Zhang Daqian (Neijiang, China 1899 - Taipei, Taiwan 1983)
Zhang Daqian was one of the most representative Chinese painters of the 20th century. In the first half of his life, he traveled through most of China and later lived in other countries in order to study Western fine arts techniques, which, however, did not affect his style. In his last years he settled in Taiwan, where he died.
He masterfully used the traditional gongbi and xieyi techniques to depict landscapes, flowers and plants, human figures and animals, and was an expert calligrapher and seal carver. Another famous Chinese painter, Xu Beihong, considered him "the greatest painter of the last five hundred years".
By the age of thirty, he was already famous in the Chinese art world. In 1929, he was invited to review and select the visual artworks to be included in national exhibitions. In 1941, not fully satisfied with what he was doing, he went to Dunhuang to study the history of Chinese painting. Over two years and seven months, he reproduced more than 270 mural frescoes. Today, most of the reproduced paintings are on display at the Sichuan Provincial Museum. In this exhibition, the public can appreciate sixty of the most representative works, carefully selected to reveal the beautiful style and the remarkable reproduction technique used by Zhang Daqian at the time.
Dunhuang is located in the west of Gansu Province, and its cultural and artistic value is represented by the Mogao Caves, excavated from the year 397 AD onward. Thanks to his study of these murals, the artist was able to learn the true pictorial essence of the Northern Wei, Sui and Tang dynasties, which contributed greatly to the emergence and enrichment of his new style of drawing human figures. The restoration and creative work he carried out then opened one of the most brilliant pages in the annals of the history of Chinese fine arts.
During his seventy-year artistic career, he carved countless seals. The albums already published include more than three hundred. The seals presented in this exhibition are only part of those held by the Sichuan Provincial Museum and not yet recorded in those albums. According to incomplete data, the seals used by Zhang Daqian totaled about three thousand, a fact that ranks him first among 20th-century Chinese painters.
Among his seals, some were carved by the artist himself, but many others were carved by forty friends and colleagues, notably Fang Jiekan, Chen Julai and Dun Lifu, also renowned artistic seal carvers. Zhang Daqian maintained close and friendly contact with these three artists until the end of their lives. Already in Taiwan, he wrote a letter to Fang Jiekan, then living on the Chinese mainland, asking him to carve another seal, which proves their long friendship. In this exhibition, there are about twenty seals carved by these three artists.
Among Zhang Daqian's existing seals, the oldest was carved in 1918, when he was twenty years old, yet it already shows perfect carving technique. He also carved seals for siblings and friends. Among the seals on display, there are three anonymous ones, but thanks to the features of the characters, we can confirm that they are his works.
The seals on display provide a good opportunity for visitors to appreciate the different arts of several famous carvers, including Zhang Daqian, and make it possible to identify the early works of painting and calligraphy he executed.
After traveling through most of China, Zhang Daqian arrived in Macau in 1949, where he stayed for a few months. We can say that Macau was the last Chinese territory he set foot on before leaving his homeland, as he only returned to Taiwan at the end of his life. For this reason, the residents of Macau who knew of this fact nurtured a special feeling for the artist.
With the aim of promoting cultural and artistic activities in this territory and presenting his outstanding contributions to the history of Chinese fine arts and his special relationship with Macau, the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macau SAR Government asked the Sichuan Provincial Museum to lend sixty Dunhuang mural paintings reproduced by Zhang Daqian and forty seals in order to present this exhibition to the public, in collaboration with the Macau Museum of Art of the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau.
Zhang Daqian was born in 1899 and died in 1983, at the age of 83. He left a valuable artistic legacy to his successors, adding an important and special color to the history of Chinese fine arts, particularly in the study of the Dunhuang mural paintings.
Chronology
1899 - Zhang Daqian is born on May 19 in Neijiang, Sichuan Province.
1908 - Begins studying painting with his mother.
