Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A celebration of emotional responses to nature’s changing moods, the Eight Views theme was first developed in Chinese poetry and painting during the eleventh century. It was introduced to Japan in the fourteenth century, where it became a major subject of ink painting. The bustling central image of this triptych represents “Mountain Market in Clearing Mist.” At left, a blustery atmosphere pervades “Sails Returning from a Distant Shore” and “Night Rain on the Xiao and Xiang Rivers,” while at right, in “Evening Glow on the Fishing Village,” the sunset envelops a river landscape, with fishing nets left to dry by the shore. The paintings may have been part of a complete series, and demonstrate the expansion in Japan of the Chinese album-leaf composition, which was associated with the aesthetic sensibilities of the elite military class and expressions of power.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art