Korean Ceramics

Art Review: Asia Society Korean ceramics exhibit Korean ceramics are not as famous as their Chinese counterparts. However, after viewing the Asia Society Korean ceramics exhibit, I was forced to ask 'why is this not the case?' Many of the works were so striking and unique, I was curious as to why they were not better known. I am eager to try out some of the designs in my own ceramic creations.

On the surface, the works looked deceptively simple, yet I was drawn in by the intricacy of the design and craftsmanship. A good example of this was a white-and-blue vase depicting a 'kingfisher' bird. The bird was elegant in its design, made with threads of blue paint to suggest delicacy and flight. The underglaze of the work gave the painted bird a kind of suspension on the white surface.

Everything about the vase suggested being airborne even though it was a very simple, symmetrical design in terms of its actual construction and only dominated by two colors. There was complexity in texture which further suggested the clouds in the sky and vegetation surrounding the bird in its raised surfaces, although the suggestion was quite subtle. Blue and green were the most notable colors used on the vases. According to the exhibition's written materials, Korean ceramics are a very old art, but began largely with grey stoneware.

However, during the Goryeo period, with the injection of a multicolored palate and subtle glazes, the Korean ceramic tradition began to take on much greater complexity and have greater artistic aspirations. I noticed that in contrast to many exhibits of Chinese ceramics that featured red and yellow designs, very 'cool' colors were favored in this exhibit, creating delicacy and subtlety in all of the designs, regardless of the shape of the vase.

The shapes of the objects were for the most part relatively common: it was the colors, glazes and underglazes, and depictions of figures on the vases that give the works their greatest distinction. This was an important lesson for me as an artist, because it showed me how very simple and clean lines can be important showcases of complex shades, ideas, and thoughts. Viewing an exhibition from another culture and presenting it in an intelligible fashion presents many challenges.

The Asia Society did an excellent job in including short descriptions next to the different objects as well as providing a greater overview of the tradition of ceramics in Korea. If these descriptions had not been provided, I would have been able to have appreciated the beauty of what I saw but not fully comprehended the role of ceramics in the Korean tradition or understood why it was so important and so distinct. Especially when presenting the work of another culture, description and historical context is essential.

What can seem very ordinary can still have great historical.