Japanese contemporary art and Korean contemporary art - Coursework Example

Japanese Contemporary Art and Korean Contemporary Art Introduction Art history has since shown to have attention towhat makes art connective to one another as to what make art individually unique. There is an assumption that arts shape other arts since no art can be said to be an island of itself.1 According to Abbert, noted that Japanese and Korean’s rich artistic heritage was founded on a remarkable blend of the native traditions, foreign influence especially by China, sophisticated technical skills, and exuberant human spirit.2 Accordingly, the two nations have quite similar artistic orientation as is evidenced in their religious practices, paintings, performing arts, animations, etc. However, amidst almost similar originality and far more resemblance elements, both the Korean and Japanese arts harbor some distinctive features which make them stand apart. This paper, therefore, presents contemporary art practice in Japan and Korean, comparing and contrasting their different attributes. The paper also attempts to highlight the diverse effects that art have on the respective communities. Japanese and Korean Art The introduction of religion had a great significance to the Korean artistic images, and artistic styles were manifest in the temple developments, bronze statues, portraits and exemplified manuscripts. Also, Korea’s physical position at the crossroad of East Asia- between its two larger neighbors, Japan, and China – added an enormous influence on its history and culture and its artistic fundamentals. Korea functioned as an outlet between China and Japan for philosophies and theories and technologies that enriched Koreans artistic innovation and skills.3 Moreover, scholars have established non-passive role of Korea of spreading artistic ideas across to Japan or China, and recognized it not only diffused culture but also integrated it resulting to unique Korean art and culture of its own.4 Japanese art covers broad assortments of art styles and media that include ancient poetry, wood and bronze sculptures, silk and paper ink paintings, and other type artwork. Japanese painting has a rich history of synthesis and rivalry between natural Japanese aesthetics and utilization smuggled ideas. Further Japanese sculptures mainly originated from the idol reverence in Buddhism or animistic rites of Shinto deity. Particularly, sculptures were mostly and firmly centered on Buddhism.5 Similarities between Japanese and Korean Art Like Japanese art which integrated Buddhist symbols into their religious and decorative art forms, the Korean art also has a lot of religious orientation and integration. Buddhism as a religion had a great influence in the artistic attitude of both the Koreans and the Japanese, under such a lot of artworks represented the religious statues used in temples of worship.6 Moreover, as it was pointed out before, the Japanese believed in the significance of everything in nature and so they associated different meanings to them, to the extent that they incorporated their symbols in their great art designs. For instance, dragons symbolized the magical carriers of rain and good fortune, the five –clawed dragons that were only given to the emperors to wear as their symbol of power.7 Consequently, it can be concluded that Buddhism religion had a significant impact on both the Korean and Japanese arts such as architecture, paintings, calligraphy, and literature. Notably, in the fourth century, China was considered, both by itself and many Asian countries under its control,8 to be the center of the universe. Many Korean artists moved to China to learn contemporary Chinese painting styles. However, what these artists learnt not only influenced the images of Korea, but also the skills of the Japanese since many Korean artists relocated to Japan.9 This indicated vividly that both the Japanese and Korean arts had great influences from Chinese art. Moreover, during the Korean colonial period (1910-1945), the Japanese attempted to suppress the Korean culture and art in favor of Western or Chinese styles- both of which had been assimilated by the Japanese, but after liberation the Korean artists revived their artwork.10 Although Japanese paintings featured a shifting perspective, like the Korean paintings, many of the works focused on more intimate and limited subjects, allowing for more explicit perspective and lighting effects.11 Additionally, it cannot go unmentioned that Japan and Korea are home for custom plays and martial arts, and so they share more similarities than there are differences especially regarding these arts. Martial arts, for instance, was meant for self-defense with a strong focus on strength and discipline among both the Japanese and Koreans.12 Difference between Japanese and Korean Arts Specialists in Japanese cultures observed with concern that the Japanese philosophy of Precision, keenness, and Inventiveness captured the inner Beauty