Landscapes

Shitao (Zhu Ruoji)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Having lived as an itinerant monk nearly his entire life, Shitao decided in 1696 to shed his Buddhist garb, end his peripatetic life, and build himself a home in the prosperous commercial center of Yangzhou, where he supported himself through his painting. In this album, painted not long after Shitao settled in Yangzhou, the artist has drawn for inspiration on his own lifetime of wandering. We feel the painter's presence in each of the images as he explores the themes of traveling and dwelling among mountains and lakes.

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