Two Figures

Okumura Masanobu

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The invention of color block printing by the mid-eighteenth century irrevocably transformed the vigorous early ukiyo-e style. The new technique, which used separate blocks for each color, placed greater attention on coordinating the component parts and emphasized the process of color overlays. Masanobu's pioneering efforts in the field of color printing advanced a new aesthetic, one in which the essential quality of the print was dependent on line and color. As the articulation of the early ukiyo-e artist's virtuosic line diminished, a new style featuring graceful and lyrical lines bound to color harmonies emerged.

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