of everything the Japanese produced, particularly artworks.13 The Japanese are known for they love of details, and this distinctively differentiated the Japanese artists from the Korean artists. The Koreans are known for their holistic approach to different tasks as well as their artworks, i.e. they focus on the bigger picture. The Koreans value function, quantity and speed and they don’t like unproductive engagement.14 Under such Korean art are distinctly marked by their simplistic nature which correctly applied to their use of decorative devices, motif and the intervention of the human hand was kept to a minimum. Accordingly, Korean artists shunned the use of extreme straightness or extreme-curves, shape angles, and steeply angled planes, etc.15 To the Japanese, everything in nature has particular significance and meaning, and so the artists integrated some Buddhist symbols into their religious and decorative art forms, namely; Conch, Umbrella, Endless Knot, etc. Again they categorized the antiques depending on the material used which along with the design, craft, and motif, identified the period in which they were made. Each period had its style, namely: Momyama (1573-1615), Edo (1613-1868), Meiji (1868-1912), Taisho (1912-1926), Showa (1926-1989) and Heisei (1989-Present).16 However, this nature and artistic integration is not evidenced in the Korean artwork. Another trend that was common at this Koryo’s era was the exercise of painting scenes to reflect their original appearance. This great interest in realistic actual appearance of landscapes and scenes of ordinary people doing ordinary things was later referred to as genre painting. It was uniquely Korean of all the art styles, and it enabled a holistic view into the ordinary lives of the people of the Chosun period.17 The Korean-arts’ collection of paintings was all hand-painted to represent the rich traditions of landscape, genre, Minhwa and the Four Gracious plants, namely plum blossoms (which represented courage), orchids or wild orchids (represented refinement), chrysanthemums (as a sign of productive), and bamboo (represented integrity). These had been originally Confucian symbols for the four qualities of a learned man before they were associated with the four seasons. The most famous style of Japanese art is Ukiyo-e, which is Japanese for “pictures of the floating world.”18 Ukiyo-e art was produced in a diversity of different media, including painting and became an art domain of the upper classes and royalty but was later produced by the common people.19 Ukiyo-e style later became known to Westerners mainly through woodcut prints in the 19th century, as it developed very distinctive, dramatic ways of using lines and color in the landscape, portraiture, and other subjects.20 Contrarily, one unique of Korean art lies in its understated simplicity and spontaneity, together with a feeling of harmony with nature. The Korean art is closely associated with naturalism; that is to say Korean wood sculptors favored the unaltered beauty of the natural wood grain. Again in ceramic art, the Korean potters were not actually interested in achieving technical perfection (in surface, curve or shapes) like the Japanese, but in bringing out the natural characteristic of his materials and medium21. Kabuki is a traditional popular drama which incorporated singing and dancing performed in a high stylized manner, with a rich blend of music dance, mime and spectacular staging and costuming.22 Initially, the term kabuki implied the unorthodox and shocking character of this form of art. The Japanese used the Kabuki makeup also known as Kesho, and this was a clear interpretation of the actors’ roles through the medium of the facial features.23 Further Kabuki makeup was also used as a way of face painting, and it has two types, namely: standard makeup that applied to most actors and kumadori makeup that applied to villain and heroes. The latter was composed of very dramatic lines and shapes using colors that represented certain qualities.24 The color pattern had different meanings: dark red-showed passion or anger, dark blue-depression or sadness, pink-youth, black-fear, and purple-nobility. Japanese painting tended to be more abstract and more naturalistic, and they allowed for a greater spontaneity and individuality than the Korean painting depending on the artist and the subject under consideration. Additionally, in contrast to the more decorative Korean aesthetics, Japanese style tended toward a paring down to the very essentials, an action that captured the basic form and characteristics of a specific subject.25 It is worth noting that a remarkable number of Japanese traditional forms of performing art such as music, dance, and theater have survived in the contemporary.26 Notably, traditional music and dance trace their origins to the ancient religious use-Buddhist, Shinto and folk. While Noh, Kabuki and Bunraku theaters performances grew popular concurrently with the growth of large