Waiting for the Ferry

Unidentified artist

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In this stark scene of barren trees and snow-covered, distant mountains, the artist has combined the "one-corner" compositional formula of the Song Imperial Painting Academy with the Fan Kuan (active ca. (990–1030) idiom of "small ax-cut" stippled rocks and stocky trees with bare, stubby branches to evoke a mood of chilly quietude. The scene focuses on two travelers awaiting the arrival of a ferryman in his small boat. The angular foreground boulders and spiky trees contrast with the gray-and-white expanse of water, sky, and snowshrouded mountains, set off by a flock of circling birds—emphasizing the sense of hushed stillness.

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