Portrait of Chang Ku-nien

Description

This portrait of Chang Ku-nien was painted by his student, the accomplished Wang Shouxuan, to commemorate her deceased teacher. Wang studied with Chang beginning in 1952 and was also a close family friend. Her portrait vividly captures both Chang’s appearance and his spirit. The bright eyes and the lean face associate him with the tradition of scholar-artists. One of Chang’s dearest friends, the renowned traditional painter and calligrapher Liu Yantao (1908–1998), later inscribed the painting with verses lamenting the loss of his friend and suggesting how many memories of their friendship the painting recalls. Liu recounts how they often appreciated a cup of tea together and discussed philosophy. The practice of an artist responding in this way to the work of another artist continues a centuries-old Chinese tradition.
Spring/Summer Gallery Rotation 2015
---------
This portrait was painted by one of Chang’s students, the accomplished Wang Shouxuan (Wang Shou-hsuan). It was intended as a commemorative work for her deceased teacher, with whom she had studied since 1952; Wang was also a close family friend. This likeness apparently vividly captures both Chang’s appearance and spirit. One of his dearest friends, the renowned traditional painter and calligrapher Liu Yantao, inscribed the painting upon seeing it; his two inscriptions lament the loss of his friend and suggest how many memories of their friendship the painting recalls.
(Tradition Transformed: Chang Ku-nien, Master Painter of the 20th Century, Winter 2010)
Gallery Rotation Winter 2012
Wang Shouxuan
China, b. 1924
Portrait of Chang Ku-nien
1989
Ink and color on paper
Gift of Dr. Cheng-Yang and Mrs. Shirley Chang, 2006/1.115
The subject of this work, and the author of the adjacent one, is Chang Ku-nien (1906–1987), one of the last generation of artists trained in the centuries-old tradition of Chinese painting. Born in China during the final years of imperial rule, the dramatic political changes of the following centuries forced him to emigrate to Taiwan, where he was instrumental in the revival of the practice of traditional Chinese painting that had languished under the cultural influence of Japan during its occupation of Taiwan.
This portrait was painted by his student, the accomplished Wang Shouxuan (Wang Shou-hsuan) to commemorate her deceased teacher, with whom she had studied beginning in 1952; Wang was also a close family friend. This likeness apparently vividly captures both Chang’s appearance and spirit. One of his dearest friends, the renowned traditional painter and calligrapher Liu Yantao (1908–1998), later inscribed the painting with verses lamenting the loss of his friend and suggesting how many memories of their friendship the painting recalls. The practice of an artist responding in this way to the work of another continues a centuries-old Chinese tradition intertwining writing and painting.