Zhang Daqian

Author: Zhang Daqian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Zhang Daqian (1899–April 2, 1983), originally named Zhang Zhengquan, later changed his name to Yuan, Yuan, and was given the childhood name Ji. He used the pseudonyms Daqian Jushi, Xiachiliren, and named his studio Fengdang Tang. He was born in Neijiang, Sichuan. A renowned painter of modern China. He learned painting at home in his childhood and studied dyeing and weaving in Japan before returning to China. In Shanghai, he studied under Zeng Nongren and Li Meicun, mastering both calligraphy and Chinese painting. He was deeply influenced by Shitao and Baishi. Starting in 1926, he traveled across famous places in China, including Huangshan, Emeishan, and Dunhuang, to refine his artistic style. His best landscape paintings began to emerge during this period. He claimed to have made significant contributions to the preservation of Dunhuang murals. However, in the 1940s, while copying murals in Dunhuang, he discovered that some murals had inner and outer layers and removed the outer layer to view the inner one. After being exposed, he denied and justified his actions. His book Fengdang Tang Copying Dunhuang Murals, published in 1943, drew the art world's attention to the preservation and essence of Chinese cultural relics. He served as a professor twice at the Department of Fine Arts of Nanjing National Central University (now Nanjing University). In 1948, he moved to Hong Kong, then to Argentina in 1951, and finally to S?o Paulo, Brazil, in 1953. His paintings gained international fame, with the Louvre in France inviting him to exhibit. In 1956, he engaged in discussions with the Spanish painting master Pablo Picasso. He began applying the concepts of Western abstractism to traditional Chinese ink wash painting, developing the style of splashing ink landscapes. In 1958, the New York "International Art Association" honored him as a great painter of the world with his painting "Begonia." In 1969, he moved to San Francisco, California, and in 1977, from the United States to Taiwan, settling in the Maye Jing She in Wai Shuang Xi, Taipei. He passed away in 1983 due to a recurrence of heart disease. Zhang Daqian was also a great collector, and his Fengdang Tang collection housed hundreds of famous paintings from various dynasties. He wrote the book Fengdang Tang's Dragon Gate Battle.
Contemporary Chinese painting scene presents unprecedented diversity. Painters employ all their efforts to seek a unique artistic language, each showcasing their talents. They dig deep into tradition, plunder visual elements from imports, repeatedly refine their own life experiences, and draw essence from nature—all with the goal of creating works that leave a mark. This exploration of diversity has broadened the horizons of Chinese painting, and both success and failure are new attempts. Every painter needs to draw inspiration, learn from experience and lessons, and in modern society, where information is overwhelming, the ability to select and filter it is crucial. This book is compiled in the form of an illustrated catalog, with modern printing technology expanding its capacity while maintaining exceptional value. This new attempt hopes you will enjoy it.