The second of the National Palace Museum’s special exhibitions opening this week is the Stunning Decorative Porcelains from the Chienlung Reign (華麗彩瓷:乾隆洋彩特展), which as you might expect from ceramics devised especially for the admiration of one of the Qing Dynasty’s (1644-1911) most powerful and artistically sophisticated emperors, absolutely overwhelms with its artistry and ornateness. Compared to the Masterpieces of Chin and Tang Dynasty Calligraphy, this is a much larger exhibition (over 100 pieces), and with its breakdown displays of the complex methods by which these ceