Shōrinji Temple

Okada Beisanjin

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

By fancifully reinterpreting this Zen temple near Osaka as a Chinese retreat, Beisanjin cleverly reveals the heart and soul of the site, particularly its cultural heritage. A rice merchant in Osaka known for his love of learning, Beisanjin was an amateur painter whose quick flashes of insight were deeply admired by both his contemporaries and later literati artists. The patterned brushwork and overall energy of the painting surface reveal his study of Yuan-dynasty artists—notably Huang Gongwang (1269–1354)—and their successors.

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