeong (prunus vase) exhibit the height of sculptural beauty while contemporary artist Yeesookyung’s works start with celadon shards. In her Translated Vase series she takes bits of discarded celadon and joins them together, gilding over the cracks with gold. Between the masterpiece of ceramic art that has survived unbroken and work that is born anew only after being shattered a wholly new kind of beauty is created.
Celadon Maebyeong with Inlaid Cloud and Crane Design Goryeo Dynasty, 12th–13th century H 30.0 cm Treasure No. 1869
