The artworks in the current Asian installation showcase the influence of the literary world on the visual arts.
Celebrated Moments and Cultivated Enjoyments in Asian Art
The works on paper from South and West Asia depict celebrated moments—devotional, historical, and literary—from well-known tales of gods and kings. Some of the Indian paintings highlight playful interactions between the Hindu god Krishna and his beloved, Radha, recounted in the Song of Govind. Other works, from Iran and Afghanistan, depict historical Persian kings, whose lives and exploits are recorded in the 11th-century Book of Kings and the 15th-century Compendium of Histories.
The selection of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean paintings reveal the influential role played by highly educated bureaucrats and their taste for cultivated enjoyments throughout the artistic traditions of East Asia. These gentlemen-scholars were trained in the Confucian classics as well as literature and the arts. On display are imagined portraits of famous historical figures, scholar’s rocks, and other cherished implements along with representations of these items.
This installation includes recent acquisitions to the Gallery. It is on view on the museum’s second floor until early November 2025.