臺南美術史

Yukawa Taihei, Roof Ridge, 1940, the 3rd Futen
Source: The catalogue of the 3rd Futen

This work by Yukawa Taihei (years of birth and death unknown) was selected into the Yoga (Western-style painting) Division of the 3rd Futen (Taiwan Viceroy Art Exhibition) in 1940. Yukawa was the eldest son of Yukawagumi (湯川組) in Tainan. His father was the contractor of many construction projects. After Yukawa graduated from Waseda University and returned to Taiwan, he then started working at Yukawagumi. In 1931, the Taiten (Taiwan Art Exhibition) toured from Taipei to the Tainan Public Hall (臺南公會堂; now Wu Family Garden Arts Center [吳園藝文中心]). It is likely that Yukawa was aspired to become a painter after viewing the exhibition, and was later selected into the Taiten and the Futen for several times. This painting delineates the roof ridge of the Tainan Museum (臺南博物館) from the period of Japanese rule. In this composition, the architectural roof ridge is the focal point and shows tortuous lines. The painter creates the depth in the image with the rolling, overlapping roofs, while highlighting the Cantonese architectural features with “three interconnected courtyard houses,” showing the scenery of the southern country. The Tainan Museum, as the first public museum in Taiwan, was renovated in 1922, which used to be the Guangdong and Guangxi Assembly Hall (兩廣會館). In 1945, the museum was destroyed in an air raid of the Allies.

References
Chen, Kun-Yi. “A Nobel Painter from the Ancient City—Yukawa Taihei.” Missing Pieces: Taifuten Historical Archives. https://taifuten.com/story/【名單之後】古都貴公子畫家──湯川臺平/ (Viewed on 2023.8.23).
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.