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Celebrating a classical life

By Ian Bartholomew
STAFF REPORTER
Sunday, Jun 22, 2003, Page 19

Long Life, 1974, by Lee Da-mu, in the exhibition Paintings, Calligraphy and Seal Carving, at the National Museum of History. PHOTO COURTESY OF NATIONAL MUSEUM OF HISTORY

his weekend an exhibition that looks at the works of the painter and seal carver Lee Da-mu (李大木) opens at the National Museum of History.

Lee was not an artistic luminary such as Chi Pai-shi (齊白石), whose style he was greatly influenced by, but probably deserves to be regarded as a good minor artist. The exhibition, which is a memorial to the artist, who died last year aged 77, is one of those low profile events that distinguish artistic life in Taipei.

Although not a major artist, Lee was highly regarded as a seal carver in the chuan or seal style script, and a large number of seals carved by him are on display and form a significant part of the show, which spans the whole of his working life.

Seal carving is not one of the more easily accessible arts, but the number of specimens on show does help give even a novice some idea of what this somewhat esoteric art form is all about. More importantly, the comprehensiveness of the exhibition, which includes, painting and calligraphy, also shows the relationship between these arts in the work of a single artist.

Lee Da-mu's calligraphy in seal script. PHOTO COURTESY OF NATIONAL MUSEUM OF HISTORY

Paintings, Calligraphy and Seal Carving by Lee Da-mu is primarily an overview of a man who lived life in the modern world, but was still intimately linked with the ancient tradition of the Chinese literati. His lack of fame may partly be due to his conservatism, and while he was not unaffected by the revolutions in Chinese art that took place through the 20th century, his work shows no violent departure from convention.

His artistic shift was the decision to break away from the overpowering influence of Chi Pai-shi, which is expressed in a work titled Crabs in Ink (墨蝦), which includes a long foreword.

Much of this is art as an expression of personality -- as much Chinese literati art has long been -- but Lee's exhibition has an intimacy that is shorn of any hype. While the carvings might only delay casual viewers for a few moments, despite being artistically the valuable part of the show, the paintings, with their bold, sculptural strokes and intricate detail are worthwhile.

Works such as Morning Glory in Ink (墨筆牽牛花), from 1966, show an artist totally at home with the balance between abstraction and the traditions of literati painting. A painting such as Long Life (長年), from 1974, has plenty of humor and a subtle contrast of sculptural textures in the inscription, in addition to the plastic softness of the ink wash image of the catfish.

While one might not be familiar with all the subtle expressions of Chinese literati life, the personality that is expressed through the calligraphy and the paintings is strong enough to transcend cultural boundaries. So, even though this is a small exhibition of a relatively minor artist, it is a surprisingly rich offering by the National Museum of History.

What: A Memorial Exhibition: Paintings, Calligraphy and Seal Carving by Lee Da-mu

Where: The National Museum of History

When: Until July 20
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