For thousands of years, the three perfections--painting, poetry, and calligraphy--have been considered the mark of an enlightened person throughout Asian cultures. Fifth-grade students learned about these three hallmarks by studying three works from the Detroit Institute of Art's Asian collection: a nineteenth-century Japanese hand scroll, a sixteenth-century Chinese hanging scroll, and a nineteenth-century Korean fan. During the study, students created their own interpretations. This article is based on their study of the Japanese hand-scroll as they learned to compare and appreciate the characteristics of artworks in various eras and cultures.