臺南美術史

Shimada Kiyoyasu, Street Trees and Western-style Building, 1927

This work by Shimada Kiyoyasu (years of birth and death unknown) was selected into the 1st Taiten (Taiwan Art Exhibition) in 1927. The Taiwan Nichi Nichi Shinpo (Taiwan Daily News) of 1927 published an interview with Shimada. At the time of the interview, the painter was painting outside the Tainan Hospital. The photo published along the news article includes an ongoing painting by Shimada by his side, which has a similar composition to this painting. So, it can be inferred that this painting delineates the view of the Tainan Hospital. The surrounding trees help focalize the building in the depth, creating a sense of perspective. The sunlight cascading through the foliage also forms a stark contrast to the hospital in the distance. The overall painting exudes a mood of the southern country. In 1898, the hospital was renamed the Tainan Hospital of the Office of Taiwan Governor-General, and continued to expand. After the war, it became the Taiwan Provincial Tainan Hospital (now Ministry of Health and Welfare Tainan Hospital), and established the Taiwan Provincial Tainan Vocational High School of Nursing (now National Tainan Institute of Nursing). The old buildings of the hospital were demolished in 1968, and only the east wing of the fifth ward building built in 1915 is preserved.

References:
“Two Western-style Painters – Iwabuchi Jo in Taichung, and Shimada Kiyoyasu in Tainan.” Taiwan Nichi Nichi Shinpo (Taiwan Daily News), 1927.09.30 (page 7).
Lee, Shu-Pei. “A Study of Landscapes of Tainan in the Catalogues of the Taiten and the Futen during the Period of Japanese Rule.” The 2022 NCAF Visual Arts Grant for Study and Research – 2nd Phase, 2023.
Liu, Chi-Yu. “Street Trees and Western-style Building— Shimada Kiyoyasu.” Missing Pieces – Taifuten Historical Archives. https://taifuten.com/oblect/街道樹與洋樓/#squelch-taas-toggle-shortcode-content-2 (viewed on 2023.9.27)