臺南美術史

Kuwano Ryokiti, Wharf, 1930, the 4th Taiten
Source: Catalogue of the 4th Taiten

Wharf by Kuwano Ryokiti (years of birth and death unknown) was selected into the 4th Taiten (Taiwan Art Exhibition) in 1930. The work depicts the blind section of the Tainan Canal (the area around today’s Huanhe Road). In the image, a line of vertical masts standing orderly and extending into the background creates a sense of depth through linear perspective. Meanwhile, the triangular composition also highlights a sense of three-dimensionality. In the background was the Tainan Second Factory of the Great Japan Ice Co., Ltd (大日本製冰株式會社), which indicates the progressive modernization in Taiwan at the time, making the modern landscape the subject of the painting. This work shares an almost identical composition and view with Morning by Ko Kin-Kan (Kao Chun-Chien), and were featured in the same iteration of the Taiten, which was rather intriguing.

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.
Liu, Chi-Yu. Wharf. Missing Pieces – Taifuten Historical Archives. https://taifuten.com/oblect/碼頭/ (viewed on 2024.1.22)