1911 - His family opens a shop, "Yi Wei Li", thus improving their standard of living. He attends the primary school of the Protestant Church.
1914 - Enters the Qiu Jing Secondary School in Chongqing. The family's property is confiscated because of the revolutionary ideas of his brother Shanzi, who ends up fleeing to Japan.
1916 - He is kidnapped by bandits, but escapes a hundred days later.
1917 - Travels to Japan, where he meets Zhong Shi. In Kyoto, he studies printing, dyeing and painting.
1919 - Returns to Shanghai and teaches at a Protestant school. Becomes a pupil of the famous calligrapher Zeng Xi and changes his name. Moves to Songjiang, Jiangsu Province, where he becomes a monk and receives the name "Daqian". Three months later, he ends his monastic life and marries Zeng Zhengrong in Neijiang, Sichuan. Returns to Shanghai, where he learns calligraphy with Li Ruiqing. Studies the works of Shitao and Bada.
1920 - After the death of Li Ruiqing, he leaves Shanghai and returns to Sichuan.
1921 - Makes stone sculptures for the Zisheng Temple in Neijiang. Begins to promote his works of calligraphy and painting.
1922 - Marries Huang Ningsu.
1923 - Moves with his whole family to Songjiang. Goes to Shanghai, where he publishes his works, imitations of Shitao.
1924 - Death of his father. Joins the "Qiu Ying Hui" Literary Association and becomes famous for his poetry, calligraphy and painting.
1925 - Holds his first solo exhibition at the Ningpo Fellow Townsmen's Association in Shanghai.
1926 - Devotes himself to teaching for the first time.
1928 - Shares the "Da Feng Tang" library with Shanzi. Both are founders of the "Huang She" Association.
1929 - Takes part with two pieces in the 1st National Fine Arts Exhibition and becomes a member of its committee.
1930 - Holds exhibitions in Shanghai. Zeng Xi, his calligraphy teacher, dies.
1931 - Is selected as one of the representatives of the "Exhibition of Chinese Paintings of the Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming Dynasties", held in Japan.
1932 - Moves with his brother Shanzi to Wangshiyuan, Suzhou. Visits Korea.
1933 - Takes part in the "Exhibition of Modern Chinese Painting" held at a museum in Paris. His work "Lotus" is selected for that museum's collection and "Landscapes of Southern China" for the Moscow Museum. Holds exhibitions in Shanghai and Nanjing.
1934 - Holds a solo exhibition in Beijing. Visits Japan and Korea.
Is hired as Professor of Chinese Painting in the Art Department of the National Central University in Nanjing. Holds a solo exhibition at that university and in Jinan, Shandong Province.
1935 - His most recent works are exhibited at the Blinton Art Gallery in England. Resigns from his professorship at the National Central University in Nanjing and holds exhibitions in Beijing and Hankou. Publishes "Mountains" and "The Brothers Zhang Shanzi and Da Qian" (Volumes I and II). Marries Yang Wanjun.
1936 - Death of his mother. Holds the "Exhibition of New Paintings by Zhang Daqian" in Nanjing and exhibitions at the Daxin Company in Shanghai and Tianjin. Moves to the Summer Palace in Beijing, where he holds an exhibition of fan paintings. Publishes for the first time the catalogue "Paintings by Zhang Da Qian" and is selected as professor of the Chinese Painting Research Office of the Beijing Museum of Antiquities.
1937 - Holds, with Fang Jiekan, the "Exhibition of Calligraphy and Painting on Historical Information". Takes refuge in Beijing because of the Japanese invasion.
1938 - Holds an exhibition at the Weng On Hotel in the French concession in Tianjin and travels to Hong Kong to hold an exhibition. In August, he visits Guilin with Xu Bei Hong. Returns to Chongqing, where with his brother Shanzi he appeals for the collection of works on the theme of the anti-Japanese war, holding the "Traveling Exhibition of Paintings", and with other painters the "Exhibition of Paintings to Raise Funds for the Anti-Japanese War". For the same purpose, he travels to Western Europe and North America, where he holds the "Exhibition of Paintings by the Brothers Zhang Shanzi and Da Qian".
