The Historical Development of Fine Arts in Korea from 1950 to Present

Introduction Korean fine art entails different forms of art that originate from Korea such as pottery, calligraphy, literature, painting, music among other genres, which are characteristically identified by their bold colors, surface decorations, and natural forms. The history of Korean art spans back to the Stone Age period with the introduction of votive sculptures and petro glyphs, which can be dated back to the Neolithic art, Bronze Age art, and the Iron Age art eras (Cavendish 961; Armstrong 92).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Historical Development of Fine Arts in Korea from 1950 to Present specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Subsequently, different styles of art were introduced during the reign of different kingdoms and dynasties (Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla, Gaya, Unified Silla, Goryeo Dynasty, and the Joseon Dynasty) whereby the Chinese culture is credited for influencing the development of differ ent styles of art that displayed elegance and spontaneity (Mayo, Rimer, and Kerkham 134). However, contemporary art scholars note that the Korean culture, both traditional and modern, consists of a unique style of art that transmits the Chinese culture while assimilating its own unique art culture. Therefore, it is apparent that Korea particularly South Korea offers vibrant art scenes characterized by creativity and innovation in different art genres (Cavendish 961). This paper explores the development of different genres of fine art such as traditional and contemporary dance, music, paintings, sculpture, and drama in Korea from 1950 to present. The History of Fine Arts in Korea Visual Arts The fall of different Korean kingdoms and dynasties coincided with the development of Korean art from the ancient Chinese-influenced forms of art to more distinctive and unique styles of Korean art. During the 20th century, Korean calligraphy, painting, animation, comics, wood-blocks, and printin g were influenced by the transition from Korean Shamanist art through Buddhist art, and finally, to Confucian art. During this period, brush-strokes were used to communicate the artist’s personality through calligraphy, which also enriched the subject matter of the painted works. Moreover, fabric arts as captured through Choe Eun-sun’s work involved embroidery in screen-work, wall decorations, weaving, and designing costumes. Fabric art was also represented through the works of carpet and rug weavers who produced different saddle blankets, imperial dragon carpets, saddle covers, and tiger rugs for different occasions and personalities.Advertising Looking for research paper on art? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In addition, paper artistry included the use of hand-made paper-works in designing window screens, floor covers, paper fans, paper figures, and for printing. In fact, the use of paper derived from mulberr y roots dates back to thousands of years according to studies conducted in 1960, which revealed that the paper could last about 1000 years (Cavendish 961-963; Connor 265). Painting is another form of visual art, which has been used to celebrate nature and religious themes over the years. However, beginning the 18th century to the present, many artists use painting to depict daily life and different landscapes. For example, the Japanese occupation (1910-1945) is credited for the introduction of western oil-painting, which has since influenced the contemporary South Korean paintings most of which are housed in the National Museum of Contemporary Art (Mayo, Rimer, and Kerkham 135). Through these 20th century art paintings, it is evident that the South Korean artists have continued to employ the western oil-painting styles with a redefined mixture of classical Korean themes, which demonstrate their originality. Moreover, the contemporary painting styles used in Korea demand that the art ist understands the Korean ceramics, pottery, and textures considering that brush-strokes weigh more in judging the Korean artist’s work. Notable Korean artists who combine the contemporary western and distinctive Korean painting styles include Suh Yongsun, Tschoon Su Kim, and Junggeun Oh among others (Cavendish 963). As opposed to South Korea, which still embraces the socialistic art styles, North Korean artists have introduced completely different forms of visual arts exemplified through the production of patriotic films that have dominated the North Korean culture from 1949-1994. These patriotic films have revived the use of architecture, neo-traditional painting, and fabric art to communicate political statements and represent various dramatic landscapes. This revolution has seen the emergence of politically-charged revolutionary posters, documentary films, visual crafts, realistic paintings, and exportable needlework by renowned North Korean painters such as the Fwhang s isters whose painting style is a mixture of western and Far East techniques (Armstrong 92; Cavendish 900). Ceramics, Sculpture and Metal Crafts The production of different forms of ceramics spans six centuries since the introduction of the celadon vases (blue-green in color) production techniques by the Chinese. Since then, the Korean people have owned the techniques with a few changes such as the introduction of the inlaid designs, which represent different natural motifs.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Historical Development of Fine Arts in Korea from 1950 to Present specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Currently, pottery that combines the traditional and modern techniques is the most famous activity taking place in Inchon whereby artisans are involved in producing quality ceramics. On the other hand, the introduction of sculpture dates back to the Buddhism era whereby stone, bronze, and wood were th e main raw materials used to carve images of Buddha and pagodas as exemplified by the Buddhist sculpture at the Sokkuram Gotto Shrine (Kyongju). Despite the decline of Buddhist sculpture with the emergence of Confucianism, modern sculpture has been widely practiced since the 1960s in different places including plazas, streets, and parks across South Korea (Cavendish 961-969). Metal craft is another form of ancient art exemplified by the ancient decorated bronze structures that can be found all over South Korea. Furthermore, history has it that the ancient Shilla artisans are well known for the use of gold and jade in cramming tombs and producing bronze bells such as the Divine Bell of King Songdok. Many other ancient handicrafts such as gilt crowns, ornaments, and pots have been excavated and are now available at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul. Currently, handicrafts are uniquely designed for specific purposes as opposed to their aesthetic value. Furthermore, there has been a sporadic change from the traditional techniques of using metal, fabric, and wood to the modern techniques employing glass, paper, and leather (Cavendish 970). Korean architecture and interior design has a long history, which can be seen through the traditional Korean gardens and palaces. In these gardens and palaces, ancient ideographs can be seen. The ideographs display various geometric, animal, plant, and nature patterns (motifs), which offer an aesthetic value to different architectural structures. Some of the most famous geometric designs and patterns, which have stood the test of time, include squares, triangles, concentric circles, and diamonds among others. Conversely, some rock carvings were designed to represent animal patterns, and in most cases they coincided with the food-gathering seasons. However, the current use of different architectural and interior design patterns involves the decoration of doors, temples, shrines, spoons, furniture, and other objects to add an a esthetic value (Cavendish 965-970; Connor 265). Performing Arts Performing arts in Korea encompass the art of story-telling/comedy, tea ceremonies, musical arts and theatre, dance, literature, and poetry. The tea ceremony is usually held in a specific house characterized by its own unique architecture within the garden. In the tea house, ritualized conversations, pottery, traditional costumes, and poetry are important aspects of art that offer an artistic and cultural experience for the attendees.Advertising Looking for research paper on art? