A Short Review: The National Museums in Seoul

The past few days have been pretty awesome, but I haven't been able to update the blog because my computer has died! Fortunately, Lana has lent me hers for the afternoon, and now I can finally update you all.

Yesterday Lana, Steve, and I went to Seoul. The weather is still much colder than Japan, but just warm enough that we could still feel our toes. The three of us went to the War Memorial of Korea. This museum covered this history of war, equipment, and the military of Korea, as well as the Memorial Hall and Korean War Room. This place served both to honor soldiers and as a museum, which I thought was pretty cool.

In the entrance hall there was a man posted at a special exhibit to honor the soldiers lost in the attack on a South Korean navy ship last March. they had parts of the torpedo on display, and the guys job was to show us the "three pieces of evidence" that point to a North Korean attack. It was pretty scary how intense this guy was. You have to think, though, this place, in a way, has to be biased when they are still at war. It was kinda hard to swallow, but after that, and the DMZ tour, and hearing about the drills Lana says they have every month, you begin to feel these things, instead of just seeing and hearing about them from halfway around the world.

After that I went by myself to the National Museum of Korea. Let me tell you, this place is amazing! Look at the architecture!

This place reminded me of the British Museum--it had the same ambiance. It had rooms with a linear history of Korea, as well as rooms dedicated to certain arts.

There was a lot about the pottery, of course.

The Celadon pottery--an international symbol for Korean Art

Simple white porcelain of the Joseon period

And Buddhism.

The famous Pensive Bodhisattva

Also galleries of other Asian cultures, to show the differences between them all. This is particularly great for foreign visitors who could otherwise be ignorant to the differences in culture, histories, and arts.

I love this Southeast Asian Bodhisattva with Greek and Roman influence.

I fell in love with some of the paintings and calligraphy. As well at the golden jewelry (surprise surprise) of the Silla period.

 necklace from Silla period

Very famous Silla Crown

What I really loved, however, is that they did not just show you the different art forms, but actually explained how they work. They showed different calligraphy brushstrokes, they showed different types of painting on the pottery. They had everything in English as well, so it was easy for me to absorb a lot from the place. So much inspiration there. I wish I had more time to go back.

After that, I had to go home a bit early with a headache. But I did stop by Lotte World (come on guys, Disneyland-type things are catnip to me!) and actually felt better (adrenaline, maybe?). A quiet evening and wonderfully lazy morning followed, which included delicious brunch foods like pancakes, potatoes, and eggs. And a movie.

Hope all is well at home. I'll be there soon enough!
xoxo,
Antonia