Fri, 02 Oct 1998

Korean sculpture's varied history

The oldest known examples of sculpture in Korea are some rock carvings on a riverside cliff named Pan-gudae in Kyongsangbuk-do Province and some clay, bone and stone figurines of men and animals excavated from Neolithic village sites. Similar figurines were actively produced in bronze, earthenware and clay during the Bronze Age.

However, it was not until the introduction of Buddhism to the Three Kingdoms in the fourth century that sculpture began to develop significantly in both quality and quantity. Each of the Three Kingdoms, Koguryo (37 BC to 668 AD), Paekche (18 BC to 660 AD) and Shilla (57 BC to 935 AD), was an enthusiastic supporter of the newly introduced religion, and consequently, the carving of Buddhist images and pagodas became the main thrust of their artisans. With artistic and religious fervor, they carved numerous Buddhist images as well as pagodas of diverse shapes in bronze, stone and wood. The regional differences among the Three Kingdoms were gradually integrated along with the assimilation of T'ang Chinese arts. Buddhist sculpture enjoyed a "golden age" during the two centuries following Shilla's unification of the Peninsula in 668. The Sokkuram Grotto shrine, built in the mid- eighth century near Kyongju, represents the best Buddhist sculpture of this period.

As the Koryo Dynasty (918-1392) proclaimed Buddhism the state religion, Buddhist carvings continued to flourish during that period, and a great number of Buddhist images and pagodas of excellent artistic quality were produced. Buddhist sculpture rapidly declined with the inception of the Choson Kingdom (1392- 1910) in the late 14th century, as its ruling aristocracy suppressed the religion as a national policy. Sculptural art in general experienced a notable deterioration during the entire Choson period because its Confucian-dominated society held it in little esteem.

In spite of a brilliant tradition of stone and bronze sculpture in the ancient and medieval periods, Korea saw the birth of modern sculpture only recently. The first sculptor of significance in modern times was Kim Pok-chin who studied in Japan in the late 1910s. Any growth in this field was frustrated during the colonial period, and most sculptors simply imitated Western techniques. Korean art circles began to gain some vitality after the Korean War (1950-1953) and modern sculpture took firm root in the 1960s, when two opposing schools -- realism and abstractionism -- grew, and sculptors began to use a great variety of materials.