Master of Brush and Men – Zhang Daqian,

Dreaming of a hairy black monkey in a shining bronze gong, a woman gave birth to a boy. The child grew up to become the legendary Zhang Daqian, a master of Chinese painting whose life was anything but ordinary. He had remarkable adventures — he served as secretary of a bandit leader and became a Buddhist monk. He held his first solo exhibition in the age of 26, and travelled to Dunhuang in western China to copy ancient Buddhist murals. During World War Two, he became a global ambassador for Chinese art. He lived in places all over the world, such as Argentina, Brazil, the U.S. and Chinese Taiwan. He showcased his work across Europe, Asia and the Americas. It earned him the reputation of “China’s Picasso.” In his later years, Zhang developed unique splashed-ink and splashed-colour techniques, unmatched in the art world. Decades after his passing, he surpassed Pablo Picasso — whom he had visited in 1956 — to become the world’s best-selling artist at auction. Today he is widely considered to be the greatest Chinese painter for the past 500 years.

THANKS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

INTRODUCTION
Master Painter, Master Person

CH.1 Childhood: Poverty and Talent
CH.2 Launching His Career
CH.3 Raising a Tiger in a Suzhou Garden
CH.4 War: Detention, Taoist Mountain & Patriotic Brother
CH.5 Facing the Walls in Dunhuang
CH.6 Fame at Home and Abroad: Leaving His Homeland
CH.7 Constructing an Oriental Paradise in Brazil
CH.8 Meeting with Picasso: Building International Fame
CH.9 El Capitan and The Abode of Maya
CH.10 Life After Death

Bibliography

Mark O’Neill was born in London, England, and educated at Marlborough College and New College, Oxford. After working in Washington D.C., Belfast, and Manchester, he moved to Hong Kong in 1978 and has lived in Asia ever since. After working in journalism and teaching, he started writing books full-time in 2006. This is his 21st book. Nine have editions in Chinese as well as English. He lives in Hong Kong and speaks French, Mandarin and Cantonese.