A Subtropical Sun - Art Analysis: Non Western Art
Formosa – “Beautiful Island:”
When discussing the topic of Non Western Art, the first region that came to my mind was the Asia-Pacific area, specifically China and Japan. I have always enjoyed their expert use of vibrant colors and sweeping lines to capture drama, especially in their depictions of famed mythological tales. However, both Chinese and Japanese art receive a good bit of the spotlight; during this class, I have seen some famous Japanese works featured on fellow classmates’ blogs. I decided to focus on a smaller nation, with an interesting history, whose artists drew inspiration from both of these artistic giants – Taiwan.
I personally did not know much about Taiwan’s history, besides their civil war against the now People’s Republic of China (PRC) during the 40’s. Hidden from the west, the small island would find itself targeted by many European powers, after Portuguese contact in the 1600’s and its subsequent naming as Formosa or “beautiful island” – and the rich promise of resource. Soon after, the Netherlands would colonize it, but surprisingly, major outsider influence (besides religion) would not occur until after the first Sino-Japanese War, where Japan acquired the island in 1895. From here on, the nation would be influenced by the Japanese culture, and after Japan’s rise as a powerful nation and defeat of the Russians at Port Arthur, Taiwanese artists found themselves free to travel the world and adopt other styles. After WW2, and PRC’s victory over the Republic of China (ROC) in the civil war, many fled to the island to avoid the communist regime. Following WW2, specifically during the Mid and Post-Modern eras of art, Taiwan’s people continued to witness the tyranny and oppression their fellow Chinese brothers and sisters suffered at the hands of Mao Zedong. These horrors, and the terrible acts committed against them in the civil war, would create significant a split in the art, culture, and belief for a people who people shared an ethnic origin. Greatly impacting Taiwan’s art community, these creators help start the movement to fight for future reunification of Chinese people. However, for all of the activism that occurred during Taiwan’s Mid Modern era, there were still stunning works produced that depicted the gorgeous landscapes who attracted European explorers centuries prior.
An Emotional Sunset:
Continuing with the theme about artistic advocacy, I want to highlight famed Taiwanese artist, Chen Cheng-po (Tan Teng-pho). Without going into the event too deep, during February 1947, the people of Taiwan were exhausted from two years of brutal oppression by the original ROC. After weeks of violence, Cheng-po and four other activists, approached the ROC military to sue for peace, but sadly they were arrested and killed. This moment would cement his place as a martyr of the Taiwanese people and elevated his already famous art to new heights.
Before the infamous “228 Incident,” Cheng-po painted the artwork featured above, capturing the beautiful riverbanks of Tamsui along with the silhouette of the nearby town stretched to the horizon. Chen Cheng-po actually broke the convention of regular composition with this artwork; he did this by his placement of architecture on the side of the river, irregularly layering roofing tiles, emphasizing building features – like the church spire, and including a vibrant reflection of the sun off the river.
Beautiful Grey Skies:
Like many other Taiwanese artists during the Mid-to-Post Modern era, Yen Shui-Long travelled the globe to study various art styles, primarily in Japan and France. After returning from studying abroad, Shui-Long soon developed his own unique style, which blended simple forms and contrasting colors – all to recreate the tropical climate and sunlight of his country. With the rapid, and radical, changes in Taiwanese culture after WW2, Shui-Long committed himself to preserving the fine arts and using them to help influence a sense of appreciate for more practical lifestyle aesthetics. As time went on, he would go on to include urban design and public art to his work, hoping to “spruce” up the modern life and give the people an improved outlook of the space around them.
Little Island, Big Impression:
Color: Right off the bat, each one of these artworks uses a wealth of expressive color, even with In-Ting’s Raining in Formosa on the Tamsui River – which only used various hues of grey, yet the painting manages to not feel void of any life. Both Cheng-po and Shui Long use a rich green color for the vegetation in their works, and though I believe their intentions were to capture the vibrant color of Taiwan’s tropical plant life, I think this could also represent the growth of the country. After years of war, political oppression and hardship, the reformed ROC and its people would come together to form a democracy though the shadow of Mao Zedong’s communist regime loomed overhead; to ensure their survive, the nation grew is military might, but also its cultural might, proclaiming to China – and the world – that the nation of Taiwan was here to stay. Stepping away from the political theme, Shui-Long also incorporated a beautiful white-yellowish color in his Lotus Blooms piece, something I’m confident was to pay homage to his Chinese heritage: in their culture, the lotus flower represent purity, the very same trait/theme bright, white colors signify in western art.
