臺南美術史

Jyo Seiren, The View of a Spring Night, 1928, the 2nd Taiten
Source: The catalogue of the 2nd Taiten

The View of a Spring Night by Jyo Seiren (1910-1960) was selected into Toyoga (Japanese-style painting) Division of the 2nd Taiten (Taiwan Art Exhibition) in 1928. On the decorated archway on the right, it was stated “Lantern Competition.” So, the painting is presumably a depiction of the Lantern Festival. The main subject of the image is the Chaotian Temple (朝天宮) in Chiayi. In the foreground, the crowd and the dragon dance parade extend the sight line to the recess on the right, increasing the depth of the image. Above the temple are three areas rendered in a radiating manner, which might be lights or fireworks. The lights and lanterns around the temple are also portrayed in the techniques of ink rendering, highlighting the contrast between the festive mood and the shadow cast by the lights. The overall image shows the style of traditional ink and fine brush painting, characterized by neat and well-executed lines. It was recorded in the Taiwan Nichi Nichi Shinpo (Taiwan Daily News) of 1927 that “a religious pilgrimage throughout the urban and rural areas is held annually on the Lantern Festival in Chiayi Street…a tradition starting from the late Qing period and now a routine practice.” So, it can be inferred that the pilgrimage was held in Chiayi on Lantern Festival every year. In 1929, Jyo joined the Chun-Meng Painting Society (春萌畫會). He was also a member of other art groups, including Crow Society (鴉社書畫會) and Mokuyokai (墨洋會). In short, Jyo was an active toyoga painter in the Tainan Prefecture (now Chiayi region).

References
“Introduction to Jyo Seiren.” Missing Pieces: Taifuten Historical Archives. https://taifuten.com/artist/徐清蓮/ (Viewed on 2023.8.16).
Chang, Che-Wei. “Selected for the Taiten (Spring Night), Jyo Seiren.” Missing Pieces: Taifuten Historical Archives. http://taifuten.com/oblect/臺展入選（春宵）徐清蓮氏/ (Viewed on 2023.8.16).