Japanese art has a notably complicated relationship with perfection. The cultural notion of wabi-sabi, for instance, embraces imperfection in art, arguing that it is far more preferable, and more beautiful, for art to have cracks and other such signs of its existence in the world. These things evoke the nature of transience, and imply an essential humanity.
Curious then, that the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s major new exhibition on more than 1,000 years of Japanese art is titled The Three Perfections. Referring to the arts of poetry, calligraphy and painting, which have at times been called by this name in east Asian cultures – this show celebrates art works that unite these three distinctive forms of expression.
The Three Perfections builds on the Met’s history of showing major exhibitions of Japanese art. In 2015 the museum hosted the blockbuster show Discovering Japanese Art, which featured more than 200 masterpieces from a truly impressive range of art forms, and which narrated how the institution built a world-class collection of Japanese art across the course of well over a century. Japanese Bamboo Art in 2017, another show-stopping Japanese exhibit, showcased bamboo basket art by surrounding it with multitudes of adjacent art pieces in formats like kimonos, miniature sculptures known as netsukes, and hanging scrolls.
Once again the Met is surrounding its titular art with a wealth of other objects meant to envelope audiences in a thick ambiance of Japanese culture and aesthetics, while engaging the audiences senses on as many levels as possible. “This exhibit is a true multi-sensory experience,” said Monika Bincsik, who co-curated the exhibition alongside John T Carpenter. “When you create calligraphy, you smell the ink, you touch the brush, you have a beautiful lacquer writing box. There are lots and lots of connections in this exhibition that bring together all kinds of senses.”
Each of the exhibit’s 10 galleries establishes a different mood and takes viewers to a different historical time period, offering a wealth of insight into Japanese aesthetics. For instance, one gallery is filled with the hypnotic and entrancing sounds of poems being chanted out according to practice in 11th century. “It’s so melodious and very calming,” said Carpenter. Hearing the poetry chanted out transforms its rhythms and meanings, just as much as seeing it inscribed into art through the practice of calligraphy.
Another room lets viewers be witness to a poetry contest in which poems are recited in a competitive atmosphere, in an attempt to transport viewers back to eras when such gatherings were commonplace. Yet another showcases lacquers made by monks, which were originally interactive objects of worship that countless believers would lovingly touch and caress at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. “You can see the marks where people’s hands have rubbed the lacquer off over years and years,” said Bincsik.
One of the textual inspirations from many of the objects on display is The Tale of Genji, a classic Japanese literary work often referred to as the world’s first novel. Even though The Tale of Genji was famously written by a woman, Murasaki Shikibu, the calligraphic tradition that emerged out of this book is centered around male artists, as men have tended to dominate the ranks of those inscribing works into calligraphy. The Three Perfections seeks to make some progress toward evening out the gender balance by showcasing Ono no Ozū, a 16th-century noblewoman who rose to become one of the most lauded artists of Japan’s Edo period. “I think she’s even better than any of the three great male calligraphers of the time,” said Carpenter. “One of the goals of this show is to elevate the reputation in the west of this great woman poet.”
Although artistic calligraphy tends to be built around deeply mysterious and meditative Zen sayings, such as “abiding nowhere, the awakened mind arises,” or “practice no evil, do only good,” it is often meant less to be read than simply engaged with as a work of almost abstract art. According to Carpenter, even specialists who are trained in calligraphic works of art can’t always read what the calligraphy actually says. “You have to step back from it and just enjoy it as a composition of ink on paper,” he told me. “We encourage audiences to not be afraid of inability to understand the poems. Once you do that, you’ll start to be able to enjoy calligraphy as one of the three perfections.”
Another aspect of traditional Japanese culture that deeply implicates the calligraphic tradition is that of the tea ceremony, as calligraphy can take on a central role in such occasions. For this exhibition, Bincsik has painstakingly arranged beautiful artifacts traditionally used to create the unique atmosphere of coming together to drink tea in Japanese culture, giving a rare glimpse into the Japanese world. “The calligraphy that you display is important for creating ambience at the tea gathering,” Carpenter remarked. Referring to the scrolls inscribed with calligraphic thoughts, he added: “Some have said that the most important utensil in the tea ceremony is the hanging scroll.”
Although most of The Three Perfections covers long-ago time periods, there are some efforts to represent these arts as they have developed during the 20th century, adding a more modern take. These pieces of calligraphy resonate with an energy and a graphic force almost reminiscent of a splatter painting. They evoke curiosity and a desire to know more about how these traditions have continued to evolve in modern times.
In addition to getting the chance to immerse themselves in a particular culture, audiences who see The Three Perfections also have the opportunity to take time out of a busy day to live life at a different pace. The artworks shown in these galleries are meant to be enjoyed in a meditative and contemplative fashion, and Bincsik shared she very much hopes viewers take advantage of the Met’s exhibit to do so. “You have to slow down, take your time, and almost imagine like it’s a piece of art in your own apartment. That’s very different from our 21st-century mindset, especially a New York lifestyle. It’s a really good opportunity to be immersed in a whole different aesthetic world.”
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The Three Perfections: Japanese Poetry, Calligraphy and Painting from the Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection is now on show at the Metropolitan Museum in New York until 3 August 2025