123

123

Dai-chien's Love of the Lotus

The legendary painter

Chang Dai-chien

had a deep connection

to the lotus flower.

It began when

he was young,

sketching by a

lotus pond in Suzhou,

and continued when

he lived in Beijing,

where he visited

the lotus pond

in the Summer Palace.

After moving to Taiwan,

the botanist of the

Forestry Research Institute

helped him plant

all kinds of lotuses

at his "Abode of Maya"

in Shuangxi

so he could appreciate

them at his leisure.

Whenever lotuses

were blooming

you could find him,

cane in hand,

walking around

the lotus pond

or at the Museum's

Lotus Wind Pavilion

drawing inspiration

from the natural splendor.

123

123

123

123

123

123

123

123

123

123

123

123

Artistic Innovator

Chang Dai-chien

began studying painting

under his mother,

and later continued

his studies in Japan.

After returning home,

Zeng Nong-ran

and Li Mei-an

became his teachers,

and he was deeply influenced

by Shi Tao and Bada Shanren.

In 1927 he traveled

all over China,

where his most

formative experience

was studying the

Dunhuang grottoes.

After 1949

he migrated to

various places,

studying different

painting styles.

He combined

Western abstractionism

with traditional Chinese

ink-wash painting,

pioneering the influential

splashed-ink style.

Not only did he facilitate

a new era in

ink-wash painting,

but he also became

one of the most

influential artists

of modern times.

123

123

123

123

123

123

123

123

123

123

123

123

Dai-chien's Lotuses

Chang Dai-chien holds

a special place

in art history.

He developed the

splashed-ink technique

and expanded

the importance of

the lotus in art

and literature.

123

Chang Dai-chien's

lotus paintings can be

divided into three kinds:

First is the gongbi style,

characterized by

fine brush strokes

and detail.

The second is xieyi style,

which is more freehand

and features bold strokes.

In both styles,

he often outlines

the petals twice

and only puts a little color

or ink on the outline.

123

The third is the

sketched-flower style,

which combines the

two types described above.

Dai-chien thought that

the most important parts

of the lotus were

the leaves and the stem.

In this style, a moist brush

is used to paint the leaves,

and a drier brush with

thicker ink is used

for the stems,

characterizing his

personal style.

123

123

123

123

123

123

123

123

123

123