Mother and Child

Mother and Child

Kitagawa Utamaro

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Utamaro composed this image with considerable skill and humor, creating a circular movement through gazes and gestures. The mother, seated behind a freestanding screen, sticks out her tongue at her child. When the child responds to her reflection with an outstretched hand, another woman reacts with laughter and grasps the child's belt.

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.