Watercolor

1985

Length:118.6 x Width:118.9 x Height:0.1 (cm)

Chen Ming-Shan (1933-2019, Sichuan) came to Taiwan as a member of the armed forces. In the 1960s, he worked at Far Eastern Department Store in Taichung, where he was responsible for sales floor planning and window display design, pioneering the creation of an exhibition space within a department store. In 1971, he participated in the First Modern Painting Joint Exhibition. He was awarded the Chinese Literature and Art Medal in 1980 and received the Gold Medal of the Chinese Painting Society in 1993.
Chen’s early works were mostly watercolors, often using wet washes to depict landscapes with an ethereal, misty atmosphere. Art critic Kang Yuan observed that Chen “used Western tools such as watercolor, paper, and brushes, yet integrated techniques from traditional Chinese ink painting, creating watercolors that reflect the thoughts and awareness of the modern Chinese while embodying the spirit of traditional Chinese culture.” Wave employs blended washes to render the foreground sand slopes, distant mountains, and clouds, and uses flat strokes and dry brushing to capture the shimmering reflections on the sea’s surface. Through skillful technique, the work portrays the coastal scenery of Taiwan. The palette is composed mainly of low-value tones such as black, brown, and deep blue, evoking the backlit view when facing the sun and recalling the tonal charm of Chinese ink painting.

Accession number:20170300105