Ink Painting

2001

Length:137 x Width:35 (cm)

Chiang Ming-Hsien (b. 1942, Tungshih, Taichung) was graduated from the Department of Fine Arts at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU). In 1974, he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid, Spain, and later lived in New York. He taught at the NTNU Department of Fine Arts and also traveled to Japan and China for plein air painting. His core artistic practice centers on ink-and-wash sketching, integrating traditional Eastern brushwork and ink-wash techniques with Western elements such as perspective and color use found in oil painting and drawing. In 1988, he received the National Award for Arts and has held solo exhibitions, academic forums, and participated actively in ink painting exchanges across the Taiwan Strait.
This work, created in 2001, belongs to Chiang’s Painting Taiwan series, which portrays historical landmarks and heritage sites across the island. Combining direct observation with compositional reinterpretation, the series not only records the memory of history, but also invites reflection for future generations.
Depicted here is Hsiao Yun Villa, a registered historical site in Taichung. Executed in handscroll format, the composition presents an expansive view of lush greenery, wooden bridges, and railings, with Taiwan’s traditional architecture nestled among the trees. Though the buildings occupy only a small portion of the scroll, their classical charm is clearly rendered, allowing viewers to imagine the grandeur of the entire complex. Chiang adopts expressive Eastern ink techniques with soft, warm color tones, while employing Western-style perspective and subtle lighting effects. Through this fusion, he transforms a historical structure into a personal expression of local sentiment and cultural nostalgia.

Accession number:20170300126