1939 - Settles on Mount Qingcheng. Holds an exhibition in Chengdu and travels twice to Jiajiang to improve the technique of "Dfengzhi" (painting paper).
1940 - On the way to Dunhuang, he receives news of his brother's death and goes to Chongqing for the funeral.
1941 - Holds the "Exhibition of Tracings of Dunhuang" in Chengdu.
1942 - In the spring of that year, he travels to Qinghai to ask the Dalai Lama for help in copying the Dunhuang frescoes. At the same time, he serves as a member of the Committee of the Dunhuang Art Preparatory Institute.
1943 - In the summer, he returns to Sichuan, having made more than 200 works over two years and seven months, exhibiting them for the first time in Lanzhou. Zhang's painting style undergoes a great change, influenced by the Dunhuang frescoes.
1944 - In January, he holds the "Exhibition of Dunhuang Frescoes" in Chengdu and, in March and May, the "Exhibition of Dunhuang Works" in Chongqing. He is hired as a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Fine Arts and publishes the "Special Catalogue of the Exhibition of Reproductions of the Dunhuang Frescoes by Zhang Da Qian" and the catalogue "Tracings of Reproductions of the Dunhuang Frescoes".
1945 - Completes large-scale paintings such as the "Great Lotus" with 4 panels and the "Western Garden Series" with 8 panels, exhibiting them in Chengdu. Changes his pictorial style, creating works with female figures. After the end of World War II, he returns to his homeland.
1946 - Holds exhibitions in Shanghai and exhibits at a museum in Paris, where he also takes part in the "World Exhibition of Modern Paintings" sponsored and held by the Museum of Modern Fine Arts. During this exhibition, the Chinese paintings are invited to be shown in London, Geneva and Prague.
1947 - Publishes the color catalogue "Reproductions of the Dunhuang Frescoes". Returns to Shanghai, traveling to Xikang Province, where he holds the "Exhibition of Paintings of the Nature of Xikang". Publishes the lithography and poetry catalogue "Journey through Xikang". Marries Xu Wenbo.
1948 - Is appointed Honorary Professor of the Beijing College of Arts.
1949 - Travels to Hong Kong, where he holds several exhibitions. In February, he comes to Macau for a brief period, where he finds inspiration for his paintings in the lotus flower. At the invitation of He Xiangning, he paints "Lotus", a work dedicated to Mao Zedong. Travels to India to give lectures.
1950 - Holds a solo exhibition in New Delhi. For three months, he copies the frescoes of the Ajanta Caves in India, comparing them with those of Dunhuang. Returns to Hong Kong.
1951 - Returns to Darjeeling. In the summer, he travels to Hong Kong, where he holds solo exhibitions. Donates three valuable antique pieces to China.
1952 - Travels with his family to Argentina, where he holds solo exhibitions in Buenos Aires.
1953 - Emigrates to Brazil, where he acquires land in São Paulo with the intention of building his residence "Jardim Bade" there. Continues to hold exhibitions in Taipei and donates 12 of his paintings to the Paris City Council.
1954 - Travels through the United States of America, where he holds exhibitions.
1955 - Completes the design of "Jardim Bade". Publishes the "Dafengtang Masterpieces" (4 volumes) in Japan. In December, he holds the "Exhibition of Calligraphy and Paintings by Zhang Daqian" sponsored by the Tokyo National Museum and the Tokyo Museum.
1956 - In April, he holds the "Exhibition of Dunhuang Works" in Tokyo. In May, he holds an exhibition of recent works at the Louvre Museum and the "Exhibition of Dunhuang Painting" at the Museum of Oriental Fine Arts in Paris. In July, he meets Pablo Picasso.
1957 - Discovers that he has vision problems due to diabetes.
