[KS] response and art history question

[Lee, Soyoung]

Andrew and all,

As Maya points out, comparable, and sometimes startlingly identical, design motifs can be found in ceramics globally and across time even without direct contact and influence. Some things appear to have universal appeal. 

As to the lotus motif on Goryeo celadon and Joseon buncheong ware, it does indeed have Buddhist associations or symbolism, though that doesn't necessarily make the vessels Buddhist in meaning or function. Lotus flowers or leaves on Joseon ceramics (buncheong and porcelain) likely have less Buddhist symbolism and more secular or Confucian meaning (likening the Confucian scholar to the pristine lotus rising out of muddy waters). And to some extent the lotus leaves on ceramics, especially in their very abstract form, was likely appreciated simply as decoration. 

Best,
Soyoung


Soyoung Lee
Associate Curator 
Department of Asian Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art


-----Original Message-----
From: Koreanstudies [mailto:koreanstudies-bounces at koreanstudies.com] On Behalf Of Maya Stiller
Sent: Wednesday, September 09, 2015 11:49 AM
To: Korean Studies Discussion List <koreanstudies at koreanstudies.com>
Subject: Re: [KS] response and art history question

Hello Andrew,

Three criteria determine the production of pottery: availability of appropriate material, knowledge of production/firing technology, and consumer needs. Depending on these three criteria, pottery can look very different. However, since you asked about the design in general, geometric/abstract and floral design can be commonly found in ceramics made all over the world.

For a stylistic analysis (form, shape, glaze, design) of ceramics, art historians usually pick objects from the same time period. So, if you are interested in a comparative analysis of Korean/East Asian and Mediterranean ceramics, it might make sense to look at some proto-Three Kingdoms, Yayoi and Han dynasty pottery.

I hope you find this helpful.

Best wishes,
Maya



Maya Stiller, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Korean Art and Visual Culture, University of Kansas Soon Young Kim Post-doctoral Fellow 2015-16 Korea Institute, Harvard University CGIS South, Room S228
1730 Cambridge St
Cambridge, MA 02138


On 9/9/15, Andrew Logie <zatouichi at gmail.com> wrote:
> Dear all,
>
> Two things.
>
> 1) Buddhism and Dan'gun
> Thanks for the useful responses (including some off the list).
>
> Maya Stiller, yes, I like that approach and try to incorporate art 
> history in the limited time of the lecture; thanks for those recommendations.
>
> I would love to read Richard D. McBride's book on Silla Buddhism. Our 
> library online has online access, which don't seem to be printable (I 
> like working with paper copies so I can write on them).
>
> Boudewijn Walraven (and John Jorgensen if he's on this list), yes, I 
> saw the Jorgensen (1998) reference in Breuker (2010) and would be 
> interested to read that paper/chapter. Again, I don't have access to 
> the Perspectives on Korea
> (1998) in which it's contained. I wonder if anyone might have a PDF 
> available. The final composite form of the Hwan'ung-Dan'gun myth is no 
> doubt a Goryeo product but I wonder what Buddhist influence could be 
> identified beyond the superficial naming of Hwan'in and Hwan'ung.
>
> Perhaps I shouldn't give away my entire thesis but I think the 
> interesting thing about the Hwan'ung-Dan'gun myth is its composite 
> nature: whatever you try to label it as ('Buddhist' 'shamanic', 
> 'folk', 'oral epic' etc) it isn't, but rather it's a perfect amalgam 
> of an indigenously formed northern peninsula Goryeo worldview and obviously wasn't created overnight.
>
> 2) Art History question
> My current (temporary) office space is in the Classics department 
> (what's left of it) and in the corridor they have some ancient 
> Mediterranean pottery on display (see photos attached). I was 
> surprised to notice that these feature very similar patterning to that 
> found on Korean celadon and buncheong maebyeong vases. When I do my 
> art history lecture, I've explained these as lotus leaves and 
> geometric 'cloud' patterns reflecting Buddhist and Taoist influences, 
> but if they're on ancient Greek pottery from a 1,000 years earlier, 
> that probably isn't true. I'm surely not the first person to make this discovery, so what are art historians' views on this?
>
> sincerely
> Andrew L
>
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