London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

Korean Buddhists Arts of the Koryŏ and Chosŏn Kingdoms

Last year was court painting; the year before it was folk art. Now we move on to Buddhist art. Details of the full day seminar, with a behind-the-scenes look at artefacts in the British Museum, are below.

Korean Buddhists Arts of the Koryŏ and Chosŏn Kingdoms
10am on Thursday, 19 May 2011
G3, Main Building, SOAS, University of London

Shakyamuni and the Eight Great Bodhisattvas
Shakyamuni and the Eight Great Bodhisattvas, Korea, Chosôn Dynasty, 16th Cent., ink, color & gold on silk (Source – Wikipedia)

Buddhism was introduced to the Korean peninsula in the 4th century AD, and over the next century it played a significant role in the development of arts and culture. When it comes to studies on Buddhist arts, much research has been carried out on Buddhist sculpture of the Three Kingdoms (trad. 57BC-AD668) and Unified Silla (AD 668-935) periods. It is, however, not until more recently that in-depth studies on later Buddhist paintings and sculptures have been undertaken. This workshop offers a unique and rare opportunity to learn about Korean Buddhist arts from the Koryŏ (AD 918-1392) and Chosŏn (AD 1392-1910) kingdoms. Recent research on this area will be presented by leading scholars in the field of Korean Buddhist arts: Dr Youngsook Pak will discuss paradise paintings of the Koryŏ kingdom, followed by Prof. Jeong Eun-woo who will examine Koryŏ Buddhist sculptures. The last talk by Dr Choe will explore Buddhist paintings of the Chosŏn period.

The workshop will culminate with a viewing session of selected Korean Buddhist artworks in the British Museum led by the speakers and British Museum curators Sascha Priewe and Dr Oh Seiyon.

Please note that due to limited space, places in the viewing session will be offered on a first come, first served basis.

Provisional Programme

10am Dr Charlotte Horlyck (SOAS)
10:30-11:30 Dr Youngsook Pak (Reader Emerita, SOAS)
11:30-11:45 Coffee Break
11:45-12:45 Professor Jeong Eun-woo (Dong-A University, Pusan)
12:45-13:45 Lunch (not provided)
13:45-14:45 Dr Choe Gyeong-won (Kansas University)
15:00-17:00 Viewing Session at the British Museum (note that participants will be divided into three groups)

Registration

Registration at the conference is required of all attendees. All participants must register by 12pm on 18 May 2011.

Registration Rate: £20 (fee includes attendance at the workshop and tea/coffee/water breaks. Due to limited space, places in the viewing session at the British Museum will be offered on a first come, first served basis).

A registration form can be downloaded from the SOAS website. And it’s cash up front.