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Lotus

ca. 1980
Not on view
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.
In his later years, Zhang Daqian experienced vision loss. In response, he leaned into his interest in abstraction to create images driven by bold shapes, color fields, and the unerring strength of his hand rather than painstaking attention to detail. In this painting, made just three years before his death, Zhang’s leaves have become large, unruly daubs of ink and color. The power of his brush remains evident in the towering stems and in the flowers themselves, where he has strategically chosen to apply areas of detail to contrast with the boldness of the leaves.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 現代　張大千　紅荷圖　軸
  • Title: Lotus
  • Artist: Chang Dai-chien (Chinese, 1899–1983)
  • Date: ca. 1980
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 33 1/16 × 20 in. (84 × 50.8 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Promised Gift of Jack and Susy Wadsworth
  • Object Number: L.2022.15.18
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art