Under Construction

Under Construction

Under Construction

Under Construction

Under Construction

Under Construction

Under Construction

Under Construction

In 1987, Taiwan's post-WWII martial law, which lasted 36 years, was lifted. It was during this time that a new generation of artists began breaking the mold. Art, which in the past was seen as only a medium to reveal nature's beauty, became a form of self-expression and protest against inequality and injustice. Numerous pieces of art that criticized society and politics were created in this period. The development of critique-focused artwork is Taiwanese contemporary art's most defining feature as well as its greatest achievement. Topics in these political critiques included the baffling events in parliamentary politics, reflections on cross-strait relations, examinations of policies directed at Taiwanese indigenous groups, and even reevaluations of Taiwan’s narrative of history. The scope of societal critiques was even larger. Artists criticized society’s worship of extravagance and expressed a wariness toward excessive lust as well as sympathy and support for disadvantaged groups, for example, women, laborers, farmers, veterans, and indigenous peoples.

Along the rise of the video game era, Taiwanese art entered a new age, this time, toward flatness and cartoon designs. The standards and rules for the elements emphasized in traditional art, such as texture, volume, composition, and perspective, were completely done away with. Young people could use very creative and lighthearted styles to express their every thought and emotion. These flatter and more popular styles of expressions not only satisfy the creative needs of the new generation of artists but also cater to the tastes and preferences of the new generation’s audience. However, artworks with flat or cartoony styles do not necessarily lack deep themes. They can have a simple form while having serious content; thus, the blanket statement that the new generation only cares for shallow entertainment, that they are the “Strawberry Generation,” is not accurate.

The import of ink paintings and calligraphy into Taiwan can be traced back to the 17th century, during the Kingdom of Tungning. Across a span of two hundred to three hundred years, these artworks flowed into Taiwan with the number of imports reaching its peak under the rule of Qing Emperor Jiaqing. Among collectors, these works of art from the Ming and Qing periods are referred to as “Taiwan Wenxian.” Most of Taiwan’s Ming and Qing paintings originate from Fujian, Zhejiang or other areas on the southeastern coast of China. They are painted in the style of early Ming court paintings which are characterized by their free-flowing and bold brushstrokes. When the Ming imperial court was relocated north, aesthetic tastes shifted as well. Court artists disapproved of the “heavy and muddy” paintings of the southern art world. They called these styles Zhe School or Min Habit and saw them as heresy. Viewed today, however, Taiwan’s Zhe School and Min Habit style paintings aptly reflect the pioneering spirit of the Han Taiwanese people. Characterized by their vigor and unrestrained by orthodoxy, these artworks evoke the “wild spirit” unique to Taiwanese aesthetics and style.

After China’s defeat by the Japanese in the First Sino-Japanese War, it was forced to cede Taiwan to Japan in 1895. This began the period of Japanese rule in Taiwanese history. The Japanese colonial government that ruled Taiwan carried on the momentum from the Meiji Restoration. Learning from the West was the all-encompassing principle of governance. In the world of art, traditional painting, which focused on learning from and imitating other artworks, began to be replaced by sketch painting. This new focus not only became the teaching standard for painting classes in the new educational system, but also the standard for selection in the state-run Taiwanese Art Exhibition that began in 1927. In each of the exhibition speeches made by senior officials, encouragement of the Taiwanese to work hard and display their “local characteristics” were repeatedly emphasized. These characteristics referred to “Tropical Southern Colors,” that is, the relatively heavier colors of the tropical regions, which became important elements of the Taiwanese New Art Movement during Japanese rule. According to postcolonial theory after WWII, however, this new focus in art inevitably succumbed to the prejudice of Western colonialism, which equated white colors with advancement and colorfulness with backwardness.

Landscape paintings were the staple of Taiwan’s New Art Movement in the period of Japanese rule. Artworks created by painters using sketching techniques reintroduced the land of Taiwan and brought a sense of Taiwanese cultural identity, especially after the great developments that were made in Taiwanese landscape sketching in this period. This movement was the past generation of painters’ sacred mission and duty. These Taiwanese artists had various areas of focus. Based on their themes, their landscape paintings could be roughly split into six categories: 1. The Waters and Vapors of Taiwan, 2. The Sunny South, 3. The Colors of the Islands, 4. The Cultural Scenery, 5. The Radiance of Ink and Color, and 6. The Beauty of the Countryside. Taiwan is a land of both beauty and vitality. Its landscape reflects the inner states of Taiwanese artists and Japanese artists residing within the island and is also a major topic in the study of Taiwanese art.