Zhang Guangbin (Chang Kuang-bin)(b. 1915)
Immortal Landscape
ink on paper, triptych
executed in 2010
each: 142.5 x 60 cm. (6 x 23 5/8 in.)
total: 142.5 x 180 cm. (56 x 70 7/8 in.)
FURTHER DESCRIPTION
Zhang Guangbin is a calligrapher, ink painter and researcher of painting and calligraphy in one. He resided in Taiwan in 1949 and continued his creative pursuits and academic research. In 1968 he was recruited into the Department of Painting and Calligraphy at the National Palace Museum, where he worked close to ancient paintings, and wrote and edited numerous articles on Chinese paintings and calligraphy. He is especially interested in paintings from the Yuan Dynasty, and has made outstanding contribution in identifying and cataloging works from the Yuan Dynasty, which earned him the title of “Walking Dictionary on the History of Yuan Dynasty Painting and Calligraphy”. In 1982, he joined the National Institute of the Arts (now known as the Taipei National University of the Arts), where he extended his rigorous attitude in creative work, his emphasis on innovation and his constant pursuit for the innovation of ancient techniques into his teaching methods, which have benefited countless students. Since retiring from the National Palace Museum in 1987, he has committed his time to creating and promoting Chinese painting and calligraphy, and so he has continued for more than two decades.

The “Charred ink and dotting textures” created by Zhang Guangbin is another unique painting style in Taiwan’s modern art after Yu Cheng-yao’s, moving away from sketching and instead highlighting Zhang’s remarkable calligraphy skills and his familiarity with the composition of ancient landscapes and sceneries; it even integrates elements of modern abstract art, exchanging realistic outlines for dotted lines. The resulting image is simple yet rich, with a style that can be altered as the artist pleases, for the endless possibilities that all originate from Zhang’s artistry and technique.