History of Korean Arts - Essay Example

 Antique Online is an explicit website serving as a gallery of Korean Arts and Handicrafts. This website has much to speak about the Korean culturalhistory and is highly influenced by both the cultural aspects and the historical aspects pertaining to Korea. As art forms and handicrafts are real reflection of the history and the culture of the specific area, this website which is an archive of the art and handicrafts of Korea, directly serves as an indicator of Korean culture and history. The introductory statement of the website itself state the further browsing through its WebPages as a journey through the Korean history and as a process of bringing in the beauty of yesterday into the realities of today. The objective of this essay is to critically analyze the content and design of the website ‘http://www.antiquealive.com’ , for its culture-specific elements. Each and every aspects and components of the websites would be carefully evaluated to analyze its efficacy in conveying the traditions and culture of Korea and its people. Rhetorical analysis The methodology followed to have the rhetorical analysis done was to critically examine the text and the layout of the pages and to arrive at a conclusion by comparing them with the standardized theories and principles. It is quite evident from the layout and the site tree that the information is intended to be extended to a wide range of audience. It is interesting to note that there the website has made available eleven multilingual versions excluding the one in English. This clearly indicates that the objective is to expose Korean culture through its art forms and handicrafts to the people across the globe. The knowledge that the website offers can be useful to researchers, historians and also to students. The approach of the website to cater for people ranging from common man to specific researchers has made its target audience huge in quantum. In each and every detail of the WebPages the integrated purpose of the web resource is evidently visible. Be that the text or even the smallest of graphical elements, all has worked together towards the purpose of ideally reflecting Korean culture. The home page promises the reader to be taken through a breathtaking journey into the history of Korean culture. In the simplest language, the purpose of the website is to highlight Korean culture through the traditional and historical aspects pertaining to its arts and handicrafts. The arrangement and the layout also contains within it specific Korean cultural reflections. However, the arrangement of the homepage appears to be a bit complex and improper. The elements, especially the graphics and the pictures speak much of Korea and aspects peculiar to its culture. The culture-specific elements are maintained and arranged so as to appear in every part of the page all through the scrolling. Design analysis The design analysis of the website was done by comparing it to the industry standards and the calibrated design templates. Going well with the title of the website, the whole design has maintained antiqueness all through. Thus the website contains more culture-specific elements than formal ones as far as the design is concerned. The design has ideally used images pertaining to the culture and traditions of Korea. Interestingly each topic has been explained visually well through the inclusion of specific and culturally relevant images. For example, the image of the bamboo fan makes the article on ‘Seven-tier Arcs Hwangchil Fan’ much expressive and clear to the audience. The color that the designer has selected also has helped much to express the cultural context. The whole background is set in a close to black and white background which in glance makes it clear that the context has to do much with traditions and the cultural history. The specific font used also clearly suggests of the seriousness with which the subject is being dealt. Graphically the website is quite simple. However, this simplicity adds much to the cultural and the historic context. The layout, especially of the homepage basically lacks alignment. It appears that the text and the images are quite loosely arranged within the page. The arrangement of the navigational features also has been complex leaving the reader to really search for the links within the page. However, the design of the main navigational links speaks of those ages critical for the Korean culture and arts. Context analysis As far as the context is concerned, the matter included in the WebPages is quite specific to the cultural aspects. It specifically deals with the art and the handicrafts of Korea and the way they are related with the culture. The links associated with the website clearly indicates the intention of cultural exchange and linkage through the medium of art. The links to other websites includes websites dealing with art from all corners of the world. The information as provided by the website would be highly beneficial for researchers, students, historians, art lovers and many others. Conclusion In totality, it can be concluded that the website has ideally reflected the cultural context it intends to do. The most evident culture-specific element in the website is the relevance of art, handicrafts and traditions and the way they are linked to the culture. Korean culture in relation with its arts, handicrafts and culture has been well reflected. The structural layout along with other graphical inclusions has well supported this reflection as well. The text and the context well guide the audience towards the culturally relevant context pertaining to the nation. Dedicated to the Korean artists who built the Asian artistic traditions, the authors of the site has done a pretty good job to reflect the cultural greatness of Korea and its cultural contributions to the world. Read More