臺南美術史

Ko Kin-Kan (Kao Chun-Chien), The Tainan Canal in the Morning, 1929, from the 3

This work by Ko Kin-Kan (Kao Chun-Chien; 1909-1923) was selected into the 3rd Taiten (Taiwan Art Exhibition) in 1929. The artist was a student at the Tainan Normal School (臺南師範學校), where he was taught by his art teacher Yamamoto Isoichi (山本磯一, 1896-1962) and mostly painted watercolor. Based on the junks (戎克船) in the foreground, the painting probably portrays a view of the Anping Canal (安平運河), and the building in the background might be the Tainan Second Factory of the Great Japan Ice Co., Ltd (大日本製冰株式會社). The image comprises a clearly divided foreground and background. The junks as the subject produce a sense of three-dimensionality of the entire painting, whereas the sense of space is reinforced by the lines of the Anping Canal. Meanwhile, the masts of the boats exert an effect of stabilizing the composition. When mentioning this painting, Taiwan Nichi Nichi Shinpo (Taiwan Daily News) stated that “the canal refines the overall structure of the painting,” praising the balanced composition by the artist. Furthermore, there are people moving on the junks as well, adding a vibrant visual effect to the image.

References:
Liu, Chi-Yu. “The Tainan Canal in the Morning.” Missing Pieces – Taifuten Historical Archives. https://taifuten.com/oblect/朝之臺南運河/#squelch-taas-toggle-shortcode-content-2 (viewed on 2023.11.11)
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.