La maison de la Corée

Symbolism in Traditional Patterns
Koreans interpreted natural phenomena to find certain symbolisms and used them in making
traditional patterns. They imbued these natural objects with special meaning and shaped them into
symbolic patterns in the hope of achieving their earthly wishes.

For instance, birds, butterflies, and insects always appeared in pairs. This reflected the cosmic
principle of eum (yin) and yang, or the harmony between the male and female elements, at the same
time expressing the desire for everlasting conjugality. Fruits with many seeds such as
pomegranates, grapes, or watermelons symbolized fertility. Pine trees and cranes stood for
longevity and creeping vines for perpetuity, while depictions of tigers were often used for
warding off evil spirits. The attributes of natural objects were all deeply involved with people's
lives. A good example is the "four noble plants" motif. The natural properties of apricot, orchid,
chrysanthemum, and bamboo were considered to embody the cardinal principles of a virtuous life.

Other motifs like water and rock were no exception. Korean ancestors observed not only the
pellucid quality of water but also the perpetuity of its flowing. They also perceived rocks as being
immortal.

Another important thought behind such traditional patterns is the philosophy of resigning to one's
fate. In ancient Korean society, people interpreted natural phenomena as precursory signs or the
agency of Heaven governing present and future human affairs. The geometrical petroglyphs and
rock-cut graffiti are deeply involved with their reverence for natural phenomena and immutable
cosmic laws.

Reification of the cosmic order in ornaments is seen in the crown decorations of the Three
Kingdoms era and of the Unified Silla period. A bird feather symbolized heaven; a deer antler,
earth; and a tree, the link between heaven and earth. From these elements, we can glimpse ancient
cosmic principles which divided the world into three separate strata.

Taegeuk, which was regarded as the essential entity of the cosmos, was represented by
interlocking eum and yang as comma-shaped elements. It can be seen on the Korean national flag.
Taegeuk connotes the harmonious balance of eum (female, negative) and yang (male, positive)
elements.

Another favorite pattern associated with cosmology was palgwae, or hexagram. Palgwae stands for
the eight primary elements in nature: heaven, earth, metal, fire, earthquake, wind, water, and
mountain. The palgwae was a tool for divining the affairs of the world, praying for happiness and
preventing bad luck.

Composition of traditional patterns
Traditional patterns are mostly symmetrical. This is seen especially in the arrangements of floral
and animal patterns, which are most common. Some patterns appear in identical pairs or mirror
images. Such balanced patterns won wide acceptance.

The superimposing of components is avoided. Even in a repetitive design, each component appears in
full, perhaps in a radial manner around a central figure. In folk paintings, a fish breaking the
surface of the water is shown not as half in the water and half in the air but as exposing its
complete body to the air.

Patterns do not have volume and perspective representation is often ignored. This is because the
depiction of real figures and backgrounds has little importance, while two-dimensional depiction is
emphasized. As the superposing of figures is avoided, something in the distance is often depicted
as being above the main object in the foreground.

Another common characteristic in composition is its unrealistic sense of coloring. No matter what
the original color of objects, they are always shown in one of the five cardinal colors: blue, yellow,
black, white, and red. In East Asian cosmology, these correspond to the five elements: metal, wood,
water, fire, and earth. This color usage was almost always found in Korean traditional patterns.

Korean patterns are usually simpler than Chinese or Japanese patterns. This was not due to the
lack of skill of Korean craftsmen, but because elaborate and superficial representations were
deemed vulgar. In this way, Korean artists focused on expressing the essential core properties of
their subject-matter which went beyond the depiction of appearances. Beauty in simplicity was
their motto.

Korean Overseas Information Service