urban centers and a moneyed, mercantile economy in Japan, in Korea these kind of popular theaters did not develop.27 Unlike in Korea where art performance at the court was done by people holding other positions in the government, in Japan these art performers were attached to the imperial household. Further, speaking of the art performance, among the Koreans K-pop artists perform this technique using diversified languages –Korean, English, Mandarin and Japanese – as such contributing to its international marketability.28 This is however in contrast to the Japanese (J-pop) which was often performed on in one language-Japanese, and this must have contributed to its loosing market to K-pop. Again J-pop artists emphasize on hairstyle exaggeration with a dress code that won’t be acceptable on a regular day while K-pop artist dress just like normal and regular people. In their videos, in K-pop, the focus are the performers the artist and the band while in J-pop is more about telling a story with a video thus giving little symbolism of the song.29 Among the Japanese people with obsessive interests were referred to as Otaku. Initially, the term had a negative connotation before it emerged as a subculture and as a principal idea of various anime and manga works, documentaries and academic research.30 As a Japanese subculture, Otaku has become a label for a growing community of socially-inept, information-crazed, often brilliant technological shut-ins. In other words, Otaku are defined by their connoisseur-like obsession with accumulating objects and information relating to their specific hobby or interest.31 Its birth coincided perfectly with the boom of anime and so it aided in the rapid spread of anime especially among the young Japanese population. On the Contrary, in Korean context the term ‘Otaku’ is regarded as an insulting term refereeing to a person over-indulged in Japanese culture. Animation can be defined as the quick presentation of the structure of 2-D artwork or model location in order to develop an impression of movement.32 Manga is but a comic corresponding to Japanese styled animation and is often characterized by use of flat areas of solid color and thick, black outlines. In Japan, anime refers to both Western and Eastern styles of animations whereas in the US the term is synonymous with Japanese animation. Japanese anime covers a wide range of subject matters- from science fiction and adventure to explicit pornography.33 This Japanese diversity can be attributed to the long history of anime’s print predecessor, manga. Manga was first used in a multivolume series which consisted of caricaturesque or freestyle drawings of people, animals, plants, buildings and illustrations for imaginary dramatic narratives distorted from their lifelike models. Korean animation is greatly westernized marked by its individualistic values while Japanese animation draws from their cultural stories and fables as seen in its emphasis on collectivistic values.34 Some notable examples of Korean animation include all episodes of Pucca, Hey Anorld, The Legend of Korra, and The Simpsons, etc. Notably, the Korean animation flourished in Eastern Asia with the success of the series Poror the Little Penguin and Origami Warriors in 2011 making fans to want to discover more about the Korean animated products.35 Japanese animation often shows a high level of daring, complexity and creativity, has got a far long history with the oldest surviving example of Japanese animation - Namakura Gatana (Blunt Sword), dating back to 1917.36 Effects of Art to Japanese and Korean Culture Art was used as a reflection of a stream of people’s culture and way of life. For instance Ikebana, which is the Japanese art of flower arrangement, was more than simple putting flowers in a container. It was disciplined art form in which the arrangement of a living thing where nature and humanity are brought together.37 Through this art one attempt to exemplify the three fundamentals (sky, earth, and mankind) in a well-balanced relation.38 The agreement was based on a scalene triangle of man, earth, and heaven. Moreover, this was a clear indication of the Japanese way of attributing meaning and significance to everything in nature. Again the art did contribute a lot the individual’s performance and discipline as well as revitalizing the neighborhood and promoting economic prosperity. Over the previous period, South Korean society had experienced a dramatic political paradigm shift from the authoritarian regime to a democratic polity – during which art served a significant role as a productive site for social imagination.39 The Korean artists actively participated in the sociopolitical revolution, giving concrete and material forms to the seemingly universal notion of democratic participation, public culture, and civil society.40 Art was a main medium of preserving a culture among the Koreans as noted by Ken Vos in his work that contained a fine selection of Korean literati paintings and