Tone: I felt that there is a great comparison between Cheng-po’s and Shui-Long’s works; both use two different tones to represent both the Taiwanese climate, but also to place emphasis on the work’s subjects. For Cheng-po, since Taiwan has a hot, humid climate with lush jungles, it would make perfect sense to have the sun cast vibrant rays down onto the village – which works to help highlight the red tiled buildings compared to the river. With Shui-Long’s piece, the dark water reminds of the “jungles” – swamps – of the southern U.S. and just imagine the sounds of frogs, bugs, and running water all around this scene. More importantly, though, this water helps place the lotuses front and center, and the lily pads “present” these flowers as if they were on a green plate. Finally, In-Ting’s painting has a great use of tone, I find it crazy how accurate his depiction of rainfall is. As your eyes scan up the mountain, use see the dark silhouette of the mountain stand out above the low level clouds, who themselves have a darker grey color then the water. The contrasting greys help represent the light ‘punching’ through the cloud coverage and reflecting the shrouded mountain on its surface.
Texture: All three pieces portray texture in their own unique ways, and it helps give each painting a sense of life. Shui-Longs lily pads have an obvious smooth, soft texture and I feel as though I could grab one and feel the ‘rubbery’ surface of each pad in my fingertips. The water is also flat, absent of any real wakes or wave, perfectly still and I’m sure in real-life this water would have that ‘glassy’ look a calm lake or pond would have. Both In-ting and Cheng-po uses differing strokes in the foliage, helping to representing the various lengths of branches – and maybe rustling of leaves – that each tree would have. Cheng-po’s tiled roofs, on the other hand, have uniformed strokes which helps depicts the curved, semi-smooth texture of the manufactured red clay/brick tiles what would have been commonly used in that era. In-Ting uses these long, skinny strokes to portray heavy rain and I feel as though he did a perfect job recreating what a steady rainfall actually looks like; along with these strokes, there is faint misting, created by using the bristle tips of a brush, that sits right above the water and shrouds even more of the mountain’s figure.
Copper, John C.. "Taiwan". Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Aug. 2022,
When discussing the topic of Non Western Art, the first region that came to my mind was the Asia-Pacific area, specifically China and Japan. I have always enjoyed their expert use of vibrant colors and sweeping lines to capture drama, especially in their depictions of famed mythological tales. However, both Chinese and Japanese art receive a good bit of the spotlight; during this class, I have seen some famous Japanese works featured on fellow classmates’ blogs. I decided to focus on a smaller nation, with an interesting history, whose artists drew inspiration from both of these artistic giants – Taiwan.
I personally did not know much about Taiwan’s history, besides their civil war against the now People’s Republic of China (PRC) during the 40’s. Hidden from the west, the small island would find itself targeted by many European powers, after Portuguese contact in the 1600’s and its subsequent naming as Formosa or “beautiful island” – and the rich promise of resource. Soon after, the Netherlands would colonize it, but surprisingly, major outsider influence (besides religion) would not occur until after the first Sino-Japanese War, where Japan acquired the island in 1895. From here on, the nation would be influenced by the Japanese culture, and after Japan’s rise as a powerful nation and defeat of the Russians at Port Arthur, Taiwanese artists found themselves free to travel the world and adopt other styles. After WW2, and PRC’s victory over the Republic of China (ROC) in the civil war, many fled to the island to avoid the communist regime. Following WW2, specifically during the Mid and Post-Modern eras of art, Taiwan’s people continued to witness the tyranny and oppression their fellow Chinese brothers and sisters suffered at the hands of Mao Zedong. These horrors, and the terrible acts committed against them in the civil war, would create significant a split in the art, culture, and belief for a people who people shared an ethnic origin. Greatly impacting Taiwan’s art community, these creators help start the movement to fight for future reunification of Chinese people. However, for all of the activism that occurred during Taiwan’s Mid Modern era, there were still stunning works produced that depicted the gorgeous landscapes who attracted European explorers centuries prior.
