Calligraphy and painting, pillars of Taiwanese tradition
Appearing at the beginning of our era and considered in Taiwan to be the most accomplished of the arts, calligraphy is not only, as Westerners sometimes imagine, a way of writing prettily, but also implies a quest for self. For proof of this, we need look no further than the Chinese word Shufa, which means discipline or method of writing. Whether you stick to one meaning or the other, the practice requires moral qualities. The line drawn must be a sincere reflection of one's being, which is why masters write on fine, absorbent paper, on which any correction is impossible.
The materials used also play a part in the philosophy of this art, since the line drawing merges into a cosmic whole with the black ink corresponding to Yin and the white support to Yang. The ink stick, ink stone, brush and paper are known as the "four treasures of the scholar's study"(wen fang szu pao). The ink stick is diluted on the ink stone and rubbed in a circular motion until the desired black intensity is achieved. The best brushes, with rounded bristles and very sharp tips, are made from a bamboo stem, topped with sable or wolf hair. The drawing of a character alone is a work of art, and is signed.
The complexity and purity of ideogram forms naturally lead to comparisons between calligraphy and painting, an apt analogy since, in Chinese culture, the two disciplines are inseparable. Firstly, because they both require the use of a brush, and secondly, because they are often found side by side on the same support. Landscapes or scenes of life often bear an explanatory calligraphy or poem on their side. Wang Xi Zhi (321-379), considered the greatest master in the field, assimilated the art of writing and painting: "Every character will be a reflection of style, culture, art, the soul and its passions"
Sculpture, an art that is gradually asserting itself
As the four major arts in Chinese culture are calligraphy, poetry, painting and music, sculpture has always held a secondary place. Until the Japanese and Western influences of the 1920s, it was recognized mainly for its decorative and religious value. Today, however, it is considered a fine art in its own right, and the country is home to some great sculptors, such as Ju Ming, whose work is exhibited all over the world. Born in 1938 in Taiwan, he created the famous Tai-chis series, which can be admired in his open-air museum(Ju Ming Museum), located in the northern Jinshan district of Taipei.
Painting, a reflection of the country's history
The evolution of Taiwanese painting strikingly reflects the socio-political changes of each era. The first renowned Taiwanese painters distinguished themselves during the Japanese occupation (1895-1945). From 1930 to 1950, the two main currents of influence were nihonga, gouache painting on silk, and Western oil painting, introduced by the Japanese painters themselves. The influence of Impressionism is strongly felt among Taiwanese artists of the period, particularly in the years preceding the Second World War: this movement is called nativism by some critics, as it seeks to highlight the island's natural, cultural and architectural heritage, in a form of "return to the roots". The three painters most representative of this movement are Chen Cheng-po (1895-1947), Yang San-lang (1907-1982) and Liao Chi-chun (1902- 1976), who celebrate the beauty of their native island using impressionist techniques, producing surprising images that blend East and West.
With the retreat of Chiang Kai-shek in 1949, traditional Chinese ink painting became very popular again, as a symbol of "free China". From the 1950s and 1960s onwards, Taiwanese artists, enriched by their country's renewed relations with the rest of the world and in particular with the United States, embraced abstract and pop art - in a path radically opposed to the socialist realism advocated by Communist China. In the 1970s, the country underwent a second "return to its roots": as the Republic of China was forced to leave the United Nations, artists began to question themselves, trying to forge their own identity by turning to their origins. When martial law was lifted in 1987, artistic enthusiasm was explosive and the range of subjects diversified. Artist Chu Ko (1931-2011) is a key figure in modern Taiwanese art. A poet, painter, sculptor and art critic, his work had a decisive impact on the island.
Photography, an art at the heart of political influences
The art of photography is deeply rooted in Taiwan's political history. Two key periods have been identified: a pre-Japanese period, from 1858 to 1895, and a period of Japanese influence, from 1895 to 1945. Many of the photographs from the pre-Japanese period were taken by foreign missionaries and merchants.
Chang Tsai, Deng Nan-guang and Lee Ming-diao, known individually but also as a trio, are among the great figures of Taiwanese photography of the second period. Active from the 1930s to the 1950s, they brilliantly documented Taiwan's post-war evolution and photographed the island's urban and rural populations, its minorities and especially the aboriginal people.
