사비백제시대의 서예와 그 의의

Abstract

This study set out to discuss the significance of Sabi Period, which falls in the late days of Baekje, in the history of calligraphy. For that purpose, the investigator chose two research criteria, which include Nicolai Danilevsky's view of aesthetic history and Munjil(文質:simple and glamorous), an aesthetic concept of Confucianism. Previous studies mainly focused on the analysis of handwriting styles, thus conducting a discussion from the perspective of Chinese culture's influence. Embracing their findings, the present study examined the significance of Sabi Period in Baekje and its position in the history of Korean calligraphy. The Sabi Period spanned approximately 120 years in the latter half of Baekje, holding a rather short position in the entire history of Baekje. There were several illuminating excavations in recent years including "Changwangmyeongseokjosarigam (昌王銘石造舍利龕)" and "Sataekjijeokbi(砂宅智積碑)," which are letters inscribed in stone, and also some letters inscribed in golden and bronze plates. In addition, a large number of wooden tablets were discovered at many different places including the Gungnam site, completing a rich pool of letter artifacts. It can be understood as a phenomenon usually observed at the end of a dynasty in the view of aesthetic history. Baekje formed the Three Kingdoms along with Goguryeo and Shilla, falling in the ancient times, which is the period of Jil(質:glamorous) according to the Munjil(文質) theory. In fact, all of the Three Kingdoms belong to that period, which came before Shilla unified the three kingdoms, directly imported the culture of Tang Dynasty, and started to create a new culture. The calligraphy of the period is clearly distinguished from that of Unified Shilla Period. The calligraphy styles of the Three Kingdoms held their respective identities and developed from the simple stage to the glamorous one on a gradual path toward standardization, but they remained in the simple stage in the entire history of Korean calligraphy. In short, the calligraphy of Baekje belonged to the beginning period in the history of Korean calligraphy and kept its simple letter forms. It became gradually standardized, going through the Wungjin and Sabi Periods. The Three Kingdoms shared the common feature of simple and humble early forms. In addition, there were no records of names of those who wrote the letters during the period. The Sabi Period in the history of Baekje, in particular, exhibited the most sophisticated and refined aspects of the Three Kingdoms by embodying the aesthetic consciousness of Baekje people. They set up standardized tombstones and thus established a standardized handwriting style. The period built a solid foundation for the right standardized handwriting style to settle down in Unified Shilla, thus claiming its significance.