Chen Zhangji, a generation of painters, was a very special group in the history of Chinese art in the second half of the 20th century. They were born in the 1930s to 1940s, and their childhood memories were filled with war, while learning and growing up in the 1950s to 1960s were full of ideals and passion. After 1949, they encountered earth shattering changes in 20th century Chinese history, and as a result, the fate of life and the fiery era erupted into a movement of an era.

When Chen Zhangji graduated from Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in 1961 and stayed on as a teacher, the discussions on Chinese painting that had taken place due to changes in the times had become a foregone conclusion. The new proposition of new Chinese painting not only broke the deadlock of traditional Chinese painting, but also opened up a new way for traditional Chinese painting to adapt to the new society. Chen Zhangji, a native of Yangjiang, Guangdong, was in the camp of the new traditional Chinese painting in Guangdong, and naturally influenced by this "new" character. Through the interpretation of his teachers such as Guan Shanyue, Li Xiongcai, and Yang Zhiguang, he clarified the direction of art and the mission of the times. Obviously, this manifestation with the characteristics of the times occurred in Chen Zhangji, and the imprint of this era can be first seen from the 1954 publication of "Rice Seedling Pesticide" under the pen name Chen Nuo in the Southern Daily. At this time, he was only a middle school student. He did not start from the "Mustard Garden Painting Manual", nor did he have the interest in seeking artistic paths among plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum, nor did he acquire basic techniques from plaster sketching like contemporary art students to cross the gates of universities. Therefore, his start already indicates the uniqueness of this generation.

In 1957, Chen Zhangji graduated from Yangjiang No.1 High School and was admitted to the Chinese Painting Department of Wuhan Zhongnan Art College. This year, the Supreme State Council decided to establish Chinese Painting Academy in Beijing and Shanghai, which foreshadowed the new generation of traditional Chinese painting in New China and also showed hope for the future to many young students studying Chinese painting. Among Chen Zhangji's senior teachers, Guan Shanyue, Li Xiongcai, and Yang Zhiguang respectively created "The Newly Developed Highway", "Wuhan Flood Control Atlas", and "The First Time in a Lifetime" in 1954, which gained widespread social influence at that time and became representative works in the history of new Chinese art. And that year, Guan Shanyue created the "Mountain Village Leap Forward Map" after visiting the water conservancy construction site in northern Hubei. The exemplary influence of the teacher, as well as the teaching method of using creativity to drive teaching and strengthening the artistic foundation through experiential life, laid the foundation for Chen Zhangji's realistic creative method, while the humanistic ideas in his artistic concepts established an inseparable connection with life. In the first half of 1958, Chen Zhangji and his teachers and classmates went to the suburbs of Wuhan to experience life and created the traditional Chinese painting "The Return" (selected for the "Chinese Painting Collection" published by Shanghai People's Fine Arts Publishing House); After moving south from Central and South America to Guangzhou in 1958, he went to Xinhui and other places in Guangdong to experience life and created the traditional Chinese painting "The Land of Fish and Rice" (selected for the "New Scenery of Rural Areas" art collection published by Shanghai People's Fine Arts Publishing House). In 1960, under the leadership of teachers such as Guan Shanyue, Li Xiongcai, and Yang Zhiguang, he and his classmates went to the Zhanjiang sea blocking construction site to work for three months. After returning to school, the teachers and students collaborated on a large-scale traditional Chinese painting called "Declaration of War on the Ocean". Chen Zhangji, who was then the class leader of the Department of Traditional Chinese Painting at Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, spent his university life in a cycle of going to the countryside and creating. Through this special teaching method, he mastered the techniques of painting and creation.

