Resources

Learn about the main events and conflicts in the Rama epic.

Why is the epic of Rama a beloved tale in many cultures across South and Southeast Asia? Explore how this story and its characters has remained significant in the lives of millions even today.

This lustrous stoneware vessel is a ewer, or pitcher, dating to the early 1100s, during Korea’s Goryeo dynasty (918–1392). It was probably used for wine, which may have been warmed by placing the ewer in a matching bowl of heated water. The ewer’s color is called celadon, which is created by a glaze that includes iron oxide. Today, connoisseurs around the world continue to treasure Goryeo celadon as among the most precious items created by Korean artisans.

Heman Chong imagines a future of dystopian stillness with Calendars (2020–2096), an installation of 1001 photos, each a calendar page capturing a moment of complete emptiness in today’s bustling areas of Singapore. View this work for yourself at the Asian Art Museum during the exhibition, Phantoms of Asia: Contemporary Awakens the Past (on view from May 18–September 2, 2012).

Dr. Sanford Tom explores Huangshan (or the Yellow Mountain), which is often considered the most beautiful as well as the strangest mountain in China.

Asian Art Museum Art Speak teaching artist, Adrienne Skye Roberts, discusses the inspiration behind her work with the Art Speak interns and her own art.

Large plate with map of Japan, 1800-1868. Japan; Arita region, Saga prefecture. Porcelain with cobalt decoration. The Avery Brundage Collection, B72P1.

A time-lapse video of the installation of a vast 10 x 20 foot oil painting of the “Delhi Durbar of 1903” by Roderick McKenzie at the Asian Art Museum. Part of the special exhibition, Maharaja: The Splendor of India’s Royal Courts (on view at the Asian Art Museum from October 21, 2011–April 8, 2012).

Lamp China. China; Tang dynasty (618–906). Glazed earthenware. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P535.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller Amit Pendyal tells a scene from the Rama epic (Ramayana) with the use of artworks in the museum’s collection. Discover more fresh takes on this ageless tale in the exhibition, The Rama Epic: Hero, Heroine, Ally, Foe.