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 Through Oglethorpe’s airline partnership Associate Professor of Japanese Robert Steen was able to spend a day with his Introduction to Japanese Literature class at the Smithsonian's Freer Gallery of Art, one of the finest collections of Asian art in the world.
“Our readings of Japanese classics like the Tale of Genji and the Pillow Book seemed to come to life as we viewed elegant screens, Zen ink paintings and Buddhist iconography,” Steen said.
One exhibition at The Freer Gallery displayed nearly 200 Japanese screens, depicting daily life in intricate detail and dating back to the fifteenth century.
“It was very interesting to see how the same sorts of emotions and stories could be represented through both the literary and visual arts,” observed English major Sarah Fuqua ’08.
History major Melissa Grammont ’09 found the Freer Gallery to be “the perfect choice for our Japanese literature class. I enjoyed the time in our nation’s capital, and I appreciate the opportunity to go there.”
Above right, the class is pictured in front of the Arthur M. Sackler and Freer Gallery of Art, part of the National Museums of Asian Art at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
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