- Also spelled:
- Chang Dai-chien
- Wade-Giles romanization:
- Chang Ta-ch’ien
- Born:
- May 10, 1899, Neijiang, Sichuan province, China
- Died:
- April 2, 1983, Taipei, Taiwan (aged 83)
Zhang Daqian
-
Who was Zhang Daqian?
Zhang Daqian (1899–1983) was a renowned 20th-century Chinese artist, celebrated as a painter and collector.
Encouraged to paint from childhood, Zhang studied textile dyeing in Kyoto and later traditional painting in Shanghai under famous calligraphers and painters. He meticulously studied ancient masters, emulating Ming-Qing Individualists and creating forgeries that gained him notoriety.
In the late 1920s, Zhang collaborated with Pu Xinyu in Beijing, becoming known as the "South Zhang and North Pu". He copied Buddhist wall paintings from Mogao and Yulin caves in 1940, incorporating traditional Tang-Song elements into his art, especially his lotus paintings. Leaving China in 1949, Zhang resided in Argentina, Brazil, and California. His 1956 meeting with Pablo Picasso in Nice symbolized an East-West artistic exchange. Developing eye problems in the late 1950s, Zhang created his signature splashed-color (pocai) style, which he attributed to Wang Mo’s splashed-ink technique. In 1978, he settled in Taipei, where his residence is now the Memorial Museum of Zhang Daqian.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What kind of art did Zhang Daqian create?
Zhang Daqian was a highly regarded and versatile Chinese artist of the 20th century, known for his painting and collecting. Initially, Zhang emulated the Ming-Qing Individualists, including Shitao, Tang Yin, and Chen Hongshou, even creating forgeries of their works.
Later, Zhang Daqian became known for his lotus paintings, which were inspired by ancient works. After developing eye problems, he developed his signature splashed color (pocai) style, which some believed to be related to Abstract Expressionism, though Zhang attributed it to Wang Mo's splashed-ink technique.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Why is Zhang Daqian considered important in Chinese art history?
Zhang Daqian (1899–1983) is considered one of the most internationally renowned Chinese artists of the 20th century because of his traditional painting and personal collection of ancient Chinese paintings.
As a child, Zhang was encouraged to pursue painting. Later, he studied ancient masterworks, emulating Ming-Qing Individualists and creating forgeries that deceived connoisseurs. In the 1930s, he collaborated with Pu Xinyu, becoming known as the "South Zhang and North Pu." Zhang studied Buddhist wall paintings and Tang-Song figure painting, incorporating these elements into his lotus paintings. In the late 1950s, as his eyesight deteriorated, he developed his splashed color style, which garnered high market prices.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What painting techniques did Zhang Daqian use or invent?
Zhang Daqian, a renowned 20th-century Chinese artist, gained international recognition for his painting and collecting.
As his eyesight deteriorated in the late 1950s, Zhang Daqian developed his signature splashed color (pocai) style. While some linked this to Abstract Expressionism, Zhang attributed it to the splashed-ink technique of the ancient painter Wang Mo.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did Zhang Daqian’s travels influence his artwork?
Zhang Daqian's travels significantly influenced his artwork. His journey to the Mogao and Yulin caves in 1940 exposed him to Buddhist wall paintings, creating a repository of religious imagery that later appeared in his art.
Leaving China in the 1950s due to the political climate, Zhang resided in Argentina, Brazil, and California. His meeting with Pablo Picasso in 1956 was promoted as a meeting between Eastern and Western art. As his eyesight declined in the late 1950s, Zhang developed his mature splashed color (pocai) style, which some linked to Abstract Expressionism.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are some famous works created by Zhang Daqian, and what makes them special?
Zhang Daqian (1899-1983) was a renowned Chinese painter and collector. Early on, he gained recognition for his forgeries of ancient masters like Shitao. Later, he collaborated with Pu Xinyu, becoming known as the "South Zhang and North Pu" for their joint works in the 1930s.
Zhang's visit to the Mogao and Yulin caves in 1940 to copy Buddhist wall paintings profoundly influenced his art. He became known for his lotus paintings, drawing inspiration from ancient art. In his later years, Zhang developed the splashed color (pocai) style, which garnered high prices at international auctions.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Zhang Daqian (born May 10, 1899, Neijiang, Sichuan province, China—died April 2, 1983, Taipei, Taiwan) was a painter and collector who was one of the most internationally renowned Chinese artists of the 20th century.
As a child, Zhang was encouraged by his family to pursue painting. In 1917 his elder brother, Zhang Shanzi (an artist famous for his tiger paintings), accompanied him to Kyoto to study textile dyeing. Two years later Zhang Daqian went to Shanghai to receive traditional painting instruction from two famous calligraphers and painters of the time, Zeng Xi and Li Ruiqing. Through his association with those teachers, Zhang had the opportunity to study some works by ancient masters in detail. His early style attempted to emulate the Ming-Qing Individualists, including Tang Yin, Chen Hongshou, and Shitao. He meticulously studied and copied their works and began to make forgeries; he gained notoriety when one of his forged Shitaos successfully deceived the connoisseurs.
After his early success in Shanghai, Zhang extended his career to the north in the late 1920s, when he became active in the cultural circles of Beijing. He began to collaborate with the well-known Beijing painter Pu Xinyu, and together they became known as the “South Zhang and North Pu,” an epithet that is still used to refer to their collaborative works of the 1930s.
In 1940 Zhang led a group of artists to the caves of Mogao and Yulin for the purpose of copying their Buddhist wall paintings. The group completed more than 200 paintings, and the experience left Zhang with a repository of religious imagery. During the Second Sino-Japanese War the artist zealously studied traditional Tang-Song figure painting and ancient monumental landscape painting. He would use elements of these in his own work, becoming particularly known for his lotus paintings, inspired by ancient works. His love of tradition was also reflected in his personal collection of ancient Chinese paintings, which he had began early in his career. At its peak, his collection contained several hundred works from the Tang to Qing dynasties.
In reaction to the political climate in 1949, Zhang left China in the early 1950s. He resided in various places, including Mendoza, Argentina; São Paulo, Brazil; and Carmel, California. His meeting with Pablo Picasso in 1956 in Nice, France, was publicized as an artistic meeting between East and West.
Zhang developed eye problems in the late 1950s. As his eyesight deteriorated, he developed his mature splashed color (pocai) style. Although many believed the style to be related to that of the Abstract Expressionist movement, then popular in the United States and a departure from that of his traditional painting, Zhang attributed it in part to the splashed-ink technique of the ancient painter Wang Mo. Zhang’s splashed-color paintings fetched the highest market prices for contemporary Chinese paintings at international auctions of the time.
In 1978 the artist settled in Taipei. His residence, Moye-jingshe, next to the National Palace Museum, is now the Memorial Museum of Zhang Daqian.
The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.
SUBSCRIBE
