Sun Yunsheng was a famous modern calligrapher, painter and art educator. He followed Zhang Daqian, learning painting from him for 47 years. He was the only disciple who inherited Zhang Daqian’s complete set of painting skills.
Stepping Into Daqian’s World at Age 19
Sun Yunsheng, also known as Jia Rui, was born in 1918 in Ninghe, Hebei. At the age of nine, he learned painting from his uncle, and copied the calligraphy of famous calligraphers such as Wang Xizhi, Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi, and Ouyang Xun. He also studied the Four Books and Tang poetry with his mother. Later, he learned painting from famous painting masters such as Shao Yixuan, Hu Peiheng, Wang Xuetao, and Qin Zhongwen. In 1936, Sun Yunsheng’s father, through the recommendation of his friend, introduced his son’s landscape and flower-bird paintings to Zhang Daqian. These paintings passed the examination and Sun Yunsheng officially became the disciple of Zhang Daqian, under whose tutelage his painting skills improved greatly. In 1938, he graduated from the Art Education Department of North China University. He moved to Taiwan in 1948. In 1955, with his family, he moved to Brazil with Zhang Daqian to further his painting studies; at the same time, he helped Zhang Daqian organize his manuscripts and paintings while taking care of him.
Sun Yunsheng had served Zhang Daqian for a long time and was the disciple who received the most guidance, advice and teaching from him. Zhang Daqian regarded Sun Yunsheng as his successor. He once praised Sun Yunsheng: “In his landscape paintings, he can integrate the skills from the ancients while using my method; the vibrations and feelings are deep and composed, and there are no traces of depiction. In the figurative paintings, he can also use my method well; although the brushstrokes and ink are simple, they have deep heartfelt comprehension.” Before Zhang Daqian passed away, he gave Sun Yunsheng more than 1,000 of his chalk copies1, accumulated over his lifetime. He left the most precious artistic heritage to this beloved disciple.
Note 1: “Chalk copy” is also a type of artwork. It’s a sketch drawn with chalk before painting.
Splash-Ink and Splash-Color
In terms of painting, Sun Yunsheng’s artworks combined the best of ancient and modern pieces and were skillful no matter the subject – landscapes, figures, flower-bird, grass-insect. His early works were neat and elegant. The paintings of figures had simple and easy brushstrokes during the Tang and Song dynasties, and the landscape paintings were magnificent in vivid colors. Whether he used elaborate-style, freestyle, splash-ink, or splash-color, he could use all techniques freely and skillfully. In the middle and late period, his paintings were more distinctive, and his skill in splash-ink and splash-color was even more advanced 2.
Note 2: Information taken from: https://www.fx361.com/page/2014/1021/7518718.shtml
Some critics have said, “Sun Yunsheng focused on integrating the Chinese spirit into the modern style. He achieved mastery through a comprehensive study of traditional and modern art. He learned from the ancients without only sticking to the ancient styles. He was a rare talented painter in China.”
Extraordinary Artistic Achievement
In the 1930s, Sun Yunsheng started selling paintings at Rongbaozhai in Beijing. After he went to Taiwan in 1948, he held eight exhibitions in Taiwan and one in Belgium, with impressive results. In the 1970s, Sun Yunsheng moved back with Zhang Daqian and settled in Taiwan. He was already a celebrity artist in Taiwan at that time. The politicians, entrepreneurs, financiers, and collectors were keen to collect his paintings, and his artworks are displayed in many important public places. In 1974, Prime Minister Mr. Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore invited Sun Yunsheng to create a huge painting of lotus flowers with splashed-ink and hung it in his office 3.
Note 3: Information taken from: https://www.fx361.com/page/2014/1021/7518718.shtml
In 2000, Sun Yunsheng passed away in Taiwan. Later the same year, his paintings were exhibited in Mainland China and admired by many collectors and calligraphy lovers.
