Discussion Post #5

[Kayla Wise]

I’m interested in learning more about traditional Korean art forms because every culture has their own unique style of artistic expression. Through a culture’s art, you can learn so much about their history and way of life. I also think art is so beautiful as it can connect with people of all cultures and communicates a story in a way that is universal -- you don’t have to know how to speak the language to appreciate their diverse culture. What I appreciate most about Korean art is the beautiful visuals from paintings, murals, and drawings. There are so many bright colors and themes of natural landscapes, animals, and people are present throughout traditional folk art. The Korean word that describes these folk art paintings is minhwa (민화), which means “painting of the people” or “popular painting”. I find minhwa particularly interesting as it has an early history dating back as early as the late 14th century and has evolved throughout history which is seen today in contemporary Korean art. There are also many different aspects of traditional Korean art, such as calligraphy, pottery and sculpture, music and performing arts, and literature such as poetry. In terms of linguistic knowledge, learning to read Hangul would be helpful as some of the paintings and calligraphy include characters and I’m interested to learn more about the meaning behind these artworks. I believe my learning tasks to learn the alphabet is a good start to learn how to read Hangul. I will also need to incorporate learning vocabulary related to art in my lessons with my language partner. In the weeks to come, I plan to incorporate learning the Korean words to describe these various art forms, as well as learning words to describe colors, landscapes, animals, and the materials used for these artworks to learn more about traditional Korean art.