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KOREA
Soft & Sensitive
in Style &
Substance
The traditional culture of Korea is rich and varied. Apart from
the instruments used, traditional Korean music is characterized
by improvisation and the lack of breaks between movements.
A pansori performance can last for over eight hours during
which a single singer performs continuously.
Rather than contrasting different speeds as it is common in
Western music, most traditional Korean music begins with the
slowest movement and then accelerates as the performance
continues.
Korean court music, called jeongak, is closely related to the
literate upper-class, and has a strong intellectual emphasis.
Jeongak is played at a very slow pace, with single beats taking
as long as three seconds. The beat matches the speed of
breathing rather than the heartbeat as in most Western music,
and feels static and meditative.
Pungmul is Korea's folk music and is full of expressions and
emotions. This kind of traditional music is closely related to the
lives of common people. As with the Jeongak, improvisation is
common in Minsogak.
Dance
As with music, there is a distinction between court dances and
folk dances. Common court dances are jeongjaemu
performed at banquets, and ilmu, performed at Confucian
rituals.
Religious dances include all the performances at shamanistic
rites (gut). Secular dances include both group dances and
individual performances. Traditional choreography of court
dances is reflected in many contemporary productions.
Painting
The earliest paintings found on the Korean peninsula are
petroglyphs of prehistoric times. With the arrival of Buddhism
from China, different techniques were introduced. These
techniques quickly established themselves as the mainstream
techniques, but indigenous techniques still survived.
There is a tendency towards naturalism with subjects such as
realistic landscapes, flowers and birds being particularly
popular. Ink is the most common material used, and it is
painted on mulberry paper or silk.
In the 18th century indigenous techniques were
advanced, particularly in calligraphy and seal
engraving.
Crafts
There is a unique set of handicrafts produced in
Korea. Most of the handicrafts are created for a
particular everyday use, often giving priority to the
practical use rather than aesthetics. Traditionally,
metal, wood, fabric, laquerware and earthenware
were the main materials used, but later glass,
leather or paper have sporadically been used.
Ancient handicrafts, such as red and black pottery,
share similarities with pottery of Chinese cultures
along the Yellow River. The relics found of the Bronze
Age, however, are distinctive and more elaborate.
During the Joseon period popular handicrafts were
made of porcelain and decorated with blue
painting. Woodcraft was also advanced during that
period. This led to more sophisticated pieces of
furniture, including wardrobes, chests, tables or
drawers.
Ceramics
The use of earthenware on the Korean peninsula
goes back to the Neolithic Age. The history of
Korean Ceramics is long and includes both Korean
OPEN TRADE 39
Oct-Dec 2007