Zhang Daqian Huangshan Album

Author: Zhang Daqian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-01
Features: Zhang Daqian (1899-1983), originally named Zhang Zhengquan, later changed his name to Ai, Ji, and Ji Ai, styled Daqian, and styled Daqian Hao Shi. He was from Neijiang, Sichuan Province. From a young age, he learned painting from his mother. At the age of 19, he went to Japan with his brother Zhang Shanmei to study painting and dyeing techniques. After two years, he returned to Shanghai to learn calligraphy and poetry from Zeng Xi and Li Ruqing. Later, he became a monk at Chadian Temple in Songjiang County, Jiangsu Province, and received the Dharma name "Daqian," but he returned to secular life after 100 days. Soon after, he devoted himself to studying the works of Shi Tao, Ba Da, Shi Xi, and Zhan Jiang, and his brushwork became so skillful that it was almost indistinguishable from the originals, gaining him fame both at home and abroad. In 1932, he settled in Wangshi Garden in Suzhou. During this time, he held exhibitions in Beijing and Nanjing and served as a faculty member at Central University. In 1937, after Japan invaded China, he was detained in Beijing and escaped to Chengdu the following year, traveling between Qingcheng and Emei. During this period, his works traced back to the masters of the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, capturing the essence of Dong Yuan and Fan Kuan, while also incorporating the styles of Shen Zhou, Chen Hongshou, and Tang Yin. His brushwork was broad and his painting techniques refined. In 1940, he went to Dunhuang, where over two years, he numbered the caves and copied 260 murals. After this, the clothing, figures, and women in his works often reflected Tang influences. After 1948, he became a wanderer, first settling in Hong Kong, then moving to India, and later to South America. He built a home in Brazil and lived there for decades before relocating to the United States, where he built a retreat in Monterey. In the 1970s, he settled at Beiyue Jing She, where he lived until his death in 1983.
Mr. Zhang Daqian was a man of great passion and talent, skilled in appreciation and collection. He excelled in painting landscapes, flowers and birds, and figures, as well as calligraphy, poetry, and seal carving. His style was unique and transcendent. His landscape paintings were highly accomplished, earning him the reputation of "Zhang of the South and Pu of the North" alongside Pu Xinyu. His works were often inspired by his travels through famous mountains and rivers. Among these, he considered Huangshan Mountain his favorite, famously saying, "The scenery of Huangshan changes with every step," and visited it three times, even carving an inscription that read, "Three Visits to the Summit of Huangshan." The scenery of Huangshan became an endless source of inspiration for his paintings, capturing the essence of nature and expressing his patriotic sentiments.
This album was painted in the autumn of 1932 for Wang Shengsheng, depicting the scene of his trip to Huangshan in the autumn of 1931 with his brother Zhang Shanmei and his disciples Zhang Xuming, Wu Zijing, and Mu Quanchong. He also inscribed poems inspired by his journey along the Seven-Li Stream and the Xin'an River. The album includes scenes of the Seven-Li Stream, the Xin'an River, Cigu Temple, Tianmen Pass, Scissors Peak, Xiaoxin Slope, and Lotus Peak. In the "Viewing Clouds in Xihai," he inscribed: "Shengsheng Daoist requested me to paint small scenes of Huangshan, and I have hastily sketched twenty, seeking your correction. October, Ximing, Daqian sends this from the sea." The painting depicts the extraordinary scenery of Huangshan, with its varied peaks and floating clouds and mist. The style is inspired by Shi Tao, with vigorous and flowing brushwork, bold and unrestrained strokes, and bright and delicate colors, representing the early style of Zhang Daqian's landscape paintings.