Essay due in Asian Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Due in Asian Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art - Essay Example The Asian collection of Art works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art contains a large number of Art works from Asian countries. It is renowned for its collection of Chinese and Indian Art works displayed. Thesis statement: From the perspective of a viewer, discussion on the basic differences between Chinese and Indian art and analysis of a piece of art to unearth its history, the artist’s motives and expression. The Asian collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art includes a wide range of Art works from different cultures from Asia. The collection includes gifts from philanthropists who collected different types of Art works from different cultures in Asia. Besides, the collection covers the 4000 year history of Asian Art. Some important differences between the Chinese and Indian art objects which represent the Asian Art are mentioned below. The Chinese collection includes Calligraphy and painting which represent its rich tradition of Art. Carol Michaelson and Jane Portal opine that: â€Å"Chinese painting is quite different from brightly coloured Western oil painting† (Michaelson and Portal 8) the tradition of painting in China is entirely different from Western form of oil painting. Besides, the Art works represent the history of different dynasties that ruled over China for centuries. For instance, the work ‘Model of a watchtower’ represents the Eastern Han dynasty in ancient China. But the Indian collection is different from Chinese works. The difference from Chinese Art can be seen in the usage of colors, medium and theme. The favorite medium of Indian Artists includes paper and cloth. For instance, the work ‘Mahavira Sitting at the Top of the Universe: Folio from a Kalpasutra Manuscript, 15th century’ is in paper. The favorite theme of Indian artists includes stories from sacred te xts. In addition, red is a dominant color in Indian Art works. But the favorite colors