The Chinese way of appreciating a painting is often expressed by the words du hua," to read a painting." How does one do that? Because art is a visual lanuage, words alone cannot adequately convey its expressive dimension. How to read Chinese Paintings seeks to visually analyze thirty-six paintings and calligraphies from the encyclopedic collection of the Metripolitan Museum of Art in order to elucidate what makes each a masterpiece.