Zhang Daqian

Chinese (1899-1983)

Zhang Daqian, 1899-1983, was one of the most influential and famous Chinese artists of the 20th century. Originally, he worked in the traditional medium of Chinese painting known as guohua, before expanding his practice into modern impressionist and expressionist styles. He began studying painting in Shanghai in the 1920s and held his first exhibition in the city in 1925. Zhang Daqian quickly gained renown for his work, and by the 1930s his work was being exhibited internationally. In the 1940s, he led a group of artists on a mission to copy the Buddhist wall paintings in the city of Dunhuang. In the 1950s, he developed a new technique of splashed c... Show more