Orientations Mar/Apr 2025

Miroku, Maitreya, or Mile was worshipped across Asia and became popular in Japan from the late Heian period (794–1185), particularly due to his association with the final age of the law (mappō) and the promise of a better future. We discuss the symbolism, style, and imperial associations of the painting Miroku in Welcoming Descent, a recent accession to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

The newly renovated Japanese galleries at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, showcase a rich collection that reflects the museum’s historical relationship with Japan and an evolving approach to curation. Visitors are introduced to new ways of perceiving Japanese art. 

We interviewed Professor Ide Seinosuke on the eve of his retirement from Kyushu University to discuss his influential and distinguished career. His contributions have established a new framework for understanding East Asian Buddhist painting, particularly during Korea’s Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) and China’s Song (960–1279) and Yuan (1272–1368) dynasties. 

Arnold Chang (b. 1954) roots his work in the Chinese literati landscape painting tradition, emphasizing a rigorous study of classical masterworks rather than direct observations of nature. He separates the concept of landscape from specific places, challenging traditional notions of identity and diasporic culture. His solo exhibition, ‘Landscapes by Arnold Chang (Zhang Hong)’, is on view at the Cleveland Museum of Art from 8 March to 9 November 2025. 

We admire the works of another Chinese ink artist, Hong Xian, also known as Margaret Chang. Born in Yangzhou in 1933, she first migrated to Taiwan in 1948 after WWII and later to the USA in 1958. Hong was trained in traditional techniques under the former Manchu prince Pu Ru, but she later became acquainted with Western media and techniques at university. Her works are characterized by fluid, organic forms and a blend of traditional and modern techniques that blur the conventional boundaries of landscape painting and reflect her generation’s experience of displacement and uncertainty. 

The Musée Guimet will showcase Khmer bronzes and the relationship between art and power in the exhibition ‘Royal Bronzes of Angkor, an Art of the Divine’, which opens this April as a collaborative result between the museum, the Cambodian Ministry of Culture, and the French School of Asian Studies (EFEO). Khmer bronzes, including Hindu and Buddhist images, ritual objects, and architectural elements, are presented in dialogue with stone sculptures, reflecting their religious, aesthetic, and technical significance. 

The story is told of Ivan Skušek, an economist in the Austro-Hungarian navy, who began collecting Chinese ceramics, textiles, Buddhist sculptures, and coins during his deployment in East Asia from 1913 to 1920. His wife, Tsuneko Kondo, played a crucial role in promoting the collection which forms a significant part of Slovenian cultural heritage. 

We pay tribute to Robert Chang—dealer, collector, and legend in the field of Chinese art— and take the opportunity to introduce his generous donation of Chinese cloisonné to the Shanghai Museum. 

FEATURES
John T. Carpenter. Praying to the Buddha of the Future: Miroku Bosatsu in Welcoming Descent 
Anne Nishimura Morse. An Invitation to Look: The Newly Renovated Japanese Galleries at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston 
Michael J. Hatch. The Idealism of Arnold Chang’s Global Landscapes
Youngshin Yook. Morphing Landscape: Hong Xian’s Ink Abstraction
Ellen Johnston Laing. The Meeting of the Herd Boy and the Weaving Maid in Chinese Popular Prints
Pierre Baptiste. Royal Bronzes of Angkor
Gerald Kozicz, Di Luo, and Max Frühwirt. The Naval Officer and the Kimonoed Lady
Zhang Dong and Cixiang Hua. All That Glitters: Chinese Cloisonné from the Robert Chang Collection
Stefano Carboni. AlUla and its Wonders along the Arabian Incense Route

EXHIBITION REVIEW 
Marika Sardar. The Art of Numbers: AlMadar at the Islamic Arts Biennale 2025

BOOK REVIEW 
Hala Fuji. Masterpieces of Modern and Contemporary Art from the Farjam Collection

INTERVIEWS
Yukio Lippit. An Interview with Professor Ide Seinosuke of Kyushu University 
Interview with Artist Arnold Chang and Exhibition Curator Clarissa von Spee

TRIBUTE
Chi Fan Tsang. A Tribute to Robert Chang Chung Shien (1927–2024)