Landscape

Sōami

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This freely-executed ink landscape painting, rendered in soft, washy brush strokes and light wash to produce a misty, moisture-laden atmosphere, depicts a hillside sloping towards a body of water and a small figure walking along a path in the direction of a distant stand of trees. Several willows grow near the water’s edge, on a low promontory. Two boats are visible along the grassy shoreline, one of which is being poled away from shore by a solitary boatman. Sōami was one of the most important artists of late fifteenth–early sixteenth century Japan. One of the three influential “Ami school” painters—the other two were Nōami (1397–1471) and Geiami (1431–1485)—he served as art connoisseur and consultant to the Ashikaga shoguns and was familiar with the works of art they imported from China. His own painting style was inspired by the soft, misty brush technique associated with the Song-dynasty Chinese Chan (Zen) monk-painter Muqi Fachang (active ca. 1250–80), whose works were highly prized and widely collected in medieval Japan.

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