[Yihai Mingzhu Sea Overseas Chapter] Zhang Shuqi in California

In 2015, I retired, and I have time to visit museums around the world. During this time, I also met a lot of artists overseas. Especially in Silicon Valley in the United States, Chinese artists abound. Some of them came to overseas with their families, while some were because the war was stranded overseas. Similarly, they did not give up their pursuit of art, nor did they forget that they were descendants of Yan and Huang and Huaxia. Among them, I was most impressed by me. In the 1920s and 1930s, I was known as Xu Beihong and Liu Zigu as "Jinling Sanjie" Zhang Shuqi, a modern Chinese modern flower and bird painter.

Zhang Shuqi (1900-1957)

Zhang Shuqi is a master of Chinese flower and bird painting obviously undervalued.

In 1900, Zhang Shuqi was born in Pujiang County, Zhejiang Province; in 1921, at the age of 21, he was admitted to the Shanghai Fine Arts College (predecessor of Nanjing Academy of Arts) founded by Liu Haisu; in 1930, he taught at the Department of Art of Central University at the age of 30.

His flowers and birds paint have a unique style -make good use of white and use white. In the 1930s, he was known for his "white powder painter", and together with Xu Beihong, Fu Baoshi, and Pan Tianshou, "White Society." He is diligent in sketching, working in color, and he is especially good. On the antique rice paper of dyed, the white powder is dyed with white powder, and the white powder is white and black. The technique is clever and very vivid;

Zhang Shuqi's flower and bird paintings are taken in Ren Bonian. When making flowers and birds, they like white powder and color ink. The picture is elegant and modern. Later, Gao Sword Father and Lu Fengzi were awarded them, forming a fresh and beautiful painting style of color, pink, and pen and ink, which can be described as unique. Lu Fengzi is one of the pioneers and most important founders of the "Jiangsu Painting School" (Xinjinling School), a famous painter, calligrapher, and art educator in China.

In 1932, five members of the Baihe Creative Society took a group photo. From left: Zhang Zhenduo, Pan Tianshou, Zhu Wenyun, Zhang Shuqi, Wu Yanzhi

In 1932, five members of the Baihe Creative Society took a group photo. From left: Zhang Zhenduo, Pan Tianshou, Zhu Wenyun, Zhang Shuqi, Wu Yanzhi

Zhang Shuqi studied in Shanghai Aesthetics for three years. The original professional goal was middle school art teachers, not the road to professional painters. He was trained in Western painting in the classroom. He studied very hard and solid foundation. But his personal hobbies are Chinese flowers and birds painting, so they work outside the class and visit teachers to learn art.

It happened that Wang Yiting, an important figure in "Haipai" painting at that time, served as the director of the Shanghai American School. Zhang Shuqi asked him to benefit him and commensurate with the teacher. At that time, Wu Changshuo's work was like the sky, and Zhang Shuqi's art classmate and his fellow Wu Yanzhi had a close relationship with Wu Changshuo.

At this time, Zhang Shuqi and the popular Wu Changshuo's golden stone flavor and freehand style were on the back, but traced back to the small freehand flowers and birds of Ren Bonian, Zhu Menglu, and Pan pepperstone. This style of painting has from the beginning of the Qing Dynasty to Nantian, to the Silla people in the middle of the Qing Dynasty, to Ren Bonian in the late Qing Dynasty, and has formed a very systematic inheritance system.

In October 1925, Zhang Shuqi published the article "The Source of Chinese Painting" in Shanghai's "New Affairs New News" in Shanghai. This is his first paper to sort out the history of Chinese painting. From the pattern of the pre -Qin text, and the end of Wu Changshuo's work, the basis is that Dong Qichang's painting "North and South Sect". It can be seen that even as an ordinary middle school art teacher, Zhang Shuqi has a long -term planning in his art pursuit.

Two years after Jinhua Ren, Zhang Shuqi transferred to Jimei School in Xiamen, Fujian in 1926 to teach. Three years later, Xu Beihong and Lu Fengzi hired them to teach at the National Central University. After arriving in Nanjing, his flowers and birds painted quickly and officially appeared on the stage of the Republic of China.

Zhang Shuqi "Hundred Pigeon Pictures" Silk color set color 135 × 272 cm 1940

In 1940, Zhang Shuqi, who was in the middle of the age, created the "Hundred Pigeon Maps" symbolizing peace, and his work was successful in Chongqing. In April of the following year, Zhang Shuqi planned to take a plane from Chongqing to Hong Kong on the 29th; on April 23, Fu Baoshi gave Zhang Shuqi a gift for him. This is the manuscript of Fu Baoshi's new "Progress of Chinese Painting Thought". As a research expert in the history of Chinese painting, Fu Baoshi provided many professional suggestions for Zhang Shuqi to show Chinese painting. There are more than ten pages of manuscripts sent by Fu Baoshi, which is full of good wishes for Zhang Shuqi.

After the outbreak of the Pacific War, Zhang Shuqi stayed in the United States and could not return to China. During the five years in the United States, he held more than 20 individual exhibitions and joint exhibitions in important art galleries such as the Metropolitan Museum of New York. His works and live paintings have attracted great attention in the United States, and many American media, including Life Magazine, have reported specifically for this, and have responded significantly.