In September 1961, Chen Zhangji graduated and stayed on campus, serving as a teaching assistant in the Department of Traditional Chinese Painting. At the same time, he taught Chinese painting character classes in the graduating class of Affiliated Middle School. In 1962, his character sketches in rural areas of Dongguan and Humen basically represented the sketching ability and level of character painters trained by art colleges in this era: whether it was character portrait sketches or group portrait sketches in daily life, the college style of traditional Chinese painting character paintings was developed through the experience of life. This year, he also served as a flower and bird class in the first year of the Chinese Painting Department. Undoubtedly, the characteristic of the era where figure painting was the center of teaching and creation at that time led to the decline of flower and bird painting to a very secondary position. The problem is that flower and bird painting is difficult to depict major themes in real life, and even some farfetched expressions are very limited, far inferior to figure painting and landscape painting. Therefore, selecting Chen Zhangji to teach flower and bird painting in the first grade does not necessarily indicate any issues, but can only be seen as a job requirement. And Chen Zhangji's actual level in flower and bird painting can only be seen today through his sketch of begonia in Guangzhou Cultural Park in 1961, as well as his painting of "Humen Picking up Cui" album and crab painting in Humen, Dongguan, which he experienced life in that year. This shows his sketching ability and can also be used to understand some of his connections with flower and bird painting. Perhaps it was this limited connection that evolved into a later inevitability. In August 1963, Chen Zhangji was sent from Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts to the Central Academy of Fine Arts to study traditional Chinese painting of flowers and birds, under the tutelage of Mr. Li Kuchan, Guo Weiqu, and Tian Shiguang.

In terms of apprenticeship, the flower and bird paintings in the Lingnan region have unique characteristics and their influence almost covers this region. It exhibits strong regional cultural characteristics alongside the Beijing and Shanghai schools that coexisted during the same period. At the same time, its innovative significance also reflects the trend of realizing the aesthetic appreciation of traditional Chinese painting in the trend of the times, as well as the feature of more integration of Western and Japanese painting techniques in the form and techniques. However, what people are plagued by is its departure from tradition. Under the influence of Beijing style culture, the Beijing style is said to be conservative under the influence of the traditional style. Although criticized by the innovative style, its inheritance of traditional brushwork demonstrates the enduring power of traditional Chinese painting brushwork language in culture. From the perspective of cultural exchange, Chen Zhangji's northward study undoubtedly broke the limitations of regional culture and incorporated more traditional brushstrokes into the characteristics of Lingnan, in order to continue the essence of Chinese painting. Therefore, his selection reflects more of a strategic arrangement.

Painters who grew up in the 1950s, due to their outstanding sketching ability, have shown outstanding performance in character painting creation. When this ability is applied to other fields of Chinese painting, whether it is transitioning to landscape painting or simultaneously attacking flowers and birds, it can first reach a certain level of basic expression. Therefore, entering creation from sketching has almost become the basic law of the growth of academic painters. Li Keran, Zhang Ding, Luo Ming, and other contemporary painters achieved the results of transforming Chinese painting through sketching, and of course, Guan Shanyue and Li Xiongcai in the southern region also did the same. For Chen Zhangji, the experience of teachers like Guan Shanyue and Li Xiongcai in front of him may be more direct. So, in 1962, Chen Zhangji went to the Yao ethnic area in northern Guangdong to experience life. He not only painted a group of figures and landscape paintings, but also held the "Yuebei Sketching Exhibition" in Yangjiang. Obviously, the problem with flower and bird painting is different from that of landscape painting. It may be difficult to achieve the level of flower and bird painting simply by sketching from life, because in that era, people's vision for flower and bird painting was not only to express the novelty of the era, but also to see some language features that make it called flower and bird painting. That is to say, people are still willing to see the taste of ink and brush in flower and bird paintings, in order to make up for the lack of ink and brush lost in the transformed Chinese painting.

The patterns and brushstrokes in flower and bird paintings reflect some of the regularities that Chen Zhangji aims to address in his intensive study of brushstrokes. In the gradually politicized atmosphere that had already begun in the early 1960s, this obsession with pen and ink was obviously out of place. However, the purpose of teaching was just like Mao Zedong's recognition of drawing human models, but it gained temporary comfort through a quiet and noisy way. On the other hand, Chen Zhangji lost his role in character painting creation. However, the ink and brush sensation he found during this period, as well as the improvement of his ability to use ink and brush, laid the foundation for his later creations. Its significance lies in two aspects: firstly, it breaks away from the state of sketching, and secondly, it adds a literary touch to the foundation of Lingnan style. These two factors have benefited his later flower and bird paintings for a lifetime.

