Xun (Tracing) is a quest—a deliberate adherence to texture and form as they lead into the profound. Shi (Stone) is inherently stubborn and silent, yet it reveals a preternatural artistry that harbors the fundamental laws of Heaven and Earth.

"The Lithic Path" is a state of existence. Zhang Long’s creative vision is deeply nourished by the Songs of Chu; a romantic, ethereal, and unbridled spirit—the "Chu Style"—permeates his artistic inquiry. From the cosmic interrogations of Tian Wen to the transcendental freedom of Xiao Yao You, his subjects span from Chinese legends to Western mythos, and from zodiac beasts to numinous rocks. Throughout, he has remained a persistent seeker.

He follows a lineage of spiritual inquiry: Qu Yuan, in his exile, asked the heavens, "Why are there forests of stone?"; the monk Dao Sheng preached until the rocks nodded in assent; Su Dongpo dreamed of strange stones and realized the "utility of the useless." Zhang Long extends this spirit through ink and brush—interrogating the stone, painting the stone, and ultimately, attaining enlightenment through the stone.

This path is also one of spiritual cultivation. When confronting the external world, Zhang engages in a process of iterative observation and internal distillation. He clarifies his mind through a steady gaze and anchors his spirit within the movement of the ink. The shaping of these forms is not a mere imitation of nature; rather, it is a "responsive creation" that follows the stone’s inherent momentum. Much like the ancients who discerned landscapes in the cracks of a ruined wall, he captures infinite possibilities within accidental forms. Though stones are mute, under his brush they transmute into mountains, clouds, and mythical creatures—a synthesis of the natural world and the human heart.

While modest in scale, this exhibition offers a complete mapping of Zhang Long’s creative evolution in recent years. With fluid, tension-filled brushwork, he dissolves the boundaries between landscape, figure, and "bird-and-flower" genres, navigating finite forms to evoke an infinite realm. We invite the viewer to follow his ink and enter the artist’s kaleidoscopic world.

Song Jinming

March 27, 2026

Chinese National Academy of Arts