Chang fled China after the civil war and made his home in the West for the next 25 years, mostly in the US and Brazil. During that time, he traveled extensively across Europe studying the modernist styles popular at that time.
Dawn Mist (煙雲曉靄) reflects the influence of expressionism. Swaths of burnt sienna, green and blue are washed across the canvas in a manner reminiscent of the coloring and splash-ink technique popularized during the Tang Dynasty. But it also combines expressionist and action painting styles that Chang picked up while living in the West.
The exhibit can be seen in the context of earlier shows put on by the National Museum of History in which work by artists who combine both Western and Eastern techniques to create art of profound originality were shown. This exhibit is worth visiting not only because it shows Chang’s mastery of many styles and his evolution as an artist, but also because the museum presents his oeuvre in easily digestible sections that can used as a starting point to approach each period in depth.
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