Background: Korea's Three Kingdoms
The concept of the Three Kingdoms of Korea refers to the three kingdoms of Goguryeo (37 BCE – 668 CE; it was later known as Goryeo, from which the name Korea is derived), Baekje (18 BCE – 660 CE), and Silla (57 BCE – 935 CE). The three kingdoms occupied parts of Manchuria, present-day China and Russia, and the Korean Peninsula. The Baekje and Silla Kingdoms only dominated the southern part of the peninsula, whereas the Goguryeo Kingdom controlled the Liaodong Peninsula, Manchuria, and the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. In the 7th century, allied with China under Tang dynasty, Silla unified the Korean Peninsula for the first time in Korean history, forming a Korean national identity.
After the fall of Goguryeo and Baekje, the Tang dynasty established a short-lived military government to administer parts of the Korean peninsula. However, as a result of the Silla–Tang Wars (670–676 CE), Silla forces expelled the Protectorate armies from the peninsula in 676. All three kingdoms shared a similar culture and language. Their original religions appear to have been shamanistic, but they were increasingly influenced by Chinese culture, particularly Confucianism and Taoism. In the 4th century, Buddhism was introduced to the peninsula and spread rapidly, briefly becoming the official religion of all three kingdoms.
Goguryeo
Goguryeo was located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of inner and outer Manchuria. The Kingdom was an active participant in the power struggle for control of the Korean peninsula and was also associated with the foreign affairs of neighboring polities in China and Japan. Goguryeo was a powerful empire and one of the great powers in East Asia, until it was defeated by a Silla–Tang China alliance in 668. After its fall, its territory was divided among the states of Later Silla, Balhae and Tang China.
Art in Goguryeo
Buddhism was introduced to Goguryeo first in 372 CE because of its close location to the northern Chinese states, such as the Northern Wei. Buddhism inspired the Goguryeo kings to commission art and architecture dedicated to the Buddha. Notable aspects of Goguryeo art include tomb murals that vividly depict everyday aspects of life in the ancient kingdom as well as its culture. Goguryeo painting was influential in East Asia, including Japan, as seen in being the wall murals of Horyu-ji, and mural painting spread to the Baekje and Silla kingdoms as well. The murals portrayed Buddhist themes and provide valuable insight into the kingdom, such as architecture and clothing. These murals also marked the early beginnings of Korean landscape paintings and portraiture.
Goguryeo Moon
Goguryeo Tomb Mural
Baekje
Baekje was a kingdom located in southwest Korea that alternately battled and allied with Goguryeo and Silla as the three kingdoms expanded control over the peninsula. At its peak in the 4th century, Baekje controlled most of the western Korean peninsula, expanded as far north as Pyongyang, and may have even held territories in China, such as in Liaoxi, though this view is controversial. It became a significant regional sea power, with political and trade relations with China and Japan.
Art in Baekje
Baekje is considered the kingdom with the greatest art among the three states; it also introduced a significant Korean influence into the art of Japan during this time period. Baekje Buddhist sculpture is characterized by its naturalness, warmness, and harmonious proportions that exhibit a unique Korean style. Another example of Korean influence is the use of the distinctive "Baekje smile", a mysterious and archaic smile that could be found on many Baekje statutes. While there are no surviving examples of wooden architecture, the Mireuksa site holds the foundation stones of a destroyed temple and two surviving granite pagodas, suggesting what Baekje architecture may have looked like. The tomb of King Muryeong also held a number of artifacts preserved from the Baekje era, including flame-like gold pins, gilt-bronze shoes, gold girdles (a symbol of royalty), and swords with gold hilts decorated with dragons and phoenixes.
Silla
The Silla Kingdom was the most isolated kingdom from the Korean peninsula because it was situated in the southeast part of the peninsula; the kingdom was also the last to adopt Buddhism and foreign cultural influences. Silla eventually conquered the other two kingdoms, Baekje in 660 and Goguryeo in 668. Thereafter, Unified Silla (or Later Silla, as it is often referred to) occupied most of the Korean Peninsula, while the northern part re-emerged as Balhae, a successor-state of Goguryeo. After nearly 1,000 years of rule, Silla fragmented into the brief Later Three Kingdoms, Silla, Hubaekje, and Taebong, handing over power to its successor dynasty Goryeo in 935.
Art in Silla
The Silla Kingdom tombs were mostly inaccessible to looters, and so many examples of Korean art have been preserved from this kingdom. The Silla craftsmen were famed for their gold-crafting ability, which has similarities to Etruscan and Greek techniques, as exemplified by gold earrings and crowns. Silla gold crowns were made from pure gold and had tree and antler-like adornments, suggesting a shamanistic tradition. Because of Silla gold artifacts bearing similarities to European techniques, along with glass and beads depicting blue-eyed people found in royal tombs, many believe that the Silk Road extended all the way to Korea.