Hwangnyongsa

Hwangnyongsa

Introduction

For Korean art means the ' art originated or practiced in Korea or artists Koreans, from ancient times until today. Korea is famous for its artistic traditions in pottery, music, calligraphy and other figurative genres, often marked by the use of strong colors, shapes and decorations of natural surfaces. The most ancient examples of Korean art are represented by works of the ' Stone Age dating from 3000 BC. They consist of mainly of votive sculptures, however, recently been rediscovered also petroglyphs.

This early period was followed affirmation of the artistic styles of various Korean kingdoms and dynasties. The Korean artists were inspired primarily to Chinese traditions, sometimes modifying them with an innate preference for simple elegance, the purity of nature and spontaneity. This reworking of the Chinese styles, by virtue of cultural and geographical circumstances, also influenced Japanese artistic traditions.

Discussion

Hwangnyongsa

Hwangnyongsa is the name of an ancient Buddhist temple in the city of Gyeongju in South Korea. It was built in the sixth century and was the center of Buddhism during times of Silla Its name means "Temple of the Golden Dragon" or "Temple of the imperial dragon". Hwangnyongsa was built during the Silla period, under the patronage of the royal family, on a plain surrounded by mountains near the royal palace complex Banwolseong Palace.. King Jinheung originally conceived the place as the site of a new palace, but when a dragon was seen at the proposed site, was destined to be a temple.Hwangnyongsa was destined to be the place where the monks prayed for the good progress of the nation, seeking the protection of Buddha, and in turn to impress foreign dignitaries.

History

Shilla and Koryo

The Three Kingdoms of Shilla and Paekche in the south and Koguryo in the north ruled over much of the Korean Peninsula from about the start of the common era until the seventh century. The conflicts that had raged throughout the previous six centuries both between these kingdoms and China and among them were finally settled in about 676 when a United Shilla Kingdom finally drove the Chinese back to the Taedong River in contemporary North Korea. In 612 the Koguryo armies defeated a large Sui force and partly as a result of this defeat the Sui were swept from power in China. They were soon replaced by the Tang dynasty, however, which sought revenge against enemies in Manchuria and northern Korea by invading in 644, 648, and 655. When each of these invasions proved unsuccessful, the Tang turned to allies in the southern half of the peninsula, Shilla. Together the Tang and Shilla forces defeated Paekche and eventually Koguryo. Much to the consternation of the Shilla leaders, however, the Tang had no intention of retreating from the peninsula and set up a Chinese military administration for much of the former Koguryo territory. In 671 Shilla began its own war against the Tang Chinese, first retaking Paekche's capital in the south and then fighting to push the Chinese farther and farther ...