Eastern Gouache

1981

Length:46 x Width:38 (cm)

Accession Number：20170300119

Lin Chih-Chu (1917-2008, Daya, Taichung) went to study in Tokyo, Japan, in 1928. In 1934, he was admitted to the Japanese painting department of the Imperial Art School (now Musashino Art University). In 1940, his work was selected for the “2600th Anniversary of the Imperial Era Commemorative Art Exhibition.” After returning to Taiwan, he won the First Prize Governor’s Award twice at the Taiwan Governor-General’s Art Exhibition (Futen), securing his position in the Taiwanese art world. In 1946, he began teaching at Taichung Normal School (now National Taichung University of Education), where he remained until his retirement in 1979. Amid postwar debates over the “orthodoxy of traditional Chinese painting,” Lin proposed that painting styles should be classified by medium. He advocated for the recognition of gouache painting (Japanese-style color painting on paper or silk), organizing gouache painting associations and exhibitions. Throughout his life, he dedicated himself to the preservation and promotion of this medium, earning the title “Father of Gouache Painting in Taiwan.”
This work depicts three blooming crane orchids (Crane Orchid). Their radiating petals resemble dancing musical notes or cranes spreading their wings in flight, exuding a strong sense of rhythm. With keen observational skills and delicate brushwork, Lin Chih-Chu layered mineral pigments in successive applications. The flowers are rendered in warm tones of white, yellow, and ochre. Through subtle variations in pigment density and brightness, he captures the orchid’s graceful and elegant character. Set against a cool-toned background of blues and greens, the blossoms appear all the more fresh and refined.
In 1987, Lin Chih-Chu submitted this work to the 8th China-Japan Art Exhibition.