Oil Painting

1966

Length:100 x Width:80 (cm)

Tseng Wei-Chih (1930-2016, Douliu, Yunlin) was born into a family that ran a pastry shop. While attending public school, he began learning painting under the guidance of his Japanese teacher Ito Tadashi, but his studies were interrupted as World War II intensified. After the war, in 1947, Tseng passed the examination to become an elementary school teacher and served as an art instructor. His career path changed when he met Yeh Huo-Cheng (1908-1993) and transferred to Fengyuan Elementary School, where he received instruction from Yeh and was introduced to Lee Shih-Chiao (1908-1995), who also became his mentor. At that time, Yeh Huo-Cheng, serving as principal of Fengyuan Elementary School, gathered a group of teachers under his tutelage, including Chen Shih-Lien (b. 1934), Chang Ping-Nan (1924-2014), and Lin Tien-Tsung (1924-2001). Together with Tseng, they formed what became known as the “Fengyuan Group” and participated in the Taiwan Provincial Art Exhibition and other exhibitions across the country. In 1987, Tseng became the founding president of the Taichung County Fine Arts Association and later retired as a junior high school teacher.
Tseng worked primarily in oil painting, excelling in figure subjects. Specimen and Woman depicts a seated woman in an interior setting. On the table beside her right arm rest several mounted bird specimens. The portrayal of the woman’s figure shows an affinity with the styles of Henri Matisse or early Pablo Picasso, incorporating elements reminiscent of Cubism. Her face is rendered in two distinct colors, divided down the middle, while her gestures and posture are stylized with a decorative quality. The tabletop is presented in a deliberately flattened perspective, defying conventional spatial rules, and both it and the bucket beneath are painted in solid color blocks. By contrast, the bird specimens are depicted with meticulous detail, identifiable as species such as the egret and the Mikado pheasant, revealing the artist’s realist skill. The composition resonates with Lee Shih-Chiao’s 1957 painting Interior, suggesting that this work may reflect the stylistic influence Tseng absorbed during his period of study under Lee.

Accession number:20170300142