Unfortunately, his efforts were not able to be deepened. Because within the scope of flower and bird painting, the cultivation of brush and ink requires a process of time, as well as continuous technical refinement. However, after the start of the "Four Cleanups" movement, this generation participated in it, causing them to all be delayed by it. In the first half of 1964, Chen Zhangji, who was still studying in Beijing, went to Yangsong Gezhuang in Huairou County to participate in the "Four Cleanups"; In September, after returning to Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts,  took third year students from the Department of Traditional Chinese Painting to Zhongshan County to participate in the "Four Cleanups". From then on, until the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, their generation spent the best time of their lives in sports, and as a result, they stopped moving forward in art and even took an indescribable detour. In 1969, Chen Zhangji was transferred to the Ministry of Health of the Guangzhou Military Region to paint Chinese herbal specimen paintings. This was entirely due to his experience in all his flower and bird paintings. In this unfortunate opportunity, he had the opportunity to paint. Later, he was transferred to the Guangdong Provincial Art Creation Group, which was another special journey. Because the creative team has given young painters a historical opportunity, they not only have the opportunity to showcase their talents through creation, but more importantly, this is a rare painting opportunity. For many painters who cannot draw, this is enviable. Starting from this period, Chen Zhangji returned to the creative and figure painting team. His representative works during this period include the propaganda painting "Awakening Millions of Workers and Peasants" (published by Guangdong People's Fine Arts Publishing House) and the traditional Chinese painting "Dawn at First Light" (selected for Guangdong Provincial Art Exhibition). It should be said that the creative community in Guangdong during the Cultural Revolution was a special force on the Chinese art stage during this period. Not only were the stars shining, but every new work was also amazing.

In September 1971, Chen Zhangji was transferred back to the Department of Traditional Chinese Painting at Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts to teach sketching, flowers and birds, and composition courses. In addition to teaching, he not only did not give up on creating, but also experienced a turning point due to his creativity. In 1973, his work "Spring in Kui Township" was selected for a national art exhibition, collected by the China National Art Museum, and published by multiple publishing houses. Afterwards, commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 9 new artworks were redrawn for the Chinese delegation to the United Nations and embassies in various countries. Later, they were successively selected for the "International Expo" in London, UK and the National Art Exhibition to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the speech at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art. It can be said that "Spring in Kui Township" has earned Chen Zhangji a social reputation in his painting creations, while also building his confidence in his creativity. Therefore, he created "The Former Site of Guangzhou Peasant Movement Training Institute" in 1976, "War Drum Summoning Spring" in 1975, and "Sentinel in the Sea of Clouds" in 1977. He was selected by the Foreign Affairs Commission as an exhibition item to be exhibited abroad in Japan, the United States, and other countries. It can be said that Chen Zhangji entered a peak period of creation during this period, until he later joined the Chinese painting creation team of Chairman Mao's Memorial Hall and was invited by the Guangdong Provincial Government to paint for the Guangdong Department of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. His art was recognized by society.

Summarizing the characteristics of Chen Zhangji's creations in the 1970s, he basically combined characters with mountains and rivers to express specific historical themes, such as "Dawn in the First Light" (1972), "Spring in Kui Township" (1973), "Guangzhou Peasant Movement Training Institute" (1976), "Jinggangshan Vermilion Sand Rush" (1977), "Cloud Sea Sentinels" (1977), and "Patrol Map" (1978). His characteristic can also be said to be a common feature among landscape painters of the same era. However, figure painters like Chen Zhangji narrow down the figures in their paintings to a limited area, making people more likely to classify their paintings as landscape paintings. Therefore, the requirements for multiple qualities in painting have exceeded the scope of figure painting. However, for Chen Zhangji, who has comprehensive literacy and is capable of drawing, this perfectly showcases his strengths. And the exertion of this expertise laid a prelude for his later specialization in landscape painting creation.

