The island of Taiwan has experienced orogenic movements, resulting in its mountainous topography. Added to that are the surrounding sea and coastal erosion, which has led to a wealth of landforms. Most precious of all is the closeness between humans and nature on this land known as Taiwan. People can easily enjoy forests and the sea without having to endure long hours of travel.

Artists living on this island have been deeply touched and inspired by their surroundings. They have traveled and painted from life, fully immersing themselves in sensory experiences of Nature’s diversity and translating landscapes on canvas with their distinctive brushwork. This unit, Natural Landscapes, showcases a selection of iconic scenic spots in Taiwan, including the island’s highest mountain, Yushan (Mt. Jade), Alishan, Taitung’s Zhiben, Taroko, Jiufen, and Yehliu, creating a journey through vast natural landscapes. 

As the sun rises in the east, its cascading light bathes the earth in many colors. Hwang Chao-mo often painted from life when traveling, especially landscapes. Upon seeing such a beautiful sunrise, the artist was deeply inspired, and seized the opportunity to capture his subjective emotions.

At first glance, the painting consists of four blocks of vibrant colors and portrays the sky, two mountains, and a plains forest, each revealing strong momentum and the direction of sunlight. The quasi-abstract expression allows the viewer to freely interpret and savor the work. A closer look reveals subtle and interconnecting lines that delineate the rolling mountain ranges and lush forest. A river zigzags through the forest, like an earthbound Milky Way, brightening up the work. 

Lee Mei-shu dedicated his life to Realism. Although he is primarily known for his portraits, the few landscapes he completed reveal his exquisite brushwork. He divided this image roughly into left and right parts. The cliff is bright on one side and dark on the other. Based on this, the angle of light can be inferred, with a vivid distinction between foreground and background, showcasing Lee’s unique perspective shaped by his frequent reference to photography works. 

The intense contrast between bright and dark highlights the steep cliffs, and the ink renders the rocky cliff visually heavy. In this work, the rugged cliffs and winding terrain of the gorge are unreservedly expressed, evoking a sense of awe for Mother Nature in the viewer’s mind.

The sea of clouds effect appears as an enchanting blend of pure white and dreamy pink. The sun casts its rays on the horizon, creating an iridescent, captivating sight. Liao Chi-chun expertly captured this on canvas using oil paint, preserving its beauty for eternity.

Liao won the special jury award at the 1st Taiwan Fine Arts Exhibition (Taiten) and was the third Taiwanese artist selected for the Imperial Art Exhibition (Teiten). He was respected in Taiwanese art circles during the period of Japanese rule. After WWII, he continued to exert his influence as an art educator and artist. An iconic Fauvist artist in Taiwan, Liao was known for his use of vibrant colors and complementary hues. Pink, orange, yellow, green, blue, and other colors convey a vibrantly pleasant and poetic feeling. In terms of composition, the sea of clouds and the sky take up almost two-thirds of the canvas. A row of bushes and houses at the bottom are adorned with a decorative pattern, making them as colorful as the clouds. Instead of representing reality, he focused on artistic expression in this work.

Fourteen paintings of various sizes can be viewed separately. One depicts a snow-covered mountain peak and another lush green land. When put together, they reveal the sublime Yushan, also known as Mt. Jade, the highest mountain in Taiwan. The integration of multiple sections into one painting is a characteristic approach of this artist, making this a highly iconic work. Moreover, the snow adds a sense of solemnity to this sacred mountain. 

A well-trained ink wash painter, Ma Pai-sui was born in northeastern China, but lived and taught in Taiwan for 27 years. In his free time, he traveled all over the island to draw and paint. The landscapes created by this artist throughout his lifetime form an almost complete image of Taiwan. The segmentation technique is from the polyptych format of ink wash painting, often used for painting screens and depicting expansive landscapes. Furthermore, this division creates the illusion of viewing this mountain from a window, demonstrating the use of the Western watercolor focal point to imitate real perspective. 

Due to the natural effects of erosion and weathering, Yehliu’s coast is dotted with peculiarly shaped rock formations, resulting in a unique landscape in Taiwan. Chen Hui-kun delineates the rocks with curved lines that also guide the flowing water. The distance and interplay of light and shadow between the rocks and water reveal a sense of space, demonstrating Chen’s style, which was influenced by Cubism after WWII. Moreover, there are almost no obvious sharp edges, giving the overall image a smooth and fluid quality, while rendering the expansive seaside even livelier and freer. In terms of color, warmer yellowish-brown tones were used for the rocks and cooler blue, green, and purple tones for the sea and sky. However, the artist added a hint of white and pink to the latter, softening the color contrast and demonstrating his mastery of color. 

Yang San-lang’s pursuit of Taiwan’s natural scenery was a lifelong obsession and passion. According to his wife, he often set out at three or four in the morning, even in his eighties, just to witness the moment when the earth transitioned from dark to light. He observed the interplay of endlessly changing light and shadow before sketching, recording the feelings evoked by the scenery. 

This visually saturated oil painting reveals a rich and layered palette, and the brushstrokes embody a sense of unrestrained freedom, conveying the romantic side of Jiufen. The pink clouds and green mountains are the main visual components in this work, whereas a row of low houses on the mountain slope highlights the characteristic topography of Jiufen as a mountain town. The white-capped waves striking the reef rocks add a touch of vitality to this landscape.