ZHANG DAQIAN (Chinese, 1899-1983) “CONTEMPLATING UPON SUMMER MOUNTAINS”.

ZHANG DAQIAN (Chinese, 1899-1983) “CONTEMPLATING UPON SUMMER MOUNTAINS”. Contemplating upon Summer Mountains Ink and colors on paper, mounted on board, dated gengshen, sixty-ninth year (of the Republic of China, 1980) Inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist “Zhang Yuan,” “Daqian” Inscription reads,“the sixty-ninth year, gengshen, midsummer, Moye Jingshe, eighty-two year Old Man Yuan.” Housed in a modern gilt wood frame with linen matte and inner gold liner. “Contemplating upon Summer Mountains” was done in the summer of 1980, the sixty-ninth year of the Republic of China. It represented Zhang Daqian’s mature style of splashed-ink-and-color technique. In Zhang’s later years, due to his ailing eyesight and the limitations it imposed, the artist developed an abstract style reminiscent of the blue and green landscape of the Tang dynasty (618-906). However, Zhang did not totally abandon the gongbi (fine pen) style that dominated his early years. Rather, as this work demonstrated, a lucid structure still can be seen in the swirls of colors and pools of suffused textured ink, interspersed with fine details of pines, rocks, cottages, and sailboats. The velvety blue in the center and the turquoise green in the back almost had a tactile feel to it. The bold application of blue elucidating the basic pictorial form of the foreground mountain was on the same abstract level as an earlier work, “Approach of a Mountain Storm” from 1967, now in the collection of Chang Sing S. and Kuala Lumpur. Moye Jingshe, mentioned in the inscription, was Zhang Daqian’s residence in Taiwan from 1978 until his death in 1983. Zhang moved from California back to Taiwan in 1976. And in 1977, he bought some lands in Waishuangxi, close to the National Palace Museum. The residence was named Moye Jingshe (translated as “Abode of Illusion”). Moye is the Buddhist word for illusion and Jingshe a meditation hut. The painting could be a view the artist saw or imaged from his studio on a midsummer day. It also reminded us of Zhang’s final large work, “Panorama of Mount Lu,” painted between July 1981 to February 1983, now in the Collection of the Dafeng Tang, Taipei. Zhang never visited nor saw Mount Lu and thus the subject matter imbued him with maximum freedom and imagination. Even though the Zhang Daqian did not start working on the long scroll of Mount Lu (commissioned by Li Haitian) until late 1981, the preparation work actually started in 1980. It is possible that “Contemplating upon Summer Mountains” was one of the many variations of smaller sketches Zhang did before taking on the larger challenge. SIZE: 20-1/2″ x 39-1/2″. PROVENANCE: Property of a North American Collection. CONDITION: A paper crease in upper left corner, edges of the paper glued to a wood board, otherwise very good. 9-24811 (60,000-90,000)

Auction: Fine Art, Antiques & Asian - August 2012

Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

Image	Lot	Price	Description
	3583	$0.00	ZHANG DAQIAN (Chinese, 1899-1983) “CONTEMPLATING UPON SUMMER MOUNTAINS”. Contemplating upon Summer Mountains Ink and colors on paper, mounted on board, dated gengshen, sixty-ninth year (of the Republic of China, 1980) Inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist “Zhang Yuan,” “Daqian” Inscription reads,“the sixty-ninth year, gengshen, midsummer, Moye Jingshe, eighty-two year Old Man Yuan.” Housed in a modern gilt wood frame with linen matte and inner gold liner. “Contemplating upon Summer Mountains” was done in the summer of 1980, the sixty-ninth year of the Republic of China. It represented Zhang Daqian’s mature style of splashed-ink-and-color technique. In Zhang’s later years, due to his ailing eyesight and the limitations it imposed, the artist developed an abstract style reminiscent of the blue and green landscape of the Tang dynasty (618-906). However, Zhang did not totally abandon the gongbi (fine pen) style that dominated his early years. Rather, as this work demonstrated, a lucid structure still can be seen in the swirls of colors and pools of suffused textured ink, interspersed with fine details of pines, rocks, cottages, and sailboats. The velvety blue in the center and the turquoise green in the back almost had a tactile feel to it. The bold application of blue elucidating the basic pictorial form of the foreground mountain was on the same abstract level as an earlier work, “Approach of a Mountain Storm” from 1967, now in the collection of Chang Sing S. and Kuala Lumpur. Moye Jingshe, mentioned in the inscription, was Zhang Daqian’s residence in Taiwan from 1978 until his death in 1983. Zhang moved from California back to Taiwan in 1976. And in 1977, he bought some lands in Waishuangxi, close to the National Palace Museum. The residence was named Moye Jingshe (translated as “Abode of Illusion”). Moye is the Buddhist word for illusion and Jingshe a meditation hut. The painting could be a view the artist saw or imaged from his studio on a midsummer day. It also reminded us of Zhang’s final large work, “Panorama of Mount Lu,” painted between July 1981 to February 1983, now in the Collection of the Dafeng Tang, Taipei. Zhang never visited nor saw Mount Lu and thus the subject matter imbued him with maximum freedom and imagination. Even though the Zhang Daqian did not start working on the long scroll of Mount Lu (commissioned by Li Haitian) until late 1981, the preparation work actually started in 1980. It is possible that “Contemplating upon Summer Mountains” was one of the many variations of smaller sketches Zhang did before taking on the larger challenge. SIZE: 20-1/2″ x 39-1/2″. PROVENANCE: Property of a North American Collection. CONDITION: A paper crease in upper left corner, edges of the paper glued to a wood board, otherwise very good. 9-24811 (60,000-90,000) Auction: Fine Art, Antiques & Asian - August 2012 Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

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