Faces in the History and Dialogue with the Past

20170903 slowwalker

Today I’d like to post shapes of korean in history. How many times do you look at your self in the mirror. Looking themselves is supposed to be one of human instinct.
Everybody is interested in own appearance.
Why people are looking at themselves. I don’t satisfy with the explanation of the instinct.

In my opinion, phenomenon of looking themselves is more than the instinct. I think it is a kinds of process to find their existence.
As you know, my favorite hobby is traveling and looking around the museums.
I found an interesting clay roof tile in the museum of the BaekJae Dynasty. If you had read my postings before, you may acknowledge that period. BakJae Dynasty had lasted for 18 BC - 660 AD.
The face was drawn inside of the clay tile.

The face was drawn with red line. it was very simple but vivid. Nose was big comparing to normal korean face. When I saw at first, a strong question hit my head. Why did he paint this face ? What make him draw his face ? Who was he ? In front of the clay, I had thought so many things. And I had talked with unknown painter.

Next to the clay of red face, there was a another face carved on the clay tyle.
In this case, face was more simple. There were 3 rounds, 2 small and 1 big. 2 small rounds looked like the eyes and I big round looked like the mouth.

This face made me think it as a play of young apprentice. The face was very tough.
He might be teenager who had learned the techniques. He might be sent far from home. He might miss his mom. He could be tired and boring, so he might’ve played with his friends.
My imagination brought me here to there. Imagination is my favorite hobby.
It is my style of dialogue with the past and history. In that moment the imagination make me fly far away.

This face is a male roof tile, there are two types in roof tile in korean traditional house roof. It is strange to differentiate roof tile with male and female. It depends on the function of the tile. Also it reflected the world viewpoint of Korean and North East Asian society. Tai-chi is the representative example of Yin-Yang. Male and female could be said as different expression of Yin-Yang.

This tile is the end part of roof tile. What do you think about this face ? What made them mould a face like this ?
Answer ?
Nobody knows, Who knows ?
Just have a time to dialogue with a man who made this.

Thank you for reading.