Painter of Takao: Art of Chang Chin-fa

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Painter of Takao: Art of Chang Chin-fa

2013.01.26 - 2013.05.05 KMFA Galleries 301-302

Chang Chin-fa was born in 1934. It is also in that year when a new movement started to emerge in the circle of art and culture in Taiwan with the establishment of the Taiyang Fine Arts Association in the Taipei Railway Hotel and the founding of the Taiwan Arts and Literature Federation in Taichung. During that period of time, Taiwan had been under the Japanese rule for nearly 40 years and the first generation of Taiwanese painters studying in Japan or other countries were coming back to Taiwan. In their prime of life, these painters provided momentum to the new art movement and gradually formed a rising force to be reckoned with by their Japanese counterparts. Among the Taiwanese painters returning from Japan, Chang Chi-hua and Liu Chi-hsiang later became Chang Chin-fa’s teachers and mentors after WWII and also introduced him to their artist friends such as Li Shih-chiao, Yang San-lang, Yen Shui-lung, and Liao Chi-chun. Because of his learning from and friendship with these first-generation Taiwanese artists, Chang was immersed in the diligence and persistence of his predecessors in Taiwan’s art development.

Based on his above-mentioned background, it can be told that Chang’s learning and development as a painter straddled both the pre- and post-WWII periods. In both periods of time, Taiwan was undergoing significant political turmoil while floods of immigrants from China into Taiwan also caused great social and economic instability. After his graduation from Kaohsiung Second Middle School (now Qianjin Junior High School), Chang was determined to become a painter. In 1954, he was admitted to Pang Tseng-ying's Ching Heng School of Art to start his exploration of the art of painting. Pang was one of the painters who returned from Japan to China and then relocated from China to Taiwan. He graduated from the research section of the Fine Arts Department at Nippon University. After he moved to Taiwan, he first settled in Zuoying and taught in Kaohsiung First Middle School. Then in 1955, Pang moved to Taipei. He was a good friend of Kuo Po-chuan, one of the senior Taiwanese painters. His two teaching assistants at the Ching Heng School of Art, Hu Chi-chung and Sun Ying, were two painters with navy background and later established the Four Seas Painting Association, the earliest modern painting group in Kaohsiung, in 1958. Even though brief, the one year of Chang’s studying in the Jing Heng Studio had definitely opened up Chang’s artistic horizon to a certain degree.

In 1955, thanks to the introduction of his elder brother, Chang was admitted to Chang Chi-hua's Dagonglu Studio in 1955. Then in 1956, Chang was admitted to Liu Chi-hsiang’s Chi-hsiang Art Center. However, due to poor social and economic conditions back then, Liu’s studio was closed soon, so Chang moved into Liu’s house in Siaopingding studio and learned painting directly from Liu, which helped to lay a solid foundation for Chang’s painting. Liu was a knowledgeable artist who had studied in Japan and Europe. He was also the founder of the Kaohsiung Art Study Society. By learning from an art master like Liu at such a close range, Chang had the opportunities of meeting many senior Taiwanese artists and getting exposure to the latest artistic and cultural thoughts. These valuable experiences enabled him to shoulder his heavy responsibility later at the Southern Taiwan Art Association (the Southern Taiwan Show for short).

Chang’s development as an artist was marked with abundant and vigorous creativity, highly recognized and awarded with many honors such as the Kaohsiung Art Association Award and the City Council Speaker Award at the Southern Taiwan Show; the Judge's Choice Award at the Annual Kaohsiung Art Show; the Taiyang Award; the Fengshan Award; the Taiyang Mining Industry Award; the Provincial Education Association Award; and numerous final selection awards at the "Taiwan Art Show." He was the founder of the Young Painter Society and recommended to join the Ten-man Painting Society, the ROC Oil Painting Society, and the Taiyang Fine Arts Association. After he took the helm of the Southern Taiwan Show in 1968, he was dedicated to inspiring and cultivating future painters in Taiwan in the following 30 years, making a significant contribution to Taiwan’s art development. In 1969, his first solo oil painting exhibition was held at the Kaohsiung Shin Wen Daily News Cultural Center, showcasing totally 56 of his paintings from life and nature, including paintings of landscape, figures, and flowers. In particular, his works depicting lives of indigenous peoples in Taiwan vividly captured the down-to-earth ruggedness of the indigenous tribes. In the following decades after his first solo exhibition, his paintings were characterized with profound humanist concerns and subtle emotions. After he recovered from illness in 1998, the focus of his painting started to shift to the exploration of inner world and wonders of the universe.

