A turtle-dragon celadon pitcher from the 12th century is on display at the ‘Earth, Fire, Soul — Masterpieces of Korean Ceramics’ exhibition. The pitcher shows the high artistry of Goryeo celadon ceramics. This work has a turtle with the head of a dragon sitting on a lotus flower.
There’s a celadon pitcher in the shape of a turtle with a dragon’s head, sitting on a lotus. There’s also a white porcelain “moon jar,” characterized by its large, white round shape, like a full moon.
These are but two of the wondrous celadon and porcelain artifacts that express the essence of Korean ceramics and which are part of the “Earth, Fire, Soul — Masterpieces of Korean Ceramics” exhibition that opened at the Grand Palais in Paris on April 27.
A white porcelain moon jar is white and round like a full moon. It features a unique balance in that it’s round, but not a perfect circle, and in that it’s white, but not pure white.
“Earth, Fire, Soul — Masterpieces of Korean Ceramics” shows the past and present of Korean ceramics. The National Museum of Korea and the Grand Palais are cosponsors of the event, in commemoration of the 130th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Seoul and Paris. The exhibition will run until June 20.
The exhibition features over 300 pieces of ceramics, such as earthenware from the Three Kingdoms of Korea period (57 B.C.-A.D. 668), celadon from Goryeo (37 B.C.-A.D. 668), white porcelain from Joseon (1392-1910), and grayish-blue powdered celadon that has been handed down from generations past to the present, as well as major ceramic artifacts such as the turtle-dragon celadon pitcher and the white porcelain moon jar.
In addition, the exhibit will display 11 works from Korean artists who now work actively in various fields — ceramics, video art, painting, photography, sculpture — which will allow visitors to examine the ways in which modern ceramics and associated works of art gain inspiration from the past.
The National Museum of Korea said in its announcement that, “There are almost never exhibitions about Korean traditional art in France and this is one of the most significant art events of the past 50 years.” The museum emphasized that, “Visitors can see representative masterpieces of Korean ceramics, feel the essence of Korean ceramics and see first-hand the Korean soul.”
By Son Gi-na
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: National Museum of Korea
ginason@korea.kr
The exhibition ‘Earth, Fire, Soul — Masterpieces of Korean Ceramics’ is held from April 27 to June 20 at the Grand Palais in Paris, showing the past and present of Korean ceramics.
The ‘Earth, Fire, Soul — Masterpieces of Korean Ceramics’ exhibit runs until June 20.
