Did you ever find it hard to decide what the most significant aspect of a work of art is? This can happen when we look at a work and find multiple levels of meaning, aside from purely aesthetic concerns. The works of many contemporary artists show a reverence for not only styles of the past but of techniques and materials, to the point where those become some of the most compelling aspects of the work.
Yoon Kwang-cho is an
acclaimed ceramic artist from South Korea.
He studied in Seoul, and, like many of his peers, he derived inspiration from
the ceramic tradition of Korea’s past.
Korea’s long history of ceramic production dates back at least to 5000 bce. Yoon was particularly inspired by punch’ong ware, a type of stoneware popularized between the 14th
and 16th centuries [the Joseon
Dynasty period (1392-1910)], which was an indigenous Korean ware. A variety
of decorative techniques including stamped, incised, and inlaid motifs is
indicative of punch’ong. Typically, the design is achieved with an initial
blue-green glaze covered in white slip through which the design is scratched.
Although inspired by styles from the past, Yoon’s forms are
not typical of traditional Korean wares. They are triangular, elliptical, and
rectangular, almost impossible to achieve on the wheel. His forms are
slab-built and often take on the spirit of sculpture rather than pottery. While
emulating ancient decorative techniques, he also infuses his works with a
modern aesthetic.
Yoon feels that an artist should put heart into his or her
work, feeling that punch’ong works lie beyond the concept of traditional
aesthetics, and reflect aspects of nature itself. Interestingly, this piece conveys a time-honored Buddhist
tradition from China, Korea, and Japan in the copying of the Heart Sutra. The
Heart Sutra is a Mahayana Buddhist text, one of the most popular of Buddhist
scriptures, concerned with the perfection of wisdom. Yoon used a nail to incise
through the slip.
There are many other examples of works of art that emphasize
subject just as much as technique or form:

While we admire the beauty of ancient
Egyptian coffins, we sometimes forget that the ritual of mummification and
burial were essential to Egyptian beliefs about resurrection after death. All
the most significant art that has come down to us from ancient Egypt revolves
around the funerary rituals. (DMA-59A)

Activity: Create
a rectangular, triangular or multiple-sided vessel out of clay using the slab
method. After the shape is complete, create a design using personal symbols.
Sketch out symbols that mean something personally, and arrange them on paper
before committing them to the vessel with a nail, pencil, or other pointed
object.
Correlations to Davis
programs: Explorations in Art Grade 2: 3 17-18 studio; Explorations in Art
Grade 3: 6.35; Explorations in Art Grade 5: 6.29-30 studio; A Global Pursuit:
4.3; Exploring Visual Design: 1, 2, 6, 10, 11; The Visual Experience: 10.6,
13.6
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