Asian Art

Cats

Paw Prints: The Diversity of Cats in Japanese Art

From cute and exotic pets to monstrous, otherworldly creatures, cats in Japanese art appear in various forms and contexts. Let’s delve into the...

Iolanda Munck 21 January 2025

Print with large white hare with red eyes presented frontally on pink background. The body of a hare is rounded. Asian Art

10 Cutest Rabbits in Asian Art You Need to See (For the Lunar New Year)

In the Chinese lunisolar calendar, 2023 was the Year of the Water Rabbit. Celebrated in late January or February, the Lunar New Year (or Spring...

Ela Bobek 21 January 2025

Cats

Maneki Neko – Those Lucky Cats

We’ve all seen those jovial, happy cat figurines in Asian restaurants and shops. Sitting upright with their raised paw, smiling face, and trademark...

Nadine Waldmann 21 January 2025

Animals

Practical, Erotic and Magical: The Miniature World of Netsuke

Originating in 17th-century Japan during the Edo Period, Netsuke (pronounced nets-keh) are toggles that attach pouches to the traditional robes,...

Nadine Waldmann 21 January 2025

Art State of Mind

True Tips for a Happier Life from the Miniatures of Reza Abbasi

Everyone wants to be happy and each of us has a different idea of happiness. For some, it is finishing college and getting a new job. For others, it...

Rute Ferreira 20 January 2025

Art Travels

The Qutub Complex: Architecture of the Early Islamic Period in India

The Qutub Minar complex is a collection of architectural marvels located at the Mehrauli Archaeological Park in New Delhi, India. The complex...

Maya M. Tola 20 January 2025

Long Read

Khon—The Art of Thai Dance

As an art form, Thai dance has been honed over many centuries. It is one of the great wonders of the human imagination. We can enter a theater, enjoy...

Marina Kochetkova 20 January 2025

Asian Art

The Story of the Churning of the Ocean of Milk and Why Is Shiva Blue?

The churning of the ocean of milk is a momentous event in Hindu mythology that appears in the Bhagwat Purana, Vishnu Purana, and the Mahabharata. It...

Maya M. Tola 16 January 2025

Asian Art

Dragons in East Asian Art

Imagination is the only limit to the stories and myths about dragons. From East to West, storytellers paint them as creatures of fire, of deep...

Yifan Xia 16 January 2025

Women Artists

Noguchi Shōhin: The First Female Imperial Household Artist in Japan

Noguchi Shōhin (野口 小蘋) (1847–1917) was a leading Japanese painter from the Edo (1603–1867) and Meiji eras (1868–1912). She was born in...

Isla Phillips-Ewen 14 January 2025

Women Artists

The Polka Dot Queen: Yayoi Kusama Through 10 Artworks

Yayoi Kusama, often referred to as the Queen of Polka Dots, is a pioneering feminist artist, sculptor, performer, and much more—all embodied in one...

Katerina Papouliou 14 January 2025

Artist Stories

Kiyohara Yukinobu: Sublime Female Painter of the Kano School

Not many of us have heard of Kiyohara Yukinobu, but we probably should have. She was a Japanese painter in the early Edo period (1603–1868) and one...

Candy Bedworth 14 January 2025