Kirjahaku

Korean painting reveals a connectivity with nature that parallels the Korean traditional world view. Living in a dramatic landscape of rugged peaks, deep valleys and broad rivers, Koreans have long held nature in deep reverence. This respect, this yearning for nature is immediately apparent in Korean paintings, whose aesthetic is likened to an "artless art" of gently lines, generous shapes and naturalistic colors. Beauty is found in the big picture rather than the details; paintings exhibit a naturalness that moves the viewer with its humility.Many Korean paintings were painted not by artists, but by ordinary nobles and even commoners. For the people of old Korea, painting was often a part of life, a way to express their inner spirit. Perhaps it is this that makes Korean painting so approachable, so human.

This book surveys the rich religious and spiritual tapestry that is contemporary Korea. We begin with the earliest of Korean faiths--the shamanism that prehistoric Koreans brought with them as they migrated to the peninsula from Central Asia--and continue on to today's most prominent faiths: Buddhism, Christianity, and Confucianism. Korea has given birth to a large number of indigenous faiths, and the work examines these as well.

The most well-known Korean ceramics are the celadon of the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) and the white porcelain of the ensuing Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The celadons of Goryeo, their grace and color tinged with feminine beauty, symbolize an artistocratic Buddhist culture, while the white porcelains from the Joseon are thought to typify a bureaucratic and scholarly Confucian society and are essentially masculine in tone, vigorous and orderly. Korea's traditional ceramic wares serve as a barometer for understanding Korean culture in that they most accurately reflect Korean aesthetics and the Korean worldview.

This volume looks at the history of alcohol's place in Korean culture as social practice, medicine, and sacred rites.

Literary Nonfiction. Asian & Asian American Studies. Travel. Real places. Real life. Real Seoul. A local guide to the hottest city in Asia. What's the best way to tour around a foreign city? Unless you want to pilgrim through the obvious landmarks and take typical vacation shots at tourist restaurants, the best and the safest way would be to get help from a reliable local friend, especially if you plan to explore a newly emerging city in constant change like Seoul. But what if you don't have a reliable friend in Seoul? A CURATED GUIDE: SEOUL, put together by a local editor and expat authors, will gladly be your friend.

This book offers an introduction to Korea's abundant and unique architectural past and present. It explains some of the ideologies and perspectives that form the foundation of Korean architectural tradition and outlines the history of Korean architecture. It offers a brief introduction to the basic elements, construction process, structural anatomy, and materials used in Korean traditional architecture. The work also highlights ten of Korea's best-known and most significant traditional buildings. Korea's early modern architecture--a period from colonial domination by Japan into the mid-20th century--is also examined.