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the other hand, musical arts and theatre have had a long history in South Korea with a few changes, which have led to the emergence of different categories of music in Korea including traditional, western, and a mixture of Western and Eastern styles. Traditionally, music was categorized into folk music and p’ansori (a musical narrative involving folktales and novels). These categories of traditional music have been preserved and classically developed into new music since the establishment of the Korean Traditional Performing Arts Center in 1951 (Cavendish 961-980). Contemporary music in Korea has the same test of audiences as other forms of western music despite that most Korean artists perform using various stringed instruments while some are well known for their prowess as symphony directors. World music has also influenced Korean music despite efforts made to differentiate it from other Western and Eastern forms, and currently, the Korean musicals is a representative of various innovations and revivals of Korean music in the 21st century. Conversely, post 1945, the Korean masks have found extensive use in folk-art dramas and as tourist artifacts (Cavendish 976-981). Dance and Theatre are other important forms of performing arts, which have been rediscovered in South Korea as early as the 1980s with the declaration by the government that the few remaining dances should be preserved and protected by the Intellectual Property protection laws. Furthermore, the establishment of the Korean Culture and Arts Foundation has also accelerated the development of performing arts and the preservation of traditional dramas. Currently, contemporary dance and ballet thrives in the presence of many companies and ballet troops housed in the National Theatre in Seoul, which is basically dedicated to promoting traditional music, drama, and dance. Moreover, the Sejong Cultural Center in Seoul is also dedicated to the development of orchestras, choirs, and dance. Despit e narrative storytelling based on dramatic songs or physical comedians thriving over the years, it is still dominated by male performers (Connor 265-270; Cavendish 990). Moreover, South Korea and Korea in general has not seen the emergence of Stand-up Comedy due to the underlying cultural considerations, and thus, more needs to be done to promote performing arts from this perspective. Works Cited Armstrong, Charles, A. The North Korean revolution, 1945-1950. New York: Cornell University Press, 2004. Print. Cavendish, Marshall. World and its Peoples: eastern and Southern Asia. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Corporation. Print. Connor, Mary, E. The Koreas. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO Publishers, 2009. Print. Mayo, Marlene J., Rimer, Thomas J., and Kerkham, Eleanor, H. War, occupation, and creativity: Japan and East Asia, 1920-1960. United States of America: University of Hawaii Press. Print. This research paper on The Historical Development of Fine Arts in Korea from 1950 to Present was written and submitted by user Sariah Rutledge to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Writing A Graduate School Essay Sample

Writing A Graduate School Essay SampleA Graduate School essay sample is a good way to start a topic for your graduate school paper. An example can help you get started writing without having to completely memorize every word. These examples show you how to organize and structure the paper in a way that is easy to understand.When writing a graduate school essay sample, it is important to remember that even though the examples show you what to write, they do not actually teach you how to write a good essay. As long as you follow the formatting guidelines and structure of the examples, you should be able to make most of the examples look like a natural extension of what you already know.The Journal of Social Work Studies offers an example each year. Students can download these samples and use them as a base for their own papers. If you would like to use an example from a different journal, you can contact the editor or author of the journal in question. They may be willing to let you us e one of their examples to add some structure to your paper.This year, the Journal of Social Work Studies, 'to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its inception, invited undergraduate students to submit the most original Graduate School paper they could write.' Students are asked to send in a 300-word topic for consideration. Examples from the Journal of Social Work Studies were used to show students what to write about.In this example, the topic is 'the changing face of law,' and so your research will include 'law, development of, and practices, in the United States and globally, and (a) the changing face of law and justice in this country and (b) the world beyond the law.' Each example uses this format: first, describe the organization, (such as 'the association whose mission is to provide legal services'), then describe the program (such as 'new positions were available'), then describe the services offered (such as 'our legal assistants can answer questions about foreclosure proce dures.'). The essay should be as brief as possible while still describing the services you offer.Example from the Journal of Social Work Journal shows you what to do in a case that appears to be about social work in the article. There are two sections, a one-sentence introduction and a five-sentence summary. Students are asked to write these sentences in a way that makes sense based on the context and lead them to complete the rest of the essay.The first section describes the starting point and ending point of the essay. Students are asked to provide some information about the service and explain how it relates to their lives. The second section includes a description of the service and how it relates to the reader's life. The final section should cover the final consequences of the service.You can also use an example from a graduate school to emphasize the importance of the service in the reader's life. In many examples, the service was cited and presented as a direct impact to the reader's life, but in others the service was not referred to. These are examples you can use to emphasize the importance of the service in the reader's life and make sure the reader understands your topic.