臺南美術史

Takahashi Kiyoshi, Lebbek, 1929. Catalogue of the 2nd Taiten (Taiwan Art Exhibition), Taipei: Educational Fund Corporation, 1929.

This painting by Takahashi Kiyoshi (years of birth and death unknown) was selected into the 3rd Taiten (Taiwan Art Exhibition) in 1929. According to the Taiwan Nichi Nichi Shinpo (Taiwan Daily News) in 1927, Takahashi was the director of the Tainan Branch of Taiwan Warehouse Co., Ltd. (臺灣倉庫會社), and a member of the “Nankosha” (南光會, literally “Southern Light Society”) formed by Japanese Western painters. His works had been selected from the 1st to the 4th Taiten. This work depicts a scene of the Taisho Park (now Tang Te-Chang Memorial Park). The dense foliage divides the image into the upper and lower parts. In the lower part, the artist portrays the park’s recreational area for local residents, and the upper part is mostly covered by tree leaves. We can also see natural light shining through the leaves, forming the shadow on the ground. The scene is portrayed with an interplay of light and shadow, along with short, brisk brushstrokes, bringing to mind the style of “plein-air painting.” The overall image is orderly, with the tree trunks all leaning towards the same direction, producing a sense of depth with the arrangement of rows of trees. The title Lebbek (ビルマネム) refers to Albizia lebbeck Benth, a subtropical tree species, which shows “a scenery of the southern country.”

References:
“The First Step of Depicting the Island’s Sunset. Members of Nankosha in Tainan.” Taiwan Nichi Nichi Shinpo (Taiwan Daily News), 1927.09.26 (page 3).
Liu, Chi-Yu. “Lebbek.” Missing Pieces – Taifuten Historical Archives. https://taifuten.com/oblect/緬甸合歡樹/#squelch-taas-toggle-shortcode-content-2 (viewed on 2023.9.27).