臺南美術史

Lin Yu-Shan, Lotus Pond, 1930, the 4th Taiten
Source: Catalogue of the 4th Taiten

Lotus Pond by Lin Yu-Shan (1907-2004) was selected into the 4th Taiten (Taiwan Art Exhibition) in 1930, and was awarded the “Taiten Award” (臺展賞). Featuring the lotus pond in Niudoushan in the northern outskirt of Chiayi, the painting depicts a mist-shrouded summer morning at the pond, and captures the splendid blossoms of lotus flowers, with egrets strolling and seeking food in the pond, demonstrating the momentum of vivid liveliness. According to Lin Po-Ting (林伯亭, the artist’s son), the painter used four different shades of gold powder in Lotus Pond to create the elegance characteristically found in paintings of the Song dynasty. In order to recreate the blooming instant of “life,” the painter arrived at the pond the day before and spent the night at a work shed by the pond. Combining the elegance of Chinese art, the techniques of Japanese-style fine brush painting, and the imagery of Taiwan landscape, the artist makes this work an iconic masterpiece of modern Tōyōga.

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.
Kuo, Mei-Yu. “The Three Youths of the Taiten—Epoch-Making Art in Colonial Taiwan.” Trans. Brandon Yen. Taiwan Panorama. https://www.taiwan-panorama.com/en/Articles/Details?Guid=a82d1156-fc6d-4718-bc29-1eeb3f24aad9&langId=3&CatId=8&postname=The%20Three%20Youths%20of%20the%20Taiten-Epoch-Making%20Art%20in%20Colonial%20Taiwan (viewed on 2024.1.22)
Tsai, Wen-Ting. “Lin Yu-Shan Old Master of Ink Wash.” Trans. Jonathan Barnard. Taiwan Panorama. https://www.taiwan-panorama.com/en/Articles/Details?Guid=9befe9c9-ed30-42d8-978a-d59d96d46e81&langId=3&CatId=8&postname=Lin%20Yu-shan%20Old%20Master%20of%20Ink%20Wash (viewed on 2024.1.22)