AN ARTIST REPRESENTING “LIFE”

-Paintings of yuan chin taa

 

      The frist thing one recognizes in Yuan Chin Taa,s paintings is their accessability.They have a generosity of spirit which makes them immediately appealing. However, after this initial effect ,it also becomes clear that the artist is deeply concerned with a few recurring themes---The interaction of man and nature,man in the modern wold,and,in particular, the artist’s perception of the changes taking place in his own society,as it moves away form the old rural rhythms and moves into 20^th century industrial society.

 

Having had a formal education in art at National Taiwan Normal University, Yuan's early paintings display all the finesse of a highly talented student working to refine his technique. His early works exhibited in 1980 were deeply influenced by his childhood experiences, faithfully representing the old rural environment in which he grew up.The destitute rural scenes described in his paintings implied his nostalgic sentimentality. Later, in his second one-man exhibition held in 1982, his works tended to focus on various farm products which were very familiar to him, and which were charged with vitality of life. Thus, his paintings began to explore the bright side of life in spite of its despairing aspect. Yet even in these early works, Yuan's themes of beauty and country life were invested with a distinct. delicate sensitivity. It was obvious that once he had found his feet and gained some confidence, he would move away from the security of form for form's sake and mature into

a serious and gifted artist

Ironically, as this began to happen, Yuan also began to realize that the theme of the displacement of the old traditional lifestyle (by that of a metropolitan 20th century) which had begun to preoccupy him was one that traditional technique could not express very well. 20th century themes needed to be expressed by 20th century technique which, by and large, were the property of the West. Thus Yuan went off to the United States to broaden his horizons. The beautiful, solemn, snowwhite landscapes in New York in winter really impressed him and motivated him to draw a series of paintings of desolate natural landscapes covered by snow. All the subjects of his paintings in this period no matter flowers or birds ---conveyed great perseverance of life. Flowers struggled to bloom in the freezing weather; birds tried hard to delight in the bleak world. All these paintings displayed in his third one-man exhibition held in 1985 demonstrated not only his concern with nature, but also, more importantly, his deep concern with life.

It is obvious that his exposure to western techniques,together with their philosophies and ideologies had strongly effected the artist. Not in his personal creed, but in so much that he was given the tools by which to express himself both accurately and coherently.The artist was now in a position to adapt and blend elements of both East and West without being dominated by either.

Since that period, Yuan has grown in depth and maturity He has developed and experimented with various mediums.while at the same time deepening his ability to express himself through them. The use of Chinese ink on drafting paper,

for example, to execute a silent winter scene of crocuses peeking through the snow, adds a textural softness and richness to the colors, further enhancing the mood of the composition.

Yuan's personal style underwent a great change in the fourth period of his development as shown in his fourth oneman exhibition held in 1988. Recognizing that the genuine life style was not compatible with modern materialized

industrial society, he gave up all the traditional techniques of representation, and began to approach his subjects in a manner of parody. To protest against the pollution of our life in modern society, he started to replace "representation"

with "symbolism," and the essence of his art began to mature into the exploration of the internal world of the human mind. Searching for the value of our spiritual life, instead of simply portraying the appearance of external objects, has become the major concern of the artist.

The artist's scarecrow series (1988) combines technical adeptness without endangering the naive sadness inherent in the wish to hold back the passage of time and social change. In "Upside Down Scarecrow", for example, the rice paddy field,central to the piece, acts as a net both restraining and supporting the scarecrows, symbols of traditional values in decline. A low, tired sun has little to offer. The scarecrows themselves seem despondent, perplexed, surprised, or resigned. Nonetheless, the atmosphere is tranquil, even tinged with humour.

Faces and attitudes repeatedly present themselves in Yuan's work. His ability to cluster significant groups of expressions together, to establish mood, combined with his technical expertise in guiding the eye systematically through his compositions, always maintains the emotional and artistic accessability of his work. One is never alienated by ideology or sterile technical virtuosity. On the contrary, one is invited

to participate and experience the calm inner peace of this artist who is sensitive to, and in love with, his country and his people. Aware of the past but recognizing the future, Yuan Chin-taa works to capture both spirit and beauty, form and feeling.

Excerpted from the Preface

of Yuan Chin-taa's Paintings

by Patrick O'Reilly

 

作者：Patrick