Tainan Art History

Tainan Art History Database

During the Japanese colonial period, the “Taiwan Art Exhibition” (referred to as “Taiwan Exhibition”, 1927-1936) was sponsored by the Taiwan Education Association for ten times, and the “Taiwan Art Exhibition of the Governor-General’s Office” (referred to as “Taiwan Art Exhibition” (referred to as “Taiwan Exhibition”) was sponsored by the Bureau of Culture and Education of the Governor-General’s Office of Taiwan for six times). “Mansion Exhibition”, 1938-1943), was not only a major place for nurturing Taiwanese painters, stimulating Taiwanese youth to learn art, and promoting the rise of art groups, it was also a concrete manifestation of official tastes and governance policies, especially the production of “local color.” During the Taiwan Exhibition, a large number of media reports, published catalogs and other rich historical materials were accumulated. Taiwan Visual Art Archive, which has long been paying attention to local issues, hopes to summarize Tainan landscape paintings and local characteristics from the Tainan-themed works of selected Japanese and Taiwanese painters.

Tainan is the starting point of Taiwan’s history. After the Dutch landed in the south, they built castles and set up chambers of commerce and schools in Tainan. After the Han people took over, it became the seat of the highest administrative office. Tainan has always been the center of politics, economy, and culture. Starting in the 1900s, Tainan began to transform the city, demolishing city gates, digging sewers, and building many modern buildings, rings, and transportation routes, gradually transforming into a modern city. In 1920, administrative reorganization was carried out, and the state office was established in Tainan City, with jurisdiction including today’s Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan and other places. In 1932, Lin Department Store opened in Suehiro Town, Tainan City, which also symbolized Tainan’s economic prosperity.

Tainan has not only preserved its history and culture across generations, but has also cultivated a large number of artistic talents to depict their hometown. At the same time, it continues to attract painters from outside to come and sketch. Taiwan Visual Art Archive has established this database for Tainan painters who were selected for the “Taiwan Prefecture Exhibition” during the Japanese occupation, landscape paintings with Tainan as the theme, and painters who were selected for the “Taiwan Prefecture Exhibition” and painted Tainan scenery. We hope to update the database. Specifically present the characteristics of Tainan landscape painting and its possible influence on contemporary art.