Exhibition showcases colonial-era Taiwan art

2015/06/04

An exhibition drawing from Taipei Fine Arts Museum’s Japanese colonial-era (1895-1945) collection is re-examining the development of Taiwan art during the first half of the 20th century.

Comprising 180 pre-1947 calligraphies, crafts, gouaches, photographs, sculptures and watercolors, “Formosa in Formation” spotlights the changing local identity through the period.

TFAM curator Lin Yu-chun said the exhibition presents an opportunity to revisit historical facts and interpretations behind the art. “It raises the questions of how artists severed ties with tradition and sought new values with the advent of modernity, and how they reconciled issues of identification facing the ever-changing landscape of political reality.”

A total of 50 TFAM-collected pieces are making public debuts at the event. These include internationally acclaimed master Chen Cheng-po’s “Afternoon at a Silk Mill,” previously mislabeled as “Suzhou,” as well as a 1943 gouache painting by groundbreaking female artist Chen Chin.

“Chen’s ‘In the Field’ represents the peak of her art,” Lin said, adding that it was only acquired by the museum in recent years from a Japanese collector.

“All art lovers are advised to seize the rare opportunity to appreciate its sublime beauty, as the piece will undergo an extensive period of restoration after the exhibition.”

Other featured artists include Lin Yu-shan, whose “Lotus Pond” was recently listed by the Ministry of Culture as national treasure, and iconic figures like sculptor Huang Tu-shui, as well as painters Ho Te-lai, Hung Rui-lin, Kuo Hsueh-hu, Liao Chi-chun, Liu Chi-hsiang, Lu Tieh-chou and Ni Chiang-huai.

Taiwan-based Japanese artists Gobara Koto and Ishikawa Kinichiro, who both played a crucial role in early local art development, are also given their dues.

The exhibition runs until Sept. 27 at the Taipei City-based facility.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=231109&ctNode=413)