臺南美術史

Chang Ping-Tang, Morning of the Temple Courtyard, 1942, the 5th Futen
Source: The catalogue of the 5th Futen

This painting by Chang Ping-Tang (1928-2013) was selected into the Yoga (Western-style painting) Division of the 5th Futen (Taiwan Viceroy Art Exhibition). It depicts the Entrance of Morality Training of the Hall of Ethics (Minglun Hall) at the Tainan Confucius Temple. With a diagonal composition, the tree trunk in the foreground and a corner of the Hall of Ethics guide the spectator’s line of sight towards the center of the work – the Entrance of Morality Training. According to Taiwan Nichi Nichi Shinpo (Taiwan Daily News), “yoga (newly selected)…Chang Yu-Tang from Tainan.” Back then, the painter joined the competition under the name “Chang Yu-Tang” (張玉堂) and was successfully selected, making him the youngest painter ever exhibited in a government-sponsored art exhibition in Taiwan. Chang studied under Liao Chi-Chun (廖繼春), Yen Shui-Long (顏水龍), and Kuo Po-Chuan (郭柏川), and his later style was increasingly Fauvist. In 1952, he co-founded the Tainan Fine Arts Association (臺南美術研究會) with Kuo Po-Chuan and others, and has left multiple works featuring the Confucius Temple and historical architecture in Tainan.

References
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.
Huang, Tung-Fu. “Final Report of the Research on (Taiwanese and Japanese) Tainan-based Artists in Government-sponsored Fine Arts Exhibitions during the Period of Japanese Rule.” Tainan: Tainan Art Museum, 2019.
Chen, Kai-Shao. “The Youngest Painter Ever Selected into the Taiten and the Futen—Tainan-based Painter Chang Ping-Tang.” Missing Pieces: Taifuten Historical Archives. https://taifuten.com/story/【名單之後】最年輕之台展府展入選者─府城畫家/ (Viewed on 2023.8.24).

Chang Ping-Tang
Chang Ping-Tang (1928-2013) was born in Tainan, where he lived next to the City God Temple on Qingnian Road. As a child, he was inspired by Liao Chi-Chun (廖繼春) and became interested in painting. On his way to school, he often passed the Confucius Temple and had the chance to observe people painting outdoors. Liao especially had a great influence on him. In 1941, Chang was selected for the 7th “Tai-Yang Art Exhibition” as a public school student. After he graduated from the public school, Chang entered the modern-day Tainan Commercial Vocational Senior High School (臺南高商). In 1942, at the age of fourteen, Chang was already selected for the Western-style Painting Division of the 5th Futen with his Morning of the Temple Courtyard (朝之廟庭), which made him the youngest painter in this government-funded art exhibition. In his later days, he also painted many paintings featuring the Confucius Temple. After graduating from the commercial school, Chang worked as an assistant and workfellow at the Tainan Technical College (臺南高等工業學校, now the National Cheng Kung University) and often consulted Kuo Po-Chuan (郭柏川) about painting. In 1952, he joined the “Tainan Fine Arts Association” (臺南美術研究會) founded by Kuo. In 1959, he was selected for the “Tai-Yang Art Exhibition” three times and was eventually elected a member in 1975. Although Chang never had any formal art training, he was deeply influenced by Liao Chi-Chun and Kuo Po-Chuan. He specialized in using highly saturated and contrasting colors to create a sense of tension in the image to highlight the warm atmosphere of the South.

Reference
Editorial Department of Cheng Yin Culture Enterprise. Nostalgia of an Ancient City, Collections of Chang Ping-tang’s Oil Paintings. Taipei City: Cheng Yin Culture Enterprise, 2007.
Huang, Tung-Fu. “Tainan Art Museum’s Final Research Report of Tainan-based Artists (Incl. Taiwanese and Japanese) in Government-sponsored Art Exhibitions during the Period of Japanese Rule.” Unpublished, 2019.