Zhang Dannong was born in Guangdong, China and moved to Singapore in 1940. Before his relocation, Zhang trained in the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts and was formerly a professor of Fine Arts at Sun Yat-Sen University. As one of Singapore’s pioneer artists, Zhang is also known as one of the first to popularise the art of seal carving in the region and is said to have produced more than three thousand engraved seals in his lifetime.
A well-rounded artist proficient in Chinese ink painting, calligraphy and seal carving, Zhang is reputed for his images of capturing the dynamic movement of the horse, as illustrated in his artwork. The artist used curved brushstrokes to depict the horse’s tail swishing in the wind. The artist carefully delineated the horse’s muscular physique in dark black ink, giving a more dramatic effect to the overall scene. On the right side of this artwork, the sense of drama is heightened as the colophon provides an expressive description of a horse galloping.
