Author:Hung Rui-lin(1912-1996)

Category：Oil Painting

Media:Oil on panel

Year：1976

Introduction：This oil painting of scenery in Tamsui is by Hung Rui-lin. In his early days, Hung studied painting at the Taiwan Painting Institute founded by Ni Chiang-huai. He later went to Japan and was accepted into the Western Painting Department of the Imperial Fine Arts School. In the 1930s, the artist returned to Taiwan and started working at a mine owned by Ni, where he became known as “the painting miner,” working and painting at the mine until retiring in the 1970s. In his early years, Hung visited Tamsui where he painted from real life. After the construction of Tamsui harbor in the late Qing dynasty, the town became a unique place where different cultures met and interacted, with many painters visiting to paint from real life. In Tamsui Scenery, Hung utilizes the layering of colored blocks and brushstrokes to portray a group of undulating houses. The image is created with a bright, vibrant palette and the coconut trees by the riverside in the mid-ground convey the distinctive romantic feel of a southern river harbor. The few purple clouds lingering above the mountains on the horizon, suggest it could be sunset.

Author Introduction：「Hung Rui-lin」-Born in Dadaocheng, Taipei, Taiwan, Hung studied at the Taiwan Painting Institute under Ishikawa Kinichiro in 1927 and later at the Kawabata School of Painting and Hongo Painting Institute. In 1931, he was admitted to the Western Painting Department of Teikoku Art School. Returning to Taiwan in 1938, he worked in the coal mines of Ruifang for 34 years. His works, characterized by bold, dark lines and colors, vividly depict the harsh lives of miners and the shadowy environments of the mines.

Accession number:20210007