Live Auction: 9 December 2023 • Hong Kong 拍賣: 2023年12月9日 • 香港

Autumn Mountains in Twilight is a painting gifted by Zhang Daqian to Madame Jan Yun bor, drawing inspiration from the sunset views of Half Dome or El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, California, USA. During the summer of 1967, Zhang Daqian visited the area with his family and was greatly awestruck by the magnificent cliffs and valleys. Shortly after his return to Brazil in September, he created this work. 

The painting focuses on the majestic mountains in the evening glow. Apart from the twisting pine branches and bamboo groves in the foreground, it completely breaks away from the traditional brushstrokes of landscape painting. The vibrant colours almost cover the entire composition, with bright blue, green, white, red, and golden hues flowing and colliding, creating a surprising effect. The clouds and mist billow in the gorge, and cascades of waterfalls pour down. Particularly striking is the thin layer of golden colour in the sky, mixed with a hazy crimson, shining with the last glow of the setting sun. The artist, in a highly abstract manner, reproduces his own visual experience, capturing the grand and dramatic beauty of nature at its most magnificent moments. The painting's dreamlike play of light and shadow is full of tension, naturally flowing, and signifies Zhang Daqian's mastery of splashed ink reaching new heights.

〈秋山夕照〉乃張大千贈予高嶺梅夫人詹雲白，靈感來源為美國加州優勝美地的半穹峰(Half Dome)或酋長巖(El Capitan) 落日景象。一九六七年夏，張大千於加州展覽間隙，偕家人遊覽其地，壯美的絕壁峽谷令其驚嘆無已，九月返回巴西不久，即創作本幅。 

畫中以夕照中的巍峨高山為主題，除前景蒼虬的松枝和竹叢之外，完全擺脫了傳統山水的筆觸，斑斕的色彩幾乎覆蓋整幅畫面，明亮的藍、綠、白、紅、金色在流動中衝撞交融，達到出人意表的效果。峽谷中雲嵐蒸騰，懸瀑飛瀉，尤爲亮眼的是天空薄施的金色，混合迷濛殷紅，漫天閃耀著落日中最後一抹餘暉。畫家以高度抽象的方式，再現自身視覺體驗，捕捉大自然雄偉壯麗之美與最戲劇性的時刻。畫中如夢似幻的光影效果，張力滿盈，渾然天成，昭示其潑彩攀至新的高峰。

In the autumn of 1944, Zhang Daqian devoted himself to completing four meticulous paintings of ladies: Musical Performance, Spring Lanterns, Lotus Picking, and Reading Paintings, which he took great pride in. When exhibited in Chengdu in October of the same year, each piece was priced at 600,000 yuan, surpassing the value of his other works. Some accounts suggest that they were marked as not for sale during the exhibition, leaving many disappointed. However, after the exhibition, Zhang Daqian presented Spring Lanterns to his dear friend Chang Chun. At the beginning of the following year, in 1945, he gifted Musical Performance as a New Year's greeting to Kao Ling-mei, the owner of the Mei Yun Tang.

This painting might have been inspired by the anonymous Emperor Ming Enjoying Music handscroll from the artist’s own collection, or perhaps by the musical scenes depicted in Dunhuang murals. The composition is extraordinary, resembling a close-up photograph, with the focal point placed in a corner of the Tang Palace. Through the partially concealed bamboo screens and the space between dragon-patterned columns, one can observe the musicians performing from a side angle. The musicians, as the main subjects, are meticulously portrayed, and the scene's arrangement is finely detailed. The harmonious integration of lines, vibrant colours, and figure depictions clearly show the influence of Dunhuang art. The female musicians possess robust and graceful figures, adorned in luxurious attire. They exude elegance while maintaining a natural charm. The artist's skillful brushwork in capturing their facial expressions brings them to life, showcasing the splendour of the Tang Dynasty. This painting is a representative masterpiece of Zhang Daqian's meticulous figure painting during his prime period.

一九四四年秋，張大千潛心完成〈按樂〉、〈春燈〉、〈採蓮〉、〈讀畫〉四幀工筆仕女畫，引為得意之筆，本幅即其一。同年十月於成都展出時，定價各為六十萬圓，倍數於其它作品。一説展覽時標為非賣品，眾人求而不得。展畢，他卻將〈春燈〉奉予摯友張群，一九四五年歲始，又將〈按樂〉作爲新年賀禮，持贈知音「梅雲堂」主人高嶺梅。

本幅似啓發自大風堂舊藏無款〈明皇按樂圖卷〉，或自敦煌壁畫之伎樂圖。構圖奇絶，如攝影特寫，焦點置於唐宮一角，從左右兩旁竹屏風、龍紋盈柱間之僅有空間，在半掩半露下側面觀賞樂工奏樂。樂工既為主體，場景配置亦精細描劃，二者和諧交融，綫條、重彩及人物造型，顯見敦煌藝術影響。諸女樂師體態腴健，衣飾華貴，既雍容，又不失林下風度，眉目尤爲點睛之筆，顧盼生輝，唐人盛世風華畢現，乃其盛年工筆人物絕精之代表作！