Bird on a Rock by a Flowering Branch

Bird on a Rock by a Flowering Branch

Ren Xun

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ren Xun painted this delicate fan in Suzhou, where he spent a good part of his artistic career before going to Shanghai. This work draws upon the highly representational style of the Southern Song (1127–1279) Imperial Painting Academy, merging exquisite drawing in fine contour lines with meticulously graded colored washes in a highly naturalistic image of great charm. The painting reflects Ren's keen observation of nature: a tiny bird, perched on one foot on an ornamental garden rock, bends its head to meet its uplifted foot, using wings and tail to maintain balance. Compared to his Song academic predecessors, Ren Xun brings his image closer to the viewer, cropping the bird's tail and the tree trunk, giving his picture immediacy and impact.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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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.