Our random visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art kind of caught me off guard on Election Day this year, but it was definitely a day to remember. Coming from a Japanese family and educational background, I never took the time to get to know Korea. Everything was all about either China or Japan, but I was really glad to have stepped into the exhibition. Growing up, the history teachers always brought up prosperous civilizations, like Babylon, the Mayans, the Aztecs, the Indus Valley, and so forth. But no, they never mentioned the amazing Korean civilization, Silla. The ancient Korean civilization of Silla was known for its gold, and thrived from (57 B.C. — A.D. 935). The exhibition, Silla: Korea’s Golden Kingdom, shows many of the artistic accomplishments of this small kingdom from A.D. 400–800. There are several splendid treasures and discoveries on display, including possessions of royalty and elite. These items were made in various places, as far as the Mediterranean and then back home to China.  I saw so many things that I liked, and I found two common themes amongst all the works that I visited. Obviously, gold was the major element used in all these works, but I kept coming across the great Buddha, a very important figure in Korea. I don’t really have a favorite, but I did find a few works fairly interesting. For example, the name of this thing is a chestlace (notice, not a necklace), and its made of gold, jade, and glass. Everything else is all gold mustard yellow, but the royal blue on this necklace really stood out to me. The green in the center is bangin’ gorgeous. I wonder how the people of that time used to wear these things.

I’ve been trying to draw a lion’s face accurately for the longest time ever, so when I got to this roof tile with a bestial face, I was stunned. No fair. People back then had less colors and knowledge about art, yet they still drew better than me. Wassup with that? Anyway, this roof tile is made of earth, and the museum calls it ‘Earthenware’. I think its gorgeous, although it many people might think its scary. Its got ancient skill to it, and thats all that matters.