臺南美術史

Chyo Gayu (Chao Ya-You), Red Gate, 1929. Catalogue of the 3rd Taiten (Taiwan Art Exhibition), 1929.

Chyo Gayu (Chao Ya-You; 1900-1974) was born in a well-known family of Han learning in Tainan, and was active in variou poetry socieities, including the “South Society” (南社), the “Tung Lu Poetry Society” (桐侶吟社), and the “Yi-Cheng Society” (以成社). He was also a close friend to Wu Chou-Liu (吳濁流) and Cheng Hsiang-Pu (鄭香圃), and had developed an interest in painting at an early age. In 1927, he co-founded the “Green Banyan Society” (綠榕會) with Kou Kaiju (Chiang Hai-Shu; 江海樹) and Chen Tu-Nan (陳圖南). They also invited Chen Cheng-Po (陳澄波) and Liao Chi-Chun (廖繼春) to be the consultants of the society. From 1952 to 1956, he had briefly joined the “Tainan Art Research Association” (臺南美術研究會). After the war, he taught at Tainan Commercial Vocational School, and was known as a learned person for his achievement in literature and painting. Red Gate (1929) was selected into the 3rd Taiten (Taiwan Art Exhibition), which depicts the “West Ta Cheng Arch” at the Confucius Temple. Making use of the clear difference of height of walls, the artist precisely highlighted the uniqueness of the gate from a side angle. The ladder-like wall descending toward the foreground is presumably an exaggerated expression for decorative purposes. Regarding the history between the Confucius Temple and the Chyo family, the artist’s father, Chao Chung-Chi (趙鍾麒), founded the “Yi-Cheng Society” with the objective of bringing back the court music of the Tainan Confucius Temple, and the artist served as the director of the society. Chyo was also the author of the article, “Research on the Sacred Temple.” His deeply rooted feelings about the research on the Confucius Temple are vividly shown in this painting.

Reference:
Lin, Yen. “[Missing Pieces] Poetry is Formless Painting, and Painting is Poetry in Form—The Talented Poet-Painter Chyo Gayu.” https://taifuten.com/story/%E3%80%90%E5%90%8D%E5%96%AE%E4%B9%8B%E5%BE%8C%E3%80%91%E8%A9%A9%E6%98%AF%E7%84%A1%E5%BD%A2%E7%95%AB%EF%BC%8C%E7%95%AB%E6%98%AF%E6%9C%89%E5%BD%A2%E8%A9%A9%E2%94%80%E2%94%80%E9%9B%99%E6%A3%B2%E6%89%8D/ (viewed on 2023.10.5)

Chyo Gayu (Chao Ya-You)
Chyo Gayu (Chao Ya-You; 1900-1974) was born in Tainan. His father, Chao Chung-Chi (趙鍾麒), was the president of the poetry society Nan Poetry Society (南社) and “Yi-Cheng Society” (以成社) associated with the Confucius Temple. Because of his family’s influence, Chyo excelled at both poetry and calligraphy. He had participated in traditional activities of poetry societies, but personally preferred Western-style painting more. He was twice selected for the Western-style Painting Division of the Taiten for his works delineating the Confucious Temple and landscape. He had a unique approach to depicting architectural forms. In his Red Gate (紅門), which was selected for the 3rd Taiten, he placed the Confucius Temple at the highest point. Sitting north and facing south, the Confucius Temple was located at the foot of Eagle Hill (鷲嶺) during the period of Qing dynasty. Although the terrain of this area had grown increasingly flat after the Japanese rule, signs of a rolling terrain still remain. The painter delineated and represented what he saw through his work, fully demonstrating his understanding of the temple’s architecture and terrain. After graduating from the Taihoku Normal School (now the National Taipei University of Education) in 1920, he began teaching at Kaohsiung’s Jioucheng Public School (舊城公學校, later renamed the Zuoying First Public School, and now the Jioucheng Elementary School), and moved back to Tainan in 1923, where he served as the student affairs supervisor first at the Tainan Second Public School (now Liren Elementary School) and then the Third Public School (now the Jinsyue Elementary School). In 1927, Chyo founded the “Green Banyan Society” (綠榕會) with Kou Kaiju (Chiang Hai-Shu; 江海樹) and Chen Tu-Nan (陳圖南). After WWII, he became a teacher at the modern-day Tainan Commercial School (臺南高商), and in 1952, became a founding member of “Tainan Fine Arts Association” (臺南美術研究會), which he left in 1956. No record shows that he had ever participated in the Exhibition of the Tainan Fine Arts Association (南美展).

Reference
1. Lin, Yen. “Poetry is Formless Painting, and Painting is Poetry in Form—The Talented Poet-Painter Chyo Gayu.” ” https://taifuten.com/story/【名單之後】詩是無形畫，畫是有形詩──雙棲才/ (viewed on 2024.3.29)
2. Huang, Tung-Fu. “Tainan Art Museum’s Final Research Report of Tainan-based Artists (Incl. Taiwanese and Japanese) in Government-sponsored Art Exhibition during the Period of Japanese Rule.” Unpublished, 2019.