Author:Yuan Tian-Yi

Size:Length:225 x Width:85 (cm)

Size description：132×67 (225×85)

Introduction：Yuan Tian-Yi (1916-), also known as Qia Zhai, was born in Yuyao County, Zhejiang Province, and is a renowned Taiwanese ink painter. Born into a family with a scholarly tradition, he had a strong affection for art. After the political turmoil in mainland China, he moved to Taiwan with the Nationalist government, where he studied landscape, bamboo and stone painting under the tutelage of Fu Juan-Fu. He found pleasure in painting in his spare time and named his studio "Dunben Tang". After retiring from government service, he moved and settled in San Francisco, USA. He has held solo and group exhibitions many times, and in 2013, he participated in an exhibition of American traveling painters held at Zhejiang Art Museum. He has published various painting collections, including a selected collection of his bamboo paintings.

Trained by Fu Juan-Fu in landscapes and the Four Gentlemen (plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum), Yuan Tian-Yi is especially skilled in bamboo ink painting, capable of producing dozens of works in a day. From small works to huge works that are several meters long, he is able to play with a silly ease. In addition to his creative work, he is well versed in art history, thoroughly analyzing the works of famous Song and Yuan Dynasty bamboo and stone painters such as Wen Tong, Wu Zhen, and Ke Jiu-Si, with a particularly deep study of Xia Chang of the Ming Dynasty. His understanding of bamboo ink structure, form, brushwork and composition is profound. His bamboo paintings, although quickly and loosely brushed without relying on colorful paints, skillfully capture the spirit and varied moods of his subjects. He once said, "The charm of ink bamboo is difficult to master, as is its placement. Whether depicting sunny, rainy, windy, or snowy scenes, his bamboo appears in thousands of different poses without repetition, displaying free and graceful brushwork that captivates viewers.

His bamboo paintings, whether alone or paired with landscapes and rocks, often bear inscriptions by Fu Juan-Fu and Ma Shou-Hua. Ma Shou-Hua once inscribed a poem praising Yuan's bamboo paintings for their sublime elegance, symbolizing the noble spirit of a gentleman. One painting depicts a bamboo stalk covered with frost and snow, standing unyieldingly under the weight of winter's chill, symbolizing the noble aspiration of steadfast endurance. On the right side of the painting, an inscription reads, "May we continue to strengthen this endurance by striving to strengthen ourselves," an excerpt from Chiang Kai-shek's will, reflecting the encouragement to compatriots to resist communism and Russian influence and achieve the great cause of revitalizing China. 

Accession Number:PT06901900