In the Grand Wind Hall, the Dragon Gate Formation

Author: Zhang Daqian, with preface by Xu Jianrong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Mr. Xu Beihong once praised Zhang Daqian's art, saying he was a "man of the five hundred years." In fact, it's not just since the Ming Dynasty—stretching back five thousand years since the dawn of Chinese civilization, Zhang Daqian is worthy of such acclaim. This isn't about his achievements in a single area, but as a whole, he excelled in all subjects—figures, equestrian scenes, landscapes, and flowers and birds; in techniques, he mastered both meticulous brushwork and ink painting. In the five thousand years of Chinese painting history, could anyone else match him?
Zhang Daqian was more inclined to speak than to write about art. As the saying goes, "A gentleman speaks, a petty man acts." Throughout his life, he personally wrote only a few theoretical essays, but he loved to engage in lengthy discussions, covering a wide range of topics, often delving into his insights on art, revealing perspectives others had not considered. These discussions held significant academic and theoretical value, and attentive friends would record them in time, publishing them gradually. The Painting Talks included in this book are his most systematic written works, though likely compiled by his friends based on his conversations. The selection for this book follows the Zhang Daqian on Painting, published by Shanghai Fine Arts Publishing House in 1986. Minor omissions or errors were supplemented and corrected based on relevant publications from Taiwan. As for the Dragon Gate Chat, care was taken to avoid repetition.
I believe that through these two texts, Zhang Daqian's artistic philosophy and painting theories are fully encompassed, hence the title Dragon Gate Chat in the Fengdang Studio. For me, writing this preface has also been an opportunity to revisit Zhang Daqian's art once again.