Joyous Rain

Wu Kuan

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Unlike most of his artistically inclined friends in Suzhou, Wu Kuan enjoyed a long and successful career as an official. He achieved first place in the palace examinations of 1472 and held a series of important posts at the court in Beijing, culminating with the office of secretary of the Board of Rites. Like other Ming literati from Suzhou, Wu Kuan's calligraphy was influenced by Northern Song (960–1127) models. With its fleshy, modulated brushstrokes and squat characters, Wu's writing style follows that of the poet-calligrapher Su Shi (1036–1101). Wu accompanied this poem with a brief account of the circumstances under which it was created: "On the evening of the twenty-eighth of the fifth month [June 17], it began to rain after a long drought. I was collating Bo Juyi's [772–846] works and had just come to the poem 'Joyous Rain.' Following its rhyme, I composed a poem to express my own joy."

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