Zhang Daqian

Author: Tianjin People's Fine Arts Publishing House
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-06-01
Features: Tianjin People's Fine Arts Publishing House has, over the past decade, invested significant human and financial resources to publish a large number of high-end, luxurious, and exquisitely bound art books, gradually establishing its scale, brand, and unique publishing characteristics. The content of these art books covers works by famous painters and schools from ancient to modern times, both in China and abroad. This effort has contributed to promoting the fine cultural heritage of our nation while also making valuable explorations in strengthening cultural exchanges with countries around the world. These high-end art books have, to some extent, met the needs of major libraries, museums, art academies, professional painters, collectors, and researchers nationwide. However, their high price has made them inaccessible to many art enthusiasts and students. We have continuously heard calls from readers with limited purchasing power and recognized the spiritual aspirations within this group. To address this, we have specially compiled and published this series of popular art books at a more affordable price, bringing high-quality artistic treasures to the general public. While the size of these books has been reduced, we have ensured that the selection of works is exceptionally refined, highlighting the typical representative works of each artist and reflecting their artistic styles. We hope that these popular art books and high-end luxury art books can complement each other, meeting the needs of readers at different levels.
Zhang Daqian's art can be broadly divided into two phases. In the earlier phase, he primarily learned from the ancients, demonstrating comprehensive techniques and profound mastery. He was adept in all schools of painting from the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, excelling in both meticulous brushwork and freehand painting, as well as in blue-and-green and gold-and-green styles. His inkwork was clear, refined, and clean, with a light, flowing brushstroke that was highly elegant and unrestrained. However, it must be acknowledged that his unique personal style had not yet fully formed at this time. After the 1950s, he began experimenting with ink accumulation and splashing techniques, marking a pivotal step in breaking away from traditional norms. He then progressed from ink splashing to splashing colors, combining ink and color in a harmonious manner where ink did not hinder color and vice versa, creating a play of light and shadow that was ever-changing. His splashing colors often used azurite and malachite as the base, sometimes adding white powder for effect. At times, he would first sketch the general composition using traditional methods before applying splashing colors. Other times, he would add realistic elements to the splashing colors based on the overall composition of the painting. Occasionally, his works were purely abstract. This innovative approach greatly inspired painters such as Liu Haisu, Xie Zhiliu, He Haixia, and Song Wenzhi.