Chinese Painting Masters' Interpretations and Explanations of Paintings – Zhang Daqian

Author: Chen Zulong
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Brief Introduction: Zhang Daqian (1899—1983), originally named Zhengquan, later changed his name to Yuan; also known as Ji by his childhood name, and styled as Ji Yuan. He was from Neijiang, Sichuan. He once became a monk, taking the dharma name Daqian, and after returning to secular life, he used his dharma name as his alias. He excelled in landscape, flower-and-bird, and figure painting, as well as meticulous, freehand, and ink-and-color wash techniques. He explored various schools, absorbing the strengths of many; he spent three years studying at the Dunhuang cave temples, which led to a significant leap in his art. Zhang Daqian's outstanding achievements in painting were not only due to his rich artistic practice and genius creation but also because he successfully handled the relationship between tradition and modernity, inheritance and renewal in painting. He surpassed the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, connecting back to the Northern Wei and Sui, Tang dynasties, and established his own artistic style. He was hailed by Xu Beihong as the "greatest painter of the past 500 years," and he is one of the most renowned artistic masters in 20th-century Chinese painting.