張善子 草澤雄風 | Zhang Shanzi, Tiger by the River

Property From the Collection of Professor Kang and Jessica Chao (Lots 3036-3048)

Zhang Shanzi

1882 - 1940

Tiger by the River

ink and colour on paper, framed

signed, dated 1938, with 2 seals of the artist. Annotation by Zhang Daqian

94 x 43 cm 37 x 17 in.

----------------------------------------------

趙岡、陳鍾毅伉儷收藏書畫（編號3036-3048）

張善子

1882-1940

草澤雄風

設色紙本 鏡框 一九三八年作

張大千署簽並題跋

簽書：先仲兄善子遺作。惜夢先生屬題。癸未七月，張爰。

款識︰惜夢先生博教。虎癡弟張善子。戊寅同客昆明。

題識︰惜夢先生出示此幅時，先仲兄下世已閱四載，焚香展對，益增鴒原之痛。癸未七月。大千張爰謹記。

鈐印︰〈張善子〉「張善子印」、「虎癡」。

〈張大千〉「爰鈢」、「大千」。

上款︰「惜夢」即趙惜夢（1899-1956），乃趙岡父親。原名趙雲鶴，後以筆名「惜夢」行世。二十年代初掌哈爾濱〈晨光〉報文藝部，復任〈國際協報〉副刊主編，推廣新文藝。東北淪陷，赴北平任〈大公報〉、〈華北日報〉外勤記者，撰〈淪陷三年之東北〉。一九三五年，由張學良出資於武漢辦〈大光報〉，積極宣傳抗日，復獲聘為蘭州市政府秘書長及〈西北日報〉社長。勝利後，任大連市市長。四九年赴臺，掌〈自由亞洲〉。

一九三八年，〈益世報〉於昆明復刊，趙氏參與其事，正值張善子在當地為抗戰奔走，因獲贈本幅。一九四三年七月，張大千於蘭州舉辦畫展，復倩其題跋。

94 x 43 cm 37 x 17 in.

Property From the Collection of Professor Kang and Jessica Chao (Lots 3036-3048)

The Collection of Professor Kang and Jessica Chao began in 1938 when Zhang Shanzi gifted Lot 3047, Tiger by the River to Kang Chao’s father, Zhao Ximeng (1899-1956). Ximeng was at the forefront of literature, poetry, art and politics from the 1920s to the early 1950s in China. During the Sino-Japanese war, he wrote patriotic articles in the Morning Light News and was a war correspondent for the Ta Kung Pao. In 1944, the famous Chinese artist Zhang Daqian, added the inscription and painted the grasses in the foreground during one of his visits to Ximeng while in Liaoning.

After his father’s death in 1956, Kang Chao inherited the Zhang Shanzi & Zhang Daqian painting, along with the Chao family legacy as a welcome oasis for visiting scholars, artists, writers and change-makers. By the 1980s, Kang Chao was acclaimed for his ground-breaking and bold analysis of China’s economic development, had co-founded the Chinese Institute for Economic Research in Taipei, and was one of the foremost Redologists in the world. He and Jessica were extraordinarily committed partners—in work as well as life. They collaborated on nearly 100 books and publications in both English and Chinese on Economics and the Hong Lou Meng.

As one of the few Chinese faculty members in the American Midwest, Kang and Jessica Chao continued the Chao tradition. They opened their home in Madison, Wisconsin to visiting scholars and artists from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and beyond. These visitors appreciated being in a familiar environment, discussing topics ranging from art and politics to current events. Most of all they delighted in Jessica’s authentic Chinese cooking at a time when America was just beginning to understand true Chinese culture.

June 1980, Kang and Jessica kicked off the first International Conference on the Dream of the Red Chamber by hosting the opening dinner in their Madison home. The world’s leading redologists, Zhou Ruchang, Qi Gong, Dai Dunbong, Yu Pingbo and Feng Qiyong presented magnificent scrolls with personal dedications to our parents. Those who became close friends would use Kang's familiar name, "Yen-bing” （彥濱）. The more formal visitors would use "Professor Kang Chao" (趙岡教授). By the time Kang retired from his professorship at the University of Wisconsin in the mid-90's, he and Jessica had a collection of nearly 100 scrolls of calligraphy and paintings. 

In 2017, Kang and Jessica Chao donated their entire collection of rare Hong Lou Meng books and research materials, 40 banker boxes in all, to the Ricci Institute in San Francisco. Their goal was to encourage future generations of young scholars to enjoy the study of the Dream of the Red Chamber. Shortly thereafter, Jessica Chung-yee Chen Chao passed away on November 5, 2020. For Kang Chao, 2021 was a challenging year without his companion of 70 years. On October 23, 2021, he slipped away peacefully to join her.

To honor the legacy of their extraordinary teamwork and to their goal of promoting cross-cultural exchange by sharing the best of East and West cultures, partial proceeds from the sale of this Collection will go towards two projects. The first is to establish scholarships that strengthen cultural bridges between East Asia and the West. The second is to establish a much needed pipeline of Chinese-speaking Caregivers and Home Health Aides to serve our beloved Chinese elders.