臺南美術史

Liao Chi-Chun, Market, 1929, the 3rd Taiten
Source: The catalogue of the 3rd Taiten

This painting by Liao Chi-Chun (1902-1976) was selected into Yoga (Western-style painting) Division of the 3rd Taiten (Taiwan Art Exhibition). It depicts a scene of the old East Market in Tainan. The tree at the center divides the composition into two, giving the painting modern characteristics that sets it apart from the traditional painting style. In the background, the artist delineates market vendors and a dense crowd. On the right are locals going into the market. The entire painting is constituted of curvy lines and heavy brushstrokes, showing a lively air and a tendency towards Fauvism. During the period of Japanese rule, the Tainan Prefectural Government founded the East Market at Yuan Hui Jing (元會境; otherwise known as Yue-Di Temple Street [岳帝廟街]), which was Tainan’s second modernized public market. In 1925, Liao Chi-Chun, Chen Cheng-Po (陳澄波; 1895-1947) founded the Red Sun Western-style Painting Society (赤陽洋畫會; otherwise translated as “Red Sun Association”) and organized exhibitions of the society. They introduced different Western painting movements, such as Impressionism, Fauvism, Abstractionism, and mainly portrayed the local color with plein-air expression. After the war, Liao encouraged their students to establish the Fifth Moon Art Group (五月畫會), and has been considered a great contributor to the Taiwanese art world.

References
Shih, Rocky, and Liu Chia-Jung. “Liao Chi-Chun: Delineation of Taiwanese Native Sentiments in a Semi-figurative and Semi-abstract Style.” Art Emperor, 2017. https://artemperor.tw/focus/1819 (Viewed on 2023.8.15).
Unknown author. “The 3rd Taiten Announces Selected Works. Twenty-nine Japanese-style Paintings and Seventy-six Western-style Paintings. The Locals Have Shown Much Progress.” Taiwan Daily News, evening edition, section 2 (1929.11.13).
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. “Liao Chi-Chun．Market.” Missing Pieces: Taifuten Historical Archives. https://taifuten.com/oblect/市場/#squelch-taas-toggle-shortcode-content-2 (Viewed on 2023.8.15).

Liao Chi-Chun
Liao Chi-Chun (1902-1976) was born in Fengyuan, Taichung. In 1923, he was accepted into the Department of Normal Education at Tokyo Fine Arts School (now Tokyo University of the Arts), where he was mentored by Tanabe Itaru (田邊至, 1887-1968) and received solid foundational training in sketch drawing. At that time, Fauvism and Cubism had already become increasingly well-known due to the advocacy of private art groups, such as the “Nika Association” (二科會) and “Sanka” (三科), through which Liao learned about these avant-garde art trends. In 1925, he co-founded the “Chi-Yang (Red Sun) Western-style Painting Society” (赤陽洋畫會) with Chen Cheng-Po (陳澄波, 1895-1947) and Yen Sui-Long (顏水龍, 1903-1997), which later merged with the “Chi-Hsing (Seven Stars) Painting Group” (七星畫壇) in northern Taiwan and became the “Chi-Dao (Red Island) Society” (赤島社). After graduating, Liao settled down and began teaching in Tainan from 1927 to 1936. He was deeply influenced by Tainan’s social milieu and ambiance, and eventually became the artist selected for the Taiten and the Futen with the most landscapes featuring Tainan’s scenery. During Umehara Ryuzaburo’s (梅原龍三郎, 1888-1986) several visits to Taiwan after 1933 for tourism and serving as a juror, Liao was the one who received Umehara and accompanied him on painting trips to Tainan, during which he created a few works featuring the Confucius Temple with similar composition. In 1934, Liao again co-founded the “Tai-Yang Art Association” (臺陽美術協會) with Chen Cheng-Po and Yen Shui-Long. Later, Liao moved to Taipei in 1947 to teach at Taiwan Provincial Teachers College (now National Taiwan Normal University). It was during this period that he established the Yunhe Studio (雲和畫室) on Yunhe Street near his residence. The founding members of the “Fifth Moon Art Group” (五月畫會), which was founded in 1957 with Liao’s encouragement, had studied painting with Liao at this very art studio.

Reference
Lin, Mun-Lee (ed.). The Everlasting Bloom: Rediscovering Taiwanese Modern Art. Taipei City: Museum of National Taipei University of Education, 2021.