1958 - Holds exhibitions in São Paulo and is named the World's Best Artist by the International Art Society of New York.
1959 - Presents 12 pieces at the opening ceremony of the permanent exhibition of Chinese paintings at the Paris Museum. Travels through the United States of America, Japan, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and Spain. He is awarded the "Gold Medal in Cultural Art" by the Ministry of Education of Taiwan. Begins splashed-ink and splashed-color painting.
1960 - Presents 30 recent pieces in Paris, Brussels, Athens and Madrid. Publishes the catalogue "Paintings by Zhang Daqian" in Hong Kong.
1961 - Holds a show of recent works in Geneva and São Paulo and a special exhibition of lotus paintings in Paris, later acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Publishes the catalogue "Collection of Paintings by Zhang Daqian" through the Oriental Institute of Hong Kong.
1962 - Takes part in the exhibition of invited artists commemorating the opening of the Hong Kong City Hall Museum.
1963 - Holds exhibitions in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, New York and Hong Kong. His painting "Lotus", consisting of 6 panels, is purchased for US$ 140,000.00, the highest price ever paid for a Chinese painting.
1964 - Holds exhibitions in Bangkok, Thailand, and in Cologne, Germany. At the time, the Mayor of Cologne accompanies him on a trip along the Rhine. The Commerzbank and the airline Lufthansa buy all the works in this exhibition. Later, he tours Germany exhibiting his works. Donates paintings to the leaders of the political parties of Chongqing.
1965 - Holds an exhibition in London.
1966 - Holds exhibitions in São Paulo and Hong Kong.
1967 - Holds exhibitions in the USA and the "Exhibition of Recent Paintings by Zhang Daqian" at the National Museum of History in Taipei. Donates 62 reproductions of the Dunhuang frescoes to the National Palace Museum in Taiwan. Publishes the catalogue "Collection of Paintings by Zhang Daqian" through the Oriental Institute of Hong Kong.
1968 - In Taiwan, he is awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy by the Chinese Academy of Fine Arts. Completes the large-scale work "Yangtze River" and holds a special exhibition in Taiwan and the USA. Takes part in a lecture on Chinese art at a university in the USA. After a poll conducted by the newspaper "World" (Thailand), he is considered the "Best Contemporary Chinese Painter". Acquires land in California, USA, with the intention of building a house there, which he names "Bi Huan Hut".
1969 - Holds the "Special Exhibition of the Dunhuang Frescoes" at the National Palace Museum in Taiwan and a tour of the USA.
1970 - Continues to hold exhibitions in the USA and finishes building his residence in California.
1971 - Holds an exhibition of recent works at City Hall Hong Kong. Lives between "Jardim Bade" in Brazil and the "Bi Huan Hut" in the USA.
1972 - His brother Zhang Wenxiu dies. Moves from his São Paulo residence to the "Bi Huan Hut". Holds an exhibition in Los Angeles, where he is granted the title of "Honorary Citizen". Holds the "40-Year Retrospective Exhibition" (1922-1970) in San Francisco and writes the preface "Zhang Daqian".
1973 - Holds a retrospective exhibition at the National Museum of History in Taipei, where he establishes a "World of Daqian" section. Holds the "Group Exhibition of Daqian and Xinyi (nephew)" in New York.
1974 - Holds the "Exhibition of Paintings by Zhang Daqian" at the Hong Kong City Hall, publishing the catalogue "Collection of Paintings by Zhang Daqian", and the "Exhibition of Paintings by Zhang Daqian" organized by the National Museum of History of Taiwan and the Sino-Japanese Cultural Association at the Tokyo Central Museum of Fine Arts. He is awarded the title of Honorary Doctor of Humanities by the University of the Pacific, California.