To express its gratitude to Chang for his 2011 donation of Warding off evil and 13 other paintings from his life-long work, the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts curated this special research exhibition to share his works with the general public and demonstrate the selfless contribution of this local artist in Kaohsiung to society. Regrettably, during the preparation for this exhibition, Chang passed away on November 20th, 2012. The title of this Exhibition, Painter of Takao, is derived from a calligraphic inscription written by former Kaohsiung Mayor Yang Chin-hu as a gift for Chang Chin-fa. From this exhibition that displays Chang’s works of different styles in different times, viewers can appreciate Chang’s most genuine emotions in his simple life, his admiration of the great Nature in the ordinary world, his surrealistic dreams and imagination, his self-observation, and his philosophy about the universe, humanity and life. Last but not least, much is owed to Chang’s family for their continuous assistance to this exhibition during their mourning for Chang. periods. In both periods of time, Taiwan was undergoing significant political turmoil while floods of immigrants from China into Taiwan also caused great social and economic instability. After his graduation from Kaohsiung Second Middle School (now Qianjin Junior High School), Chang was determined to become a painter. In 1954, he was admitted to Pang Tseng-ying's Ching Heng School of Art to start his exploration of the art of painting. Pang was one of the painters who returned from Japan to China and then relocated from China to Taiwan. He graduated from the research section of the Fine Arts Department at Nippon University. After he moved to Taiwan, he first settled in Zuoying and taught in Kaohsiung First Middle School. Then in 1955, Pang moved to Taipei. He was a good friend of Kuo Po-chuan, one of the senior Taiwanese painters. His two teaching assistants at the Ching Heng School of Art, Hu Chi-chung and Sun Ying, were two painters with navy background and later established the Four Seas Painting Association, the earliest modern painting group in Kaohsiung, in 1958. Even though brief, the one year of Chang’s studying in the Jing Heng Studio had definitely opened up Chang’s artistic horizon to a certain degree.

In 1955, thanks to the introduction of his elder brother, Chang was admitted to Chang Chi-hua's Dagonglu Studio in 1955. Then in 1956, Chang was admitted to Liu Chi-hsiang’s Chi-hsiang Art Center. However, due to poor social and economic conditions back then, Liu’s studio was closed soon, so Chang moved into Liu’s house in Siaopingding studio and learned painting directly from Liu, which helped to lay a solid foundation for Chang’s painting. Liu was a knowledgeable artist who had studied in Japan and Europe. He was also the founder of the Kaohsiung Art Study Society. By learning from an art master like Liu at such a close range, Chang had the opportunities of meeting many senior Taiwanese artists and getting exposure to the latest artistic and cultural thoughts. These valuable experiences enabled him to shoulder his heavy responsibility later at the Southern Taiwan Art Association (the Southern Taiwan Show for short).

Chang’s development as an artist was marked with abundant and vigorous creativity, highly recognized and awarded with many honors such as the Kaohsiung Art Association Award and the City Council Speaker Award at the Southern Taiwan Show; the Judge's Choice Award at the Annual Kaohsiung Art Show; the Taiyang Award; the Fengshan Award; the Taiyang Mining Industry Award; the Provincial Education Association Award; and numerous final selection awards at the "Taiwan Art Show." He was the founder of the Young Painter Society and recommended to join the Ten-man Painting Society, the ROC Oil Painting Society, and the Taiyang Fine Arts Association. After he took the helm of the Southern Taiwan Show in 1968, he was dedicated to inspiring and cultivating future painters in Taiwan in the following 30 years, making a significant contribution to Taiwan’s art development. In 1969, his first solo oil painting exhibition was held at the Kaohsiung Shin Wen Daily News Cultural Center, showcasing totally 56 of his paintings from life and nature, including paintings of landscape, figures, and flowers. In particular, his works depicting lives of indigenous peoples in Taiwan vividly captured the down-to-earth ruggedness of the indigenous tribes. In the following decades after his first solo exhibition, his paintings were characterized with profound humanist concerns and subtle emotions. After he recovered from illness in 1998, the focus of his painting started to shift to the exploration of inner world and wonders of the universe.

To express its gratitude to Chang for his 2011 donation of Warding off evil and 13 other paintings from his life-long work, the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts curated this special research exhibition to share his works with the general public and demonstrate the selfless contribution of this local artist in Kaohsiung to society. Regrettably, during the preparation for this exhibition, Chang passed away on November 20th, 2012. The title of this Exhibition, Painter of Takao, is derived from a calligraphic inscription written by former Kaohsiung Mayor Yang Chin-hu as a gift for Chang Chin-fa. From this exhibition that displays Chang’s works of different styles in different times, viewers can appreciate Chang’s most genuine emotions in his simple life, his admiration of the great Nature in the ordinary world, his surrealistic dreams and imagination, his self-observation, and his philosophy about the universe, humanity and life. Last but not least, much is owed to Chang’s family for their continuous assistance to this exhibition during their mourning for Chang.

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Painter of Takao: Art of Chang Chin-fa

UNSEEN LIVES Reportage Photography from Ren Jian Magazine, 1985-1989

Whispers from the Collection Vault

Upcoming│Perfect Days: Reproduction of Wang Dahong’s Daily Furniture