Ink Painting

Length:64.4 x Width:69.5 (cm)

Shen Yao-Chu (1907-1990, Shao’an, Fujian) was born Shen Chung-Yu and was known by the sobriquet Shih-Tu Jen, studied painting in his youth under Shen Ching-Hu (1858-1936). He attended Shantou Arts Normal School, the art program at Longxi (now Zhangzhou) Vocational High School, and Shantou Shih-Chung Junior College. In 1948, wartime circumstances left him stranded in Taiwan, where he taught in various locations before retiring in 1966 to live in seclusion in Taichung and devote himself to painting. Initially unrecognized, Shen’s work went largely unnoticed until 1973, when art critic Yao Meng-Ku (1912-1993) brought it to public attention, earning him the nickname “a jade hidden deep in the mountains.” In 1974, he received the Gold Award from the Chinese Painting Society of the Republic of China, and in 1987 he was named one of Taiwan’s top ten artists.
The dog, a close companion in daily life, was one of Shen Yao-Chu’s frequent subjects. In Big Yellow Dog, Shen outlines the curled, reclining form of the animal with light ink, adding wet, saturated touches to depict the markings on its head and tail. Above, a lush branch extends into the composition, painted in rich, wet strokes of dark ink to convey its reach and fullness. Rendered in a freehand style, the work captures the quiet ease of a household dog at rest, evoking the gentle simplicity of everyday life. In contrast to Shen’s own years of displacement, from his native Shao’an to his later life in Taiwan, this image of calm repose carries a particular poignancy and depth of meaning.

Accession number:20170300087