Ju Ming reveals he's a painter too

Ju Ming's bronze statues have a message for society. PHOTO COURTESY OF JUMING MUSEUM

Ju Ming (朱銘) is well known for his sculptures, created in bronze, clay and wood, but some people may have overlooked the fact that he is a painter too.

From the beginning of this month, the Juming Museum is presenting many of Ju's newest works in the Living World Series-Monk exhibition. It offers a rare opportunity for the public to take a peek at the mind of this grand master of art.

Ju sketches monks by using charcoal pencil or ink, occasionally coloring them lightly, and applies his technique in collage works to put a different twist on traditional ink paintings.

Ju also adopts the collage technique, working with yellow and orange crepe paper to create a simple elegance with geometrical shapes. By combining different art mediums and using Chinese and Western techniques, Ju's New Ink Painting was born.

"Art is cultivation and without cultivation, the flowers from the hearts can never blossom," Ju answered when asked about the source of his vitality. What Ju means is that cultivation does not refer to some abstruse Buddhist philosophy, but daily comprehension of hows and whys and taking the effort to carry it out.

Born in 1938 in a small Miaoli County town, Ju gained international fame and then dedicated 12 years of his life to build Juming Museum, by investing almost all of his money in 11 hectares of land in Chinsan (金山), Taipei County. In 1999 this legendary gallery was founded. The museum "is home to an integral collection of Ju's work throughout his career," said Calvin Ju (朱原利), director of Juming Museum.

At 15, Ju was trained for three years in traditional temple wood-carving. In 1968, he was under renowned sculptor and modernist Yuyu Yang's (楊英風) guidance. The experience helped Ju to cross over to the world of modern art from the a folk art approach. Yang is said to have taught Ju never to follow or imitate other artistic styles.

In 1976, Ju's "raw yet refined treatment," as Calvin Ju describes it, of his wood sculptures won him great fame after an exhibition held at the National Museum of History in Taipei.

According to Lai Shen-chon (賴賢宗), Chinese Language and Literature professor of the National Taipei University, Ju's artistic creations can be divided into three stages: First, his "Nativist Series" is represented by his well-loved sculptures of water buffalos and historical figures such as Guan Gong (關公) and Confucius. Second, the abstract "Taichi Series" conveys the spirit and power of martial arts.

Third, his favorite "Living World Series" explores the many facets of modern life, including his recent inclusion of over 300 bronze statues of war heroes.

"Monk" is the newest art form added to the Living World Series and touches upon self-cultivation. It is, perhaps, the artist's intention to pose the timely question of inner peace, at a time when society is deeply divided.