Chang Dai-chien: A Master of Modern Chinese Painting

Widely regarded as one of the most important Chinese painters of the 20th century, Chang Dai-chien (1899 – 1983; also known as Zhang Daqian) was both a master traditionalist and an innovative modernist. Trained in the literati painting tradition, he achieved early fame for his extraordinary technical virtuosity and even produced remarkably convincing works in the styles of earlier masters. Later in life, particularly during his years abroad, he developed increasingly expressive splashed-ink and splashed-color landscapes that expanded the expressive possibilities of ink painting.

This exhibition focuses on three works from Chang’s early career: a calligraphy copying of a fifth-century epitaph, an ink painting of a gnarled pine tree, and an ink portrait of Li Bai, the celebrated eighth-century poet. Together, these works offer a glimpse into Chang’s wide range of subjects and diverse approaches to brushwork. They demonstrate his deep engagement with the classical traditions of Chinese painting and calligraphy while also revealing his remarkable ability to reinterpret tradition for the modern era.

Chang Dai-chien: A Master of Modern Chinese Painting is part of a multi-year exhibition series developed by the Norton Museum of Art in partnership with the Dongguan Lou Collection. The series explores major artists and key themes in Chinese painting and calligraphy from the fifteenth through the twentieth centuries.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website