Author:Chen Chin

Size:Length:182 x Width:103 (cm)

Size description：68×92 (畫心)

Introduction： Chen Chin (1907-1998), born in Xiangshan, Hsinchu, is the first female painter in Taiwan during the Japanese rule. When she was studying at the Taihoku Third Girls' High School (current Taipei Municipal Zhong Shan Girls High School), she was taught by her Japanese teacher Koto Gobara. In 1925, Chen went to Japan to study at the Tokyo Female Art School. In 1927, her works “Pose,” “Poppy,” and “Morning” were selected for the first National Taiwan Art Exhibition. Together with Chen Chin and Kuo Hsueh-Hu, she was considered the future of Taiwan Art Exhibition. Every year since then, her best works have always been selected for the Taiwan Exhibition and the Government Exhibition.
During her stay in Japan, Chen Chin studied the traditional Chinese painting of beautiful ladies under Kiyokata Kaburagi, who greatly influenced her later works. When Chen first returned to Taiwan, she focused on depicting classical women and floral themes. Most of her works express her personal experience and observations of daily women and children scenery. After the opening of the "Provincial Exhibition" in 1946, traditional landscape painting gradually replaced gouache painting. From 1947 to 1950, Chen Chin tried to integrate gouache and ink to express the magnificent Ali Mountain and Sun Moon Lake. After 1960, Chen Chin often travels to the wilderness for sketching and inspirational purposes. Her experience in the United States further stimulated her different understanding of foreign landscapes. As a result, Chen's style shifted from the traditional to a more innovative, bright approach.
This work uses ink and watercolor to represent the spring scenery of Yang Ming Mountain. Although the tree trunks are outlined in ink, the painting uses numerous Chinese art techniques to portray the mountainous landscape. In fact, her coloring techniques resemble that of gouache painting. Gouache paintings focus on the coordination between color and ink and place more emphasis on creating an atmosphere than ink and wash paintings, which emphasize linearity. Chen cleverly uses light and shadows to guide the viewer's eyes to the yellow, pink, and green leaves in the middle scene where the finely carved pavilions and figures stand. Her style is light and elegant.

Accession Number:PT06906700