Zhang Zeduan was a famous Chinese painter during the Nothern Sang Dynasty. His work "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" is one of the most famous paintings in the world today. It represents an important milestone in the history of Chinese painting. The painting holds very great historical and artistic value, making in art treasure renowned both at home and abroad.
Background
Zhang Zeduan was born in Shandong province. He learned painting in Bianjing and later worked as a court painter for the Nothern Song Dynasty.
He died in 1145.
The aristocrats in the past didn't assign a high value to his work, that's why little is known of the life of the painter Zhang Zeduan.
Career
Leegnd has it that Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty once went to pray in the glorious and magnificent Xiangguo temple where several folk painters had gathered to make a living. The Emperor sent his chancellor, Cai Jing, to look for an outstanding painter he had been told about. When Cai Jing saw the works of the young painter, Zhang Zeduan, he was greatly impressed. Both Emperor Huizong and Cai Jing were brilliant painters too, they immediately khew that Zhang Zeduan was talented and recruited him as a court painter.
To exemplify the prosperous Song Dynasty, Emperor instructed Zeduan to create a splendid and majestic painting of the city. Zhang Zeduan had lived a wandering life from a young age. He felt uneasy painting in the court. Emperor Huizong thus found him a serene hut in the outskirts of the sity so that he could paint with full attention and devotion. Zhang Zeduan worked several days and nights to complete his painting "Along the River During the Qingming Festival". Emperor was extremely pleased with this work. He kept the masterpiece in his imperial collection as a highly treasured piece of artwork.
Along the River During the Qingming Festival was pained on a silk scroll. The picture is 24.8 cm wide and 528.7 cm long. It captures the daily life of people in the Bianjing, depicting in great detail the activities in the city and the outlying areas along the Bian River auring Qingming Festival. It offers glimpses into the lives of different groups of people, and depicts buildings, tools and other aspects of the society of the time. The style of painting is unusual: it is very accurate, detailed depiction, quite unlike the more common allusive style of monochrome landscape painting. It is also distinct from the highly colored court paintings of birds and flowers. This painting is one of the most famous national treasures of China and passes great historical value.
Along the River During the Qingming Festival is a huge piece of extraordinary artwork with a continuous composition and tight structure. The people, animals, houses, sedans, briges, trees, revers and other objects are very realistic and lively.
After the collapse of the Nothern Song Dynasty, Emperor Huizong and his son were taken to the north by the Jurchens. Along the River During the Qingming Festival was also taken away by the Jurchens. Because of the unendinng wars, Zhang Zeduan subsequently relocated to the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, Hangzhou. To make sure that Emperor Gaozong, Zhao Gou, who lived in Jiangnan, would not forget about the former capital Bianjing, Zhang Zeduan painted another copy of Along the River During the Qingming Festival for him. However, Zhao Gou was not keen on fighting against the Jurchens. He also did not think highly of Zhang Zeduan's painting, which was sent back after a glance. Zhang Zeduan was outraged by this rejectin. His artwork was almost burnt, only to be saved by his family members. Soon after, Zhang Zeduan died of grief.