May Everything Go As You Wish - Zhang Daqian

May Everything Go As You Wish depicts four persimmons, using the homophone of 'persimmon' (柿, shì) and 'matter' (事, shì) to convey the auspicious meaning of all things going smoothly. This type of subject matter appears accessible, yet it also truly tests the artist's ability to balance form, brushwork, and cultural meaning within limited objects. What's particularly interesting about this painting is that Zhang Daqian not only conceived the theme using a homophone but also further extended its meaning through the inscription. He mentioned Zheng Qian, a famous scholar from the Tang Dynasty, who was renowned for his poetry, calligraphy, and painting, and was praised by Emperor Xuanzong. Zhang Daqian used this to convey his hopes for artistic inheritance, making the persimmons in the painting not just auspicious symbols but also a self-expectation for his own artistic life. From an artistic perspective, this kind of small flower-and-fruit piece is very different from Zhang Daqian's majestic ink-wash landscapes. The artist doesn't need to rely on grand compositions or complex scenery; instead, he uses simple imagery to carry multi-layered meanings. I find the most intriguing aspect of this work is how it combines everyday fruits, traditional auspicious culture, and the literati's pursuit of leaving a legacy through art. While the painting seems to merely aim for 'everything going as you wish,' the inscription adds a layer of meaning, 'lasting for generations.' So, about that pun part.