Celadon bottle from Korea has great form

       I choose this image because of the beauty in it's simplicity and function, as well as the fact it is a nice blend of effort and skill. This plum bottle is around 13" high and the elegance in it's curves was well thought out. Probably another master artist created this piece or supervised it's formation. I'm sure artist guilds existed in this time period, where the skills of ceramics were taught and then handed down generation by generation. This piece is a testimony to those concepts. 
        I wonder how long it took to inlay the black and white slip to the surface of this bottle. And I'm sure they took pride in the excellence of it's craftsmanship. The stylized decorations represent the artistry of it's earthen feel. The bottle does mimic Chinese forms and there is a connection of simplicity between this maebyeong and Chinese handscrolls. A strong representation of the beauty in nature. The realm of the seasons in one whole image of design is illustrated by the composition of geese,bamboo, butterflies and the blossoming plum tree.
         This artifact inspires me to learn how to craft ceramics- I think it would be a wonderful ability. I think it would be a highly meditative state to create works like this one. A union of thought and shape, where the design conveys a quiet masterpiece. 

Islamic art as a zenith of achievment

Islamic art is wonderful.  I am impressed that such artwork and architecture exist, which was born from a human being. The scriptual language is like fluid strands of precise geometry. I thought that the Tile Mosaic Mihrab [figure 8-12] was one of the most beautiful photographs in this chapter. More than 11 feet tall, each tile was meticulously measured and cut. It is composed of beautiful colors and the cursive script that flows around the inner niche was also meticulously measured. This is an example of the awe possible in crafting a meeting place where the divine and earthen meet. A beautiful representation of the love inherent in religions where the call to God awakens the artist's heart to produce perfection in architecture and design. Where divine inspiration produces divine representation. Imagine what it looked like in candlelight or lit from oil lamps. I can almost hear the chanting of devotional prayers as it must have been in that time period. Again, a remarkable example of skill.