porcelain from the outstanding collection of Dr. Won-Kyung Cho.41 The paintings and porcelains were mainly illustrations reflecting the dynamism and search for harmony that underlie the Korean culture. Further, the refinement and the formal symbolism of the common aristocratic arts were used to typify the strict Confucianist society that has evolved in Korean since the 16th century.42 Moreover, subcultures or the marginalized groups such as otaku have been used to serve as the impetus of cultural creativity and aesthetic sensibility. In addition, anime/manga formed building blocks for Japan’s new visual and artistic identity while otaku with its social awkwardness and sexual dementia ironically contributed to the authentically Japanese aesthetic.43 Art trade between the countries of China, Korea and Japan, led to a diffusion of culture. It saw to the introduction of Chinese form of Buddhism to Japan from Korean. This diffusion of a doctrine of Buddhism in Japan endorsed the absorption of Chinese civilization from Korea.44 It led to the assimilation of new ideas and technology from China such as new systems of agriculture, Confucian philosophies and educations, a more precise sexadeceimal calendar and the Chinese written language referred to as Kanji.45 In addition, each painting, sculpture, and photography conveyed a tapestry of ideas and messages woven together from individual and cultural histories as to speak broadly of Asian contemporary art. Viewed through a particular culture and the art history, these arts redefine current tactics to portraiture, cultural critique and the ultimate tenets of illustration itself. Moreover, the contemporary art has made the Japanese community always to strive toward customers’ satisfaction since; the high aesthetic value of artistic works has raised the expectation in the global market. Elsewhere, in Korea K-pop music scene is fuelling an obsession with beauty as the young people change their faces to look like their idols.46 Conclusion People can use the creativity of art to preserve their traditional customs and beliefs and by viewing a particular people’s art, one can be able to specify the people’s way of life and practices. Japanese and Korean art, tell more about their religious orientation and the great impact of Buddhism religion in their way of thinking and acting. It must be noted that Japanese and Korean art owe a lot of originality from China artisans, though they were specifically further developed to suit their particular customs and traditions. The Korean and Japanese art harbor a lot of resemblances starting from their origin to the diverse artistic settings and presentation, for instance, both nations emphasize religious use art which did much more patronized the art itself. However, regardless of same originality, the art from these two nations also demonstrate differences as can be seen in the artistic animations, where the Japanese emphasize more on the collectivity while the Koreans stress on individualism, an approach associated with the Westernized influences. Again the Japanese artists’ arts are guided by their philosophy of precision, keenness, and Inventiveness which is seen to be captures the inner beauty and perfection of their art. Furthermore, art has a great impact in people’s way of life, through the Japanese, for instance, has shown respect to the nature by always associating nature with its immediate significance. Additionally, the Japanese used their anime/manga as the building blocks for their visual and artistic identity. Notably, art played a major role in the Korean sociopolitical revolution, by providing concrete and material forms to the democratic participation. Bibliography Abbate, Francesco. Japanese Art and Korean Art. London: Octopus Books, 1972. Buckley, Sandra. Encyclopedia of Contemporary Japanese Culture. London: Routledge, 2006. Choi, JungBong, & Roald Maliangkay. K-pop - The International Rise of the Korean Music Industry. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2014. Christie, Manson. Japanese & Korean Art. New York: Christies, 2011. Fleming, Jeff & Susan Lubowsky, T. Contemporary Art and the Culture of Japanese Animation. Des Moines, Iowa: Des Moines Art Center, 2001. Lee, Sohl, and Irvine California. Being Political Popular: South Korean Art at the Intersection of Popular Culture and Democracy, 1980-2010. Seoul: Hyunsil Pub., 2012. Song, Seungmin. Korean Independent Animation: Its History and Meaning. Edinburgh: National Galleries of Scotland, 2005. Lee, Soyoung & JaHyun Kim Haboush. Art of the Korean Renaissance, 1400-1600. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2009. Prasol, A. F. Modern Japan Origins of the Mind: Japanese Traditions and Approaches to Contemporary Life. Singapore: World Scientific, 2010. Vos, Ken. Symbolism & Simplicity: Korean Art from the Collection of Won-Kyung Cho. Leiden: Hotei Pub., 1997. Watkins, Jonathan. Facts of Life: Contemporary Japanese Art. London: Hayward Gallery, 2001. Read More