Zhang Daqian (1899-1983)

Zhang Daqian was a native of Nei-chiang, Szechwan. At the age of 21, he was taking Shih Tao and Pa-ta Shan-jen as his starting point, he sought out as many paintings by famous artists of past centuries as he could to copy. Beginning with an impressionistic style and progressing to meticulous brushwork, he developed the ability to move between these techniques with complete master.  In 1941, he traveled to Dunhuang where he spent two years and seven months copying wall paintings. Here he studied traditional coloration and line drawing methods, being particularly moved by the grand scales and complex layout of the high Tang style. He also traveled widely in Europe and Amedica.  This spurred a sea change in his mothods of paintings, and he created unique splashed-ink and splashed-color styles, expanding the potential of plane surfaces and coloration. .