Starting from the late 1970s, Chen Zhangji devoted more time to teaching traditional Chinese painting and trained many students, many of whom have become the backbone of contemporary Chinese painting creation. Chen Zhangji, who came from a background in figure painting, completely abandoned it during this period and only occasionally saw some scenic figures in landscape painting, reflecting his relationship with figure painting.

Chen Zhangji, known for his flower and bird paintings, chose flowers and birds for teaching purposes rather than solely out of interest or preference. He entered the path of flowers and birds, but in an unexpected journey, he felt the numerous difficulties in developing flower and bird painting, especially freehand flower and bird painting. This is a category with considerable difficulty, because the peaks created by predecessors have added a lot of difficulty for future generations to surpass. Fortunately, Chen Zhangji has a good foundation in sketching and a diverse range of mentorship. He absorbed the many advantages and disadvantages of Li Kuchan's birds, Guo Weiqu's flowers, and Guan Shanyue's plum blossoms, conveying his own ink feeling in the structure of traditional flower and bird paintings. Of course, he also introduced some flowers with southern regional characteristics, making his flower and bird paintings reveal a hint of southern novelty. Like many flower and bird painters, he still hasn't left behind the concept of plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum culture. The difference is that he interweaves them among flowers, creating a contrast between natural colors and cultural ink. Chen Zhangji's flower and bird paintings have a rigorous structure, steady brushstrokes, and no restlessness, just like his people. Perhaps influenced by Mr. Guan Shanyue, Chen Zhangji also specializes in plum blossoms. However, he further strengthens the fun of writing and emphasizes a bit of literati's feeling, whether it is the red boneless plum blossoms or the ink drawn plum blossoms. Although he emphasizes old skills, he does not seek prosperity.

After breaking away from sketching, Chen Zhangji's landscape combines his past impressions of natural landscapes with his landscape concepts, expressing his shared landscape concepts in a way of high mountains and long rivers. At the same time, he conveys the role of brush and ink in landscape painting. He meticulously deals with the towering mountains and the appearance of smoke and clouds, constantly revealing the rules and honesty of this generation in terms of art. The self he portrays in his writing is a rare and admirable character in contemporary times, which is not very flamboyant. Because his landscape has such characteristics, it requires patience to savor. In June 1997, in preparation for Hong Kong's return, the Hong Kong newspaper Ta Kung Pao invited three professors, including Chen Zhangji, to create three large paintings for him through the Hong Kong branch of Xinhua News Agency. Chen Zhangji's painting was chosen to be hung in the reception hall, and the majestic atmosphere of the painting was praised by people. To this day, delegations from various provinces and cities in China, as well as overseas related groups visiting the Ta Kung Pao, take photos in front of his painting, thus having a wide influence.

How to bring about new changes and leaps like Qi Baishi's aging reform is undoubtedly also an expectation of people for Chen Zhangji. From the perspective of time, this period of life has gone through vicissitudes of life. People and things, including pen and ink, can afford to take it and put it down. The play of an egoless realm in an artistic world where great form Is beyond shape may bring a new look to Chen Zhangji's paintings in the future. Naturally, this is also a common opportunity for this generation of painters in the new era.

Painters of a certain era have many similar experiences and development processes. Chen Zhangji and other painters of his era have shown a reflection of the times in the phased process of college education, political movements, subject creation, rectification, self reflection, re improvement, and continued progress. They are like a chapter in the history of art, with historical helplessness but difficult to avoid. As a link in the development of history, they play a role and influence, especially for the development of 20th century Chinese painting, which presents a historical significance worth pondering due to its complexity and diversity.

                                                 （Chen Lusheng, Deputy Director of the National Museum）