Featuring over 100 works of painter and calligrapher Wu Yu-tse's (吳幼之) dating from 1956 through 2001, the National Museum of History's Traditional and Contemporary: A Commemorative Exhibition of Wu Yu-tse (傳統與現代 吳幼之紀念展) offers viewers an extensive and kaleidoscopic glimpse into the popular artist's many worlds.
A student of time-honored classical Chinese art forms and styles, Wu built up a reputation in his formative years as a master calligrapher.
Deviating from the strict codes that govern the creation of traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy late in life, Wu set out to invent his own colorful world, relying on his classical training in order to create a smorgasbord of contemporary artwork.
Stressing "three stages of interpreting paintings," Wu's artwork takes into consideration the inner world, the abstract world and the natural world. Each piece exudes its own individualism in which the artist's constant search for the perfect blend of the old and the new is never far beneath the surface.
At first glance many of the artist's works such his 1995 Dazzling Spring Scene (春光耀彩) might appear to be little more than classical styled works. Closer inspection however, reveals Wu's talent for filling his works with non-traditional brush strokes, albeit ones that look remarkably like those of traditionalists.
Even when Wu employs the age-old medium of ink, as in his 1990 Summers Day Feeling (夏日情懷), he manages to transform the traditional into the contemporary with the simple miss-stroke of the brush and the misshaping of a tree.
Not all of Wu's works are closely based on tradition, however. One of these, 1997's Taipei Nights (台北之夜), sees Wu veering as far is possible away from standard Chinese art and instead creating an abstract collage of color.
Purists might be left aghast at the manner in which Wu alters and toys with tradition in some works, but there are still plenty of works in which they can find solace. Curators of the comprehensive retrospective exhibition have also honored Wu's free-flowing writing skills and have chosen to include several of Wu's calligraphic works in the exhibition.
While incorporating Wu's ink works, engravings, calligraphy, oil paintings and sketches, the exhibition is more than just an art display. The inclusion of newspaper cuttings, magazine cuttings and photographs means that viewers not only get to see Wu's artwork, but also gain some understanding of the artist and his life.
What: Traditional and Contemporary: A Commemorative Exhibition of Wu Yu-tse (傳統與現代 吳幼之紀念展)
Where: National Museum of History (國立歷史博物館), 49 Nanhai Rd., Taipei (台北市南海路49號)
When: Until Feb. 23
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