1975 - His brother Zhang Licheng dies. The National Museum of History of Taiwan holds the "Exhibition of Early Works by Zhang Daqian" and the "Exhibition of Paintings by Zhang Daqian" and, in September, the "Exhibition of Chinese and Western Paintings", presenting more than 80 paintings made over 30 years. The National Museum of History of Taiwan and the Sino-Korean Art Association hold the "Exhibition of Contemporary Paintings of the Republic of China", with more than 60 paintings, at the National Museum of Modern Art in Seoul.
1976 - The National Museum of History of Taiwan holds the "Exhibition of Paintings of Zhang Daqian's Return to the Country". The Ministry of Education presents him with a plaque bearing the title "Great Master of the Art World". He publishes in Taiwan the "Collection of Works by Zhang Daqian", the "Collection of Calligraphy and Paintings by Zhang Daqian" Volume I and "Scrolls by Zhang Daqian". The documentary "The Pictorial Art of Zhang Daqian" is also completed.
1977 - In Taiwan, he selects old calligraphy and paintings and sends them to the USA. In June, he is invited to hold an exhibition of recent works in central Taiwan. Over 5 years, he compiles the "Chronicle of Calligraphy and Paintings of the Old Man Qingxiang" and publishes it in Hong Kong.
1978 - In March, he travels to Kaohsiung (Taiwan) to hold a solo exhibition and, in August, moves his residence from the USA to his new house, "Moyejingse", in Taiwan. Holds exhibitions in southern Taiwan and Seoul. Publishes the catalogue "Paintings by Zhang Daqian" and the "Collection of Calligraphy and Paintings by Zhang Daqian" Volume II in the same city.
1979 - Takes part in the "Exhibition of Works by Three Masters of Modern Chinese Painting" (Zhang Daqian, Fu Xinyu and Huang Junbi) organized by the Chinese Culture Association of Hong Kong. Publishes the catalogue "Photographs of Jardim Bade - Zhang Daqian's Abandoned Residence in Brazil" (Volume IV).
1980 - Corresponds and exchanges paintings with relatives and friends in China. Takes part with 25 paintings in the "Exhibition of Works by Three Masters of Modern Chinese Painting" organized by the Gallery of the National Museum of Singapore. Holds the "Exhibition of Calligraphy and Paintings by Zhang Daqian" at the National Museum of History of Taiwan and, together with Huang Junbi, paints the great landscape scroll "Eternal Spring of Formosa Island".
1981 - Publishes the "Collection of Paintings by Zhang Daqian" (Volume V) in Sichuan and the wall calendar "Painting by Zhang Daqian" in Tianjin. An exhibition of recent paintings is held by the National Museum of History of Taiwan. Takes part in the "Exhibition of Calligraphy and Painting by Great Chinese Artists" organized by the Zhijian Art Center in Hong Kong. He is also invited to take part in the "Exhibition of the New Evolution of Chinese Painting" organized by the Oriental Museum in Paris. In July, he begins the large-scale piece "Mount Lu".
1982 - The Sichuan and Gansu TV stations produce the documentary "Zhang Daqian - Great Artist of Chinese Painting". In January, he presents the "Exhibition of Ink and Color Paintings by Fu Baoshi, Xu Beihong and Zhang Daqian". In April, President Chiang Ching-kuo confers on him the "Zhongzheng" title of merit. He is also invited to take part in the "Exhibition of Contemporary Paintings of China" in Kuala Lumpur. Publishes the "Collection of Calligraphy and Paintings by Zhang Daqian" Volume III in Taiwan.
1983 - Essentially completes the work "Mount Lu". Takes part in the "Exhibition of Calligraphy and Paintings by Zhang Daqian" organized by the National Museum of History of Taiwan in January and publishes the "Collection of Calligraphy and Paintings by Zhang Daqian" (Volume VI). On March 8, he is admitted to Rongmin Hospital in Taipei, dying on April 2 at the age of 83. His ashes are buried in Taipei. The "Exhibition of Paintings by Zhang Daqian" is held in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and elsewhere.
Source: Instituto Cultural de Macau [Macau Cultural Institute]