An Emotional Sunset:
 |
| Sunset in Tamsui, c.1935 by Chen Cheng-po. Painted in Taiwan. |
Continuing with the theme about artistic advocacy, I want to highlight famed Taiwanese artist, Chen Cheng-po (Tan Teng-pho). Without going into the event too deep, during February 1947, the people of Taiwan were exhausted from two years of brutal oppression by the original ROC. After weeks of violence, Cheng-po and four other activists, approached the ROC military to sue for peace, but sadly they were arrested and killed. This moment would cement his place as a martyr of the Taiwanese people and elevated his already famous art to new heights.
Before the infamous “228 Incident,” Cheng-po painted the artwork featured above, capturing the beautiful riverbanks of Tamsui along with the silhouette of the nearby town stretched to the horizon. Chen Cheng-po actually broke the convention of regular composition with this artwork; he did this by his placement of architecture on the side of the river, irregularly layering roofing tiles, emphasizing building features – like the church spire, and including a vibrant reflection of the sun off the river.
Beautiful Grey Skies:
 |
| Raining in Formosa on the Tamsui River, c.1956-1959, by Ran In-Ting. Painted in Taiwan. |
Throughout history, landscape has been recreated on canvas, but rarely – if ever – as the subject, rather as a peripheral for the scene. This was until 5th century China, where artists chose to use the unique terrain around them as the subject of their work. They called this style, “shan shui,” or landscape painting, and this style captured the peace felt when one experiences natural beauty. Over time artists would adopt the use of watercolors to help create gentle lines and lighter hues, better depicting the serenity of nature. Artist Ran In-Ting developed fame from his extensive use of colorful and monocratic watercolors to portray the harmony of Taiwan’s landscape; In-Ting earned his impressive background by incorporating Chinese, Japanese, and Western watercolor techniques in his artwork. Beyond his beautiful renditions of Taiwan’s own landscape, Ran In-Ting journeyed the U.S. and detailed our country’s beauty in a 1950’s collection.
Purity and Elegance:
 |
| Lotus Blooms, c.1951, by Yen Shui-Long. Painted in Taiwan. |
Like many other Taiwanese artists during the Mid-to-Post Modern era, Yen Shui-Long travelled the globe to study various art styles, primarily in Japan and France. After returning from studying abroad, Shui-Long soon developed his own unique style, which blended simple forms and contrasting colors – all to recreate the tropical climate and sunlight of his country. With the rapid, and radical, changes in Taiwanese culture after WW2, Shui-Long committed himself to preserving the fine arts and using them to help influence a sense of appreciate for more practical lifestyle aesthetics. As time went on, he would go on to include urban design and public art to his work, hoping to “spruce” up the modern life and give the people an improved outlook of the space around them.
Little Island, Big Impression:
Color: Right off the bat, each one of these artworks uses a wealth of expressive color, even with In-Ting’s Raining in Formosa on the Tamsui River – which only used various hues of grey, yet the painting manages to not feel void of any life. Both Cheng-po and Shui Long use a rich green color for the vegetation in their works, and though I believe their intentions were to capture the vibrant color of Taiwan’s tropical plant life, I think this could also represent the growth of the country. After years of war, political oppression and hardship, the reformed ROC and its people would come together to form a democracy though the shadow of Mao Zedong’s communist regime loomed overhead; to ensure their survive, the nation grew is military might, but also its cultural might, proclaiming to China – and the world – that the nation of Taiwan was here to stay. Stepping away from the political theme, Shui-Long also incorporated a beautiful white-yellowish color in his Lotus Blooms piece, something I’m confident was to pay homage to his Chinese heritage: in their culture, the lotus flower represent purity, the very same trait/theme bright, white colors signify in western art.
