How to Read Chinese Paintings

Maxwell Hearn, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Saturday, January 18 / 2pm

The Chinese way of appreciating a painting is often expressed by the words du hua, “to read a painting.” How does one do that? In this lecture Maxwell (Mike) Hearn, Douglas Dillon Chairman, Department of Asian Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, will analyze select paintings and calligraphies from the Met’s collection to elucidate what makes each a masterpiece.

Spanning 1,000 years of Chinese art, the lecture will examine layers of meaning in the treatment of landscapes, flowers, birds, figures, religious subjects, and calligraphies to illuminate how artists seek to capture not only the outer appearance of a subject, but also its inner essence.