A Chinese brush painting (
It sounds complicated, yet for many Chinese, painting can be considered a form of meditation or a relaxing hobby. For others, it's a means to learn about Chinese arts and culture.
PHOTO: DIANA FREUNDL, TAIPEI TIMES
There are numerous schools offering art classes in Taipei and understandably most are in Chinese. Brush artist and instructor Lin Hong-jia (
Lin's daughter Jessica Lin (
Clearly, understanding Chinese is not a prerequisite for taking an art class.
"Because so much of the class is visual, a lot can be learned by just following along. As you study the technique, you can also study the
language," the elder Lin said. In addition to his Tianmu location, he has been offering Chinese and Western oil painting classes for more than 30 years at his gallery in Zhongxiao East Road area.
Lin said that many of the students have little, if any, background in painting. "We teach people of all ages, mothers, their children, even businessmen. It doesn't matter how old someone is when they start."
"Some of best students are those with no previous training. The most important thing is to relax and enjoy the class," he said.
Those too shy to partake in group classes can arrange for private lessons through various art schools or with instructor and graduate students in university departments.
An average class-size is between two to 10 students and is priced at NT$5,800 for 24 hours (12 two-hour classes).
Lin's prices are comparable to others around town. Classes are ongoing and those interested can either call to register or stop by the gallery. Many studios offer instruction in Chinese only.
Class Information:
Classes in English and Chinese
Tianmu: Yi-Jhan Gallery
Community Services Center :
25, Ln 29, Zhongshan N Rd, Sec 6, Taipei
Classes in Chinese only
Zhongxiao: Yi-Jhan Gallery Fl 2, 7 Zhongxiao E Rd, Sec 6, Taipei
Tel: (02) 2786 5858.
Yonghe: Hippopotamus Art Studio (next to Fuhsing Mei Gung Art College) 191, Xiangliang Rd, Sec.1, Yonghe
Tel: (02) 2233 1718.
Private or small group classes with Chinese brush artist
Peng Kang-long
Tel: (0911) 831 212.
Sept.16 to Sept. 22 The “anti-communist train” with then-president Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) face plastered on the engine puffed along the “sugar railway” (糖業鐵路) in May 1955, drawing enthusiastic crowds at 103 stops covering nearly 1,200km. An estimated 1.58 million spectators were treated to propaganda films, plays and received free sugar products. By this time, the state-run Taiwan Sugar Corporation (台糖, Taisugar) had managed to connect the previously separate east-west lines established by Japanese-era sugar factories, allowing the anti-communist train to travel easily from Taichung to Pingtung’s Donggang Township (東港). Last Sunday’s feature (Taiwan in Time: The sugar express) covered the inauguration of the
The corruption cases surrounding former Taipei Mayor and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) head Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) are just one item in the endless cycle of noise and fuss obscuring Taiwan’s deep and urgent structural and social problems. Even the case itself, as James Baron observed in an excellent piece at the Diplomat last week, is only one manifestation of the greater problem of deep-rooted corruption in land development. Last week the government announced a program to permit 25,000 foreign university students, primarily from the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, to work in Taiwan after graduation for 2-4 years. That number is a
This year’s Michelin Gourmand Bib sported 16 new entries in the 126-strong Taiwan directory. The fight for the best braised pork rice and the crispiest scallion pancake painstakingly continued, but what stood out in the lineup this year? Pang Taqueria (胖塔可利亞); Taiwan’s first Michelin-recommended Mexican restaurant. Chef Charles Chen (陳治宇) is a self-confessed Americophile, earning his chef whites at a fine-dining Latin-American fusion restaurant. But what makes this Xinyi (信義) spot stand head and shoulders above Taipei’s existing Mexican offerings? The authenticity. The produce. The care. AUTHENTIC EATS In my time on the island, I have caved too many times to
In a stark demonstration of how award-winning breakthroughs can come from the most unlikely directions, researchers have won an Ig Nobel prize for discovering that mammals can breathe through their anuses. After a series of tests on mice, rats and pigs, Japanese scientists found the animals absorb oxygen delivered through the rectum, work that underpins a clinical trial to see whether the procedure can treat respiratory failure. The team is among 10 recognized in this year’s Ig Nobel awards (see below for more), the irreverent accolades given for achievements that “first make people laugh, and then make them think.” They are not