In April 1941, Fu Baoshi's gift manuscript

In 1949, after Zhang Shuqi returned to China, he returned to San Francisco and lived in Auckland, East Bay. When Zhang Shuqi came to the United States, he was the chief of modern flowers and birds. He was directly chased as Bo Nian and became famous with Xu Beihong and Liu Haisu. After he came to the United States, he radiated the entire North America with San Francisco. He successively held individual exhibitions and live paintings in Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Boston, New York, Washington, Chicago, Kansas and other cities. The field caused a sensation. In the eyes of the audience, the expression of Zhang Shuqi's works is traditional, but the training, skills and methods he received were completely modern at the time. Therefore, he believes that he is both China and international. It is from Zhang Shuqi that American society has gradually understood Chinese modern art and modern painters. In April 1943, Mr. Zhao Yuanren, who taught at Harvard University, asked Zhang Shuqi to hold a live painting demonstration at the Harvard University Professor Club. Zhang Shuqi painted quickly. On a piece of watercolor paper that was seen in thirty or forty centimeters, a flower and bird painting was completed in less than 10 minutes, which was stunned. A professor pulled Zhao Yuanren aside and quietly asked: "If I want to learn painting now, how long does it take to learn the level of Professor Zhang?" Mr. Zhao Yuan Ren has always been humorous, and he deliberately answered for dozens of years. This is a very famous story. It can be seen that Zhang Shuqi reflected in the US tour in the United States, not only his personal skills, but also showing the tradition of writing Chinese writing. The essence of this tradition showed vividly through the demonstration of Zhang Shuqi.

It can be said that Zhang Shuqi brought Chinese painting to the United States. The "Messenger of Peace (" Hundred Pigeon Pictures ") created by the fire in the sky) Before Christmas in 1940, Zhang Shuqi was officially presented to the US ambassador to China, and then the latter was transferred to the White House in the United States. This work is very realistic and vivid for birds, lively, and the composition is based on the perspective of the West. In the work, Zhang Shuqi chose not only the Chinese ink color he often used, but also the gouache, and his brushstrokes were bold and strong. This painting was first hung in the White House, and was later displayed in the exhibition hall of the Roosevelt Presidential Library. At that time, the mainstream media had reported the work. It can be said that it was the most famous Chinese painting in the United States and a well -received work so far.

In 1942, Zhang Shuqi created on the spot at the University of Chicago, USA

There are not many Westerners who are familiar with Chinese painting in California, but there are many people familiar with Zhang Shuqi. Mr. Zhang Shuqi loves his colleagues, humble, and promotes Chinese painting art for life. In his bold and special color, he changed the fixed model of Chinese literati painting "ink five colors", reaching the state of "colorful color", pushing the vitality and expressiveness of Chinese painting to a new stage.

Zhang Shuqi is alone overseas. Although he died early in English, he has made great contributions to Chinese painting, Chinese and American culture and art exchanges, and the motherland and the people in suffering. We should not forget it in the long river of history. Fortunately, with the help of Mr. Shu Jianhua, the director of the Asian Art Center of Silicon Valley, let Yiyihai's beads lighten up, showing its deserved style and its respect. From 2012 to 2022, in the past ten years, the Silicon Valley Asian Art Museum has organized a series of exhibition lectures such as "Zhang Shuqi in California", "Zhang Shuqi Birthday Anniversary", "Recalling My Father Zhang Shuqi", etc. I made a detailed interpretation.

From October 10th to 31st, 1956, the Rosicrucian Art Gallery of San Heassei, California, hosted the Oriental Art Exhibition to display two Asian artists Zhang Shuqi and Chiura Obata. Zhang Shuqi began on -site demonstrations at 3 pm on October 21. This is his last public demonstration.

From October 10th to 31st, 1956, the Rosicrucian Art Gallery of San Heassei, California, hosted the Oriental Art Exhibition to display two Asian artists Zhang Shuqi and Chiura Obata. Zhang Shuqi began on -site demonstrations at 3 pm on October 21. This is his last public demonstration.

In the last 16 years of Zhang Shuqi's life, except for two years of returning to China, he was overseas. Because of historical reasons, his life and creation overseas were not known to the domestic public. It was not until he died for more than half a century that he gradually began to pay attention. Compared with the flowers and birds of the same period, such as Qi Baishi, Pan Tianshou, Li Kuhan, Wang Xuetao, Lu Shifei, Shen Yaochu, Zhao Shaoang, etc., Zhang Shuqi has his own different experiences of the times and the experience of "walking the ocean". Features, achievements and value.

Influenced by Western culture, Zhang Shuqi took the initiative to integrate the oriental culture into Western culture, and collided and sublimated the two. You have me and you have you, continuing the strong vitality of oriental culture. He placed Chinese flowers and birds on color paper, becoming the first person to use white powder so cleverly in ink painting. His works are hearty, and his paintings are handy, and flowers and birds and ink paintings show a gorgeous new world in his pen. He opened up the gap between writing and depicting in the painting and bird painting, and shocked the Western world with the ability of refreshing and fast -moving styling. ), Fujita Taki (1886-1968) and so on. Zhang Shuqi's eldest son and the Department of History at Stanford University Zhang Shaoshu's lecture "Recall my father Zhang Shuqi"

In the future, Chinese painting and Chinese flower and bird painting will continue to go forward and go out. Mr. Zhang Shuqi left us a thick legacy and profound revelation, which is worthy of being remembered by history.

Pang Hui

Pang Hui

Pang Hui, retired in 2015, former vice chairman of the Jiangsu Provincial Federation of Industry and Commerce (main hall), now consultant of the Jiangsu International Cultural Exchange Center, and researcher at Zhang Daqian Research Center in Sichuan Province. In 2019 and 2020, three books on the publishing of Oracle, the Dream of the Red Route Dream, and the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Oracle, Dream of the Red Routes, and the Chinese rice paper world were published. At the same time, the Chinese and English version of Zhang Daqian's paintings and calligraphy will also be published in North America in August this year.

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