Tone: I felt that there is a great comparison between Cheng-po’s and Shui-Long’s works; both use two different tones to represent both the Taiwanese climate, but also to place emphasis on the work’s subjects. For Cheng-po, since Taiwan has a hot, humid climate with lush jungles, it would make perfect sense to have the sun cast vibrant rays down onto the village – which works to help highlight the red tiled buildings compared to the river. With Shui-Long’s piece, the dark water reminds of the “jungles” – swamps – of the southern U.S. and just imagine the sounds of frogs, bugs, and running water all around this scene. More importantly, though, this water helps place the lotuses front and center, and the lily pads “present” these flowers as if they were on a green plate. Finally, In-Ting’s painting has a great use of tone, I find it crazy how accurate his depiction of rainfall is. As your eyes scan up the mountain, use see the dark silhouette of the mountain stand out above the low level clouds, who themselves have a darker grey color then the water. The contrasting greys help represent the light ‘punching’ through the cloud coverage and reflecting the shrouded mountain on its surface.
Texture: All three pieces portray texture in their own unique ways, and it helps give each painting a sense of life. Shui-Longs lily pads have an obvious smooth, soft texture and I feel as though I could grab one and feel the ‘rubbery’ surface of each pad in my fingertips. The water is also flat, absent of any real wakes or wave, perfectly still and I’m sure in real-life this water would have that ‘glassy’ look a calm lake or pond would have. Both In-ting and Cheng-po uses differing strokes in the foliage, helping to representing the various lengths of branches – and maybe rustling of leaves – that each tree would have. Cheng-po’s tiled roofs, on the other hand, have uniformed strokes which helps depicts the curved, semi-smooth texture of the manufactured red clay/brick tiles what would have been commonly used in that era. In-Ting uses these long, skinny strokes to portray heavy rain and I feel as though he did a perfect job recreating what a steady rainfall actually looks like; along with these strokes, there is faint misting, created by using the bristle tips of a brush, that sits right above the water and shrouds even more of the mountain’s figure.
References
Museum, Taipei Fine Arts. “The Public Spirit．Beauty in the Making－Shui-Long Yen.” TFAM, 11 July 2014, https://www.tfam.museum/Exhibition/Exhibition_page.aspx?id=418&ddlLang=en-us.
Tsu-hsien, Jao. “III. Chen Cheng-Po's Tamsui Paintings and the Taiyang Arts Council: The Archives of Institute of Taiwan History, Academia Sinica - Taiwan Archives Online.” III. Chen Cheng-Po's Tamsui Paintings and the Taiyang Arts Council | The Archives of Institute of Taiwan History, Academia Sinica - Taiwan Archives Online, 2010, https://archives.ith.sinica.edu.tw/collections_con2_en.php?no=249.
Unknown, Unknown. “Ran in-Ting - 'Raining in Formosa on the Tamsui River' by Ran in-Ting (Lan Yinding, 藍蔭鼎).” Ran In-Ting - 'Raining in Formosa on the Tamsui River' by Ran In-Ting (Lan Yinding, 藍蔭鼎) For Sale at 1stDibs, 2022, https://www.1stdibs.com/en-gb/art/drawings-watercolor-paintings/landscape-drawings-watercolors/ran-ting-raining-formosa-on-tamsui-river-ran-ting-lan-yinding/id-a_7870072/.
Unknown, Unknown. “Tan Teng-Pho.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 July 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tan_Teng-pho.
Yen, Catherine. “The Oil Paintings of Yen Shui-Long.” The Paintings, 18 Apr. 2004, http://slyen.org/slyen/ypaint.html.
This is a great post, I don't know much about Taiwan either, but these are some beautiful pieces your choice and I love the theme, it makes sense with what I do know about Taiwan. I love the lily pads piece. I also enjoyed learning the history of some art styles changing in Taiwan, the way you described it in the second painting. You really did a great job connecting all of this to your theme.
ReplyDeleteI love Ran In-Ting's painting and use of a monochromatic water color. Their goal to portray the serenity of nature through the use of this technique is incredible! I'm not well antiquated with China's art so this is my first time seeing an example of one of their styles. I've seen others I'm sure but I'm mainly just uneducated about their culture and art in general. Their goal to make mountains the main subject is a really cool idea as well. I'm a photographer and I always love landscape photos and to me mountains are generally my favorite type of landscape to capture which is why I love this painting. Anyways, great job with your blog post I really enjoyed your exploration into these non-western cultures!
ReplyDelete