After 1945, Chinese influence supplanted Japanese influence, until martial law was lifted: a revolution for photography as for the other arts. Since then, Taiwanese photography has become highly diversified and boasts many stars, including Chang Chao-Tang, born in 1943 and often considered the most important post-war photographer. His work is characterized by dark, surreal, sometimes absurd images, imbued with desolation and unease. Also a curator and theorist, he definitively transformed the history of Taiwanese photography, and his influence on current generations remains a major one.
Glass paste, a technique brought back into fashion
The Chinese have been working with glass for centuries; for example, a cup with a glass paste handle was found in a tomb and archaeologists have dated it to the 11th century B.C. However, the artisanal technique was abandoned in the 19th century, in favor of imported European products. It was only in 1987 that Taiwanese glass artists decided to revive this ancestral art. At the head of this group is Loretta Hui-shang Yang, who has created a very famous workshop on the island, Liulilongfang. Liuli, literally translated as "glass workshop", is a glassworking technique akin to pâte de verre. A renowned former actress, Loretta Hui-shang Yang has traveled abroad - to France, the Czech Republic and the United States - to learn foreign glassmaking techniques. Nevertheless, she strives to preserve Chinese traditions, both in terms of manufacture and themes. She has thus created collections inspired by traditional ancient Chinese sculpture and Buddhism.
A booming contemporary scene
Today, Taiwan's contemporary art scene is booming, both on the island, where numerous modern and contemporary art institutions are multiplying quality exhibitions, and internationally, where Taiwanese artists are increasingly sought-after. The most popular places in Taipei to discover these artists are the Museum of Contemporary Arts, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Huashan 1914 Creative Park, which also showcases local crafts. But Kaohsiung is also at the forefront of Taiwanese arts, with its Pier 2 Art Center, featuring numerous galleries and artists' studios.
The cities of Tainan and Taichung each boast their own "art street", a must for strolling through the small galleries and finding affordable pieces!
Using both modern and traditional methods, Taiwanese artists highlight or critically address many aspects of Taiwanese culture. Multiculturalism, ethnic minorities, human rights, freedom of speech and expression, ecology and political news are recurring themes in the work of these new generations, who contribute to the country's cultural vitality. They help to raise the profile of an island that is all too often neglected, and contribute to its growing international recognition. Tehching Hsieh, for example, a performance artist born in 1950 and exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 2017, is just one of these leading figures. Taiwan has also become a market in its own right, according to specialists, as important as mainland China and Hong Kong - a sign of the interest shown by its inhabitants in new artistic developments.
Street art, symbol of a young, dynamic urban culture
At the end of the 1980s, graffiti art spread to Taiwan thanks to a number of films based on American popular culture and hip-hop. But Taiwanese street art is very different from that of New York, not least because the social context in which it is rooted is very different. Indeed, most graffiti artists are young middle-class people with a university art education, who are not particularly involved in the problems of the archipelago. Nevertheless, their work emanates a similar desire not to conform to adult norms and to disrupt the social order. By choosing to devote themselves to art, and in particular to unconventional practices, they reject the conventional path to success and push back against society's expectations of youth, notably the father-son dichotomy, a central relationship in Confucianism. Although primarily known for its height, the area around Taipei 101 features vibrant murals that add dynamism to the modern architecture.
In the capital, the hub of young urban culture is the small district of Ximending (or "Ximen"), also home to some of the city's finest murals. As these are constantly being renewed, the easiest way to discover them is to wander around with an alert eye. In Kaohsiung, take a tour of the Pier-2 Art Center: this former port warehouse transformed into a cultural center is famous for its art installations, including street art on its walls and structures. Gongchen Street is known for its giant murals, which add an artistic touch to the city's urban landscape. In Tainan, the Tainan City Art Museum, although primarily a museum, is often the site of street art exhibitions that bring a new dimension to Tainan's public space. Also, the Anping Old Street district. Here, local artists have created works that fuse street art with local history. Finally, in Taichung, the city has launched several projects to embellish public spaces with street art, including murals on buildings and public structures such as the Calligraphy Greenway. Along this promenade, street art adds an artistic touch to Taichung's green spaces.
Street art in Taiwan is not confined to the big cities; it is also spreading to rural areas and small towns, contributing to a lively and diverse urban aesthetic across the island.
