A Review of the "New Nation, New Art: Early Joseon Dynasty Art" Exhibition at the National Museum of Korea
<New Nation, New Art: Early Joseon Dynasty Art Exhibition>
National Museum of Korea
It's been a while since I visited the National Museum of Korea!
It was already a great place, but I heard it's become even more popular recently!
I really hope this museum, our national museum, continues to thrive. :)
I went around dinner time. I was planning to see the special exhibition, not the main hall, so
I didn't see a massive line, but just looking at the queuing lines, I could tell a huge crowd was coming.
The person who organized the gathering booked the <New Nation, New Art> exhibition.
ㅋㅋㅋ I didn't even know what exhibition I was going to see. I just went to the National Museum of Korea at the appointed time!
Turns out it was a special exhibition, and I ended up seeing the <New Nation, New Art> exhibition like this. ㅋㅋㅋ
But it was a better exhibition than I expected, so I'm glad I didn't miss this opportunity!
By the way, I paid 8,000 won for the ticket, thinking that was the adult price.
ㅋㅋㅋ Looking at the picture I took, it was actually 5,600 won with a discount. ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
1. About the New Nation, New Art Exhibition
Exhibition Period: June 10th (Tue), 2025 ~ August 31st (Sun)
Opening Hours: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, Sun 10:00 ~ 18:00, Wed, Sat 10:00 ~ 21:00
Location: National Museum of Korea, Special Exhibition Room 1
An exhibition showcasing the diverse aspects of art that shaped the new nation and era after the founding of Joseon in 1392.
Changes in thought and ideology led to changes in society and culture, and these new ideas and aesthetics were incorporated into art.
The exhibition features around 400 ceramics, paintings, calligraphy, and Buddhist artworks that have survived to this day and had a significant impact.
Many early Joseon Dynasty artworks are located overseas.
This exhibition includes around 40 items from various institutions in Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and more.
In particular, 23 of these pieces are being introduced to Korea for the first time!
It's a great exhibition to see early Joseon Dynasty art scattered around the world in one place!
Note that the exhibits are rotated, so it would have been better to check the rotation schedule before going!
I only found out about this while posting after visiting, which is a bit of a shame, but there's still time before the exhibition ends, so keep that in mind!
Using the QR code here is very useful for viewing exhibition information!
But I prefer paper ㅠㅠㅋㅋ Still, they've done a really good job with this kind of thing these days!
Now, let's start the review of the <New Nation, New Art> exhibition!
2. White: Early Joseon Dynasty Ceramics
White
The white color of Buncheong ware and white porcelain, which represent early Joseon Dynasty ceramics.
With the founding of Joseon, the ceramics production system that had collapsed at the end of the Goryeo period was rebuilt.
Buncheong ware was made in kilns all over the country and sent to Hanyang (Seoul), and
I saw a very well-made space right from the start.
It's well done with explanations of the background of how these ceramics came to be, and being able to zoom in using touchpads.
You can see various ceramics with different patterns and shapes, not just the usual ones, in chronological order,
They described very well why it developed like this, what the state wanted, what the potters created as artists, and the ceramics used by the common people!
I like cups and teacups, so I found the sake cups so cute and pretty.
It was quite detailed, and there were also bronze(?) cups, which were so amazing that I took a lot of pictures.
I guess those handles were in fashion back then.ㅋ
The major ceramics are displayed like this, so it's good to walk around and see all four sides of each one.
A bottle with such beautiful curves.
I think it's a ceremonial vessel, but it's so cute that I took a picture of it first. ㅋㅋ So cute.
And surprisingly, there was a placenta jar?!
I've seen storage containers for storing umbilical cords separately these days,
The birds are also drawn so cutely, really cute!
And it was also amazing to see rings connected to rings in that era.
They must have broken while making them, but how did they hang them so beautifully and not break from now on?
As someone who used to do calligraphy, I can't miss a brush washer!
There are many cuter brush washers, but this is the basic design.ㅋ There weren't that many brush washers on display.
And this entire wall was displayed, which looked so pretty and good for taking pictures, but
Lastly, I picked one cute teacup from that display case. ㅋ
3. Ink Color: Early Joseon Dynasty Paintings and Calligraphy
Ink Color
Ink color symbolizes paintings and calligraphy enjoyed by the scholar-officials.
Ink landscape paintings using the deep and rich shades of ink that were popular in the early Joseon Dynasty.
You can see the ideals and inner world of the scholar-officials contained in ink, which is not just a simple black color but contains all colors.
This exhibition hall displays paintings and calligraphy, allowing you to glimpse the paintings and writings of the scholar-officials.
It was amazing to see records of gatherings of officials in paintings and writings.
It was also fun to find the slight differences between similar works.
ㅋㅋㅋ This donkey, struggling with a blank-faced man, reminds me of my commute. I had to take a picture. ㅋㅋㅋ
And this is the famous calligraphy of Han Seok-bong. I personally liked it, but
And even back then, they couldn't resist cuteness! With the same ㅋㅋㅋ cute animals and
I don't eat eggplants much these days.ㅠ
4. Gold Color: Early Joseon Dynasty Buddhist Art
Gold Color
The shining gold color of Buddhist art, a religion that comforted everyone's hearts.
Although the era of Confucianism had begun, Buddhism still had power as a faith regardless of political ideology.
The detail of the mother-of-pearl lacquerware is visible. I wondered how intricately it was designed and attached.
And these Buddha statues are not only detailed and attractive, but the descriptions of how they were made are also mentioned below,
This Buddha statue is so cool ㅋㅋㅋ Look at that pose!
The scriptures drawn in gold are also very delicate and luxurious!
You could also see the woodblocks and books together,
The woodblock that was actually used to print the book is above it!
And finally, at the very last place, there is a copy of the Hunminjeongeum Haeryebon (Explanations and Examples of the Proper Sounds for the Instruction of the People) like this.
At this time, Hunminjeongeum was not on display, so I took a quick look and finished the exhibition. :)
5. Looking at the Museum Goods
And I went to the store to look at the museum goods,
There are entrances on both sides, but the line on the bookstore side was shorter, but you can see the goods right away from the official entrance on the opposite side.
And there were so many people lined up during the day.ㄷㄷㄷ
Luckily, I went after seeing the exhibition in the evening, so there were fewer people and I only had to wait about 5 minutes.
There were so many people that I lost my companions in the middle. ㅋㅋㅋ
I took pictures of things that were so pretty and I wanted to have them, even though I couldn't buy them.
*I can't buy them, but they are on display ㅋㅋ
Things that can only be used as displays and decorations...
This is also so cute ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
I'm so curious about what you can use the bird-shaped earthenware for, but you can use the incense burner to burn incense sticks.
And the famous Pensive Bodhisattva statue ㅋㅋ So hip.
People say it's good to put one on your office desk and feel peace of mind.
Museum goods have become so popular, but I hope that various goods and small businesses that produce them will all be successful!
Exhibition review is over!
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