“Grasshoppers and Butterflies”

In mid-November 2009, US President Barack Obama visited China. Among all the gifts Obama received during his visit to Beijing, one is a collotype of a famous Chinese painting, “Grasshoppers and Butterflies”. The authentic one was painted by Zhao Chang of Song Dynasty (960-1279).

Zhao Chang, whose courtesy name is Changzhi, is a professional painter specializing in drawing flowers from nature. He is a native of Guanghan, Sichuan Province. His fame as a painter reached its zenith in the Xiangfu era (1008-1016) of Emperor Zhenzong of the Northern Song period, prompting him to buy back at premium prices works he’d sold in earlier years.

The painting “Grasshoppers and Butterflies” uses the “double outlining” technique to draw the butterfly, the grasshopper, the flowers and plants. Except for the butterfly, which is brightly colored, light coloring is applied throughout to highlight the lines.