Writing was so valued by the Chinese that they called the most essential implements for the art The Four Treasures–the brush, ink stick, ink stone, and paper.

Students brainstorm the qualities of good and evil and draw conclusions about the Balinese concept of “dynamic” or balanced opposites. Then, students will relate the idea of “dynamic opposites” in the Ramayana (Story of Rama) to present-day situations by identifying a current problem, creating a visual identify for their own pair of opposing characters, and scripting a dialogue.

Members of the Bay Area Indian community describe the context of Buddhist arts in South Asia. Included are clips of temples, festivals, and worship at various sites in India. Part two of a two part series.

During the Muromachi period (1338–1573) the vogue for Chinese art, especially among the Ashikaga shoguns, who ruled as the military leaders of Japan during this period, led to the development of new architectural environments in which to display collections of tea-related objects. Learn more.

Buddhism was founded in northern India in the sixth century BCE. Most historians believe it was introduced to China in approximately the second century by means of monks and traders along the Silk Road. 

Turkish calligraphers were masters of transforming words and phrases into the shapes of animals. Artists achieved these effects by elongating, wrapping, and rotating letters to create the contour (outline) as well as details of the animal. Students will create a zoomorphic drawing composed of an adjective that describes the animal.

In this lecture series, renowned scholars from across the nation will discuss the manipulation of art by Asian rulers across cultures and time.

An introduction to the art and architecture of the Hindu temples of India.

Learn about Bodh Gaya, one of several sights in India associated with the birth of Buddhism.

This lecture series examines the origins of traditions and how traditions are renewed, appropriated, and transformed over time.

Landscape with Yueyang Pavilion (1802), by Aoki Shukuya (died 1802). Japan; Edo period (1615-1868). Two panel folding screen; Ink and colors on gold. Gift and Purchase from the Harry G.C. Packard Collection Charitable Trust in honor of Dr. Shujiro Shimada; The Avery Brundage Collection, 1991.69.

Storehouse. Eastern Han Dynasty (25‒220 CE). China, Hubei Province. Earthenware with molded decoration and uneven lead glaze. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P130+.

Stupas are dome-like structures, originally mounds honoring the relics of great leaders or princes, which later became associated with the relics of the Buddha. Learn more. (Audio by Associate Curator of Himalayan Art, Jeffrey Durham.)

The stone pagoda structure is called the Great Wild Goose Pagoda enclosed within the Ci’en (Temple of Mercy) monastery in present-day Xi’an. It was erected in 652 to commemorate the return of the temple’s abbott, the celebrated monk Xuanzang. This heroic figure to Chinese Buddhist history traveled west across the Silk Road and throughout India for sixteen years, exploring the homeland of Buddhism before returning with hundreds of sutras (Buddhist texts).

Hindu temples are numerous in form, and probably evolved from a variety of sources, including the worship of natural sites, mounds, trees, due to the need for a place to conduct ritual practices and house images of deities. Learn more.

The photograph shows the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya, in the state of Bihar in eastern India. This temple stands next to a descendent of the bodhi tree under which the Buddha achieved enlightenment. This site is the most important pilgrimage site in the Buddhist world, similar to Varanasi for Hindus or Mecca for Muslims. Learn more.

Pair of architectural carvings of wind and thunder deities, Fujin and Raijin, Edo period (1615-1868), 1600-1700. Japan.  Architectural element; wood. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60S2+ and B60S3+.

In the heart of Seoul there are several historic palaces that were the residences of Korea's royal family from the 1400's to the mid-1900's. This short documentary explores the art and architecture of these royal palaces of Seoul.

The Asian Art Museum’s teahouse as designed by architect Osamu Sato as a functioning teahouse, as well as a display case. Learn more.

The Art/Lit Living Innovation Zone is a new work of public sculpture developed as part of the Living Innovation Zone (LIZ) program. The installation was designed by a team of youth in the Architecture Program at Youth Art Exchange, who were inspired by dragons—a mythological creature found in the art and literature of many different cultures and time periods. Their dragon is decorated with a myriad of patterns found on artwork in the collections of the Asian Art Museum. Over the next two years, the intended life of the project, the sculpture and area around it will be programmed with activities, decorated with new murals, and celebrated with art openings.

Explore the classical gardens of Suzhou, which are considered to be some of the most beautiful gardens in China.

Emerald Cities: Arts of Siam and Burma, 1775–1950 was the first major exhibition in the West to explore the rich but little known arts of Siam and Burma from 1775–1950. View lectures by renowned scholars related to this exhibtion (on view at the Asian Art Museum from October 23, 2009–January 10, 2010).

Background information on the Hindu deity, Ganesha, and Hindu architecture.

The Society for Asian Art's renowned Arts of Asia lecture series will focus on trade roads and sea routes. You will be transported from courts to caravans, from stupas to shipwrecks, from mountain passes and river valleys to open seas. Travel with merchants and monks, monarchs and missionaries and see their riches and relics. Discover ancient ceramics, sculptures, coins, calligraphy, tea wares, textiles and much more.

Lewis Lancaster of UC Berkeley gives an overview of Japanese Buddhism.

Artist Joanna Swan discusses India and her work during the during the PechaKucha Night at the Asian Art Museum.

 In this symposium, speakers will address various aspects of the maharajas' cultural patronage and its impact on Indian art and politics from the eighteenth through the early twentieth century.

Michael Yankaus on a "Vedic City" during PechaKucha Night at the Asian Art Museum.

Artist Nidhi Chanani gives a brief talk about her work at the Asian Art Museum during the PechaKucha Night at the Asian Art Museum.

Mary-Ann Milford of Mills College discusses prehistoric Japan and the early ceramics of the period.

The Shanghai exhibition (on view at the Asian Art Museum from February 12–September 5, 2010) explored, through the mirror of its art, the tumultuous history that has resulted in one of Asia’s most dynamic and cosmopolitan cities of today. Learn more about Shanghai through short video documentaries, talks, and through the voices of the Asian Art Museum's Art Speak interns.

Mary-Ann Milford of Mills College discusses Shinto art and architecture.

A visual tour of important sites in Tibet.