Philadelphia Exhibit of 500 Years of Korea’s Joseon Dynasty Poses Questions About Insular Societies and Art

TABLET MAGAZINE
By Paul Fishbane

Detail from Sun, Moon, and Five Peaks, artist/maker unknown,
Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), 19th century. (Philadelphia Museum of Art)

PHILADELPHIA---An omnipotent judge sitting at a desk, expert in the behavior of men, examines the souls of the dead, deciding the punishments in the afterlife that their misdeeds merit. Vivid, artful depictions, especially of the various castigations, effectively remind viewers to behave virtuously. This is not a poorly remembered version of Yom Kippur; it is a Korean depiction of one of the 10 kings of Buddhist hell, on view at an illuminating new show at the Philadelphia Museum of Art that surveys Korean art from the Joseon Dynasty. [link]