Portrait Photographs of Zhang Daqian

LIU HUAIGUANG (20TH CENTURY)
Portrait Photographs of Zhang Daqian
A set of two black and white photographs

(1) 31.5 x 26.3 cm. (12 ³⁄₈ x 10 ³⁄₈ in.)
Inscribed on the reverse
Dated 1949

(2) 20.7 x 15.7 cm. (8 ¹⁄₈ x 6 ¹⁄₈ in.)
Further inscribed and signed on the mounting by Zhang Daqian (1899-1983), with one seal
Dated first month, jichou year (1949)
Dedicated to Defen (Zheng Defen, 1902-1986)

NOTE:
Liu Huaiguang was a famous Hong Kong photographer active in the middle of the last century. He held a solo exhibition at The Photographic Society of Hong Kong in 1950, and served as the director of the monthly magazine Photo Digest founded in April 1953. In 1959, he held the first colour photography exhibition in Hong Kong jointly with well-known photographers Jian Qingfu and Zhang Ruzhao.

Zheng Defen (1902-1986), master of Yu Xue Zhai, was the former marketing manager of Hong Kong’s Kung Sheung Daily News during the 1960s. He had great expertise in Chinese painting. He was also active in the cultural circle and befriended many artists such as Zhang Daqian, Deng Fen, Li Yanshan, and Huang Junbi. Zheng Defen assisted Zhang Daqian when Zhang stayed in Hong Kong to prepare for his exhibitions in the 1940s and 1950s, which cemented their friendship. His studio name, “Yu Xue Zhai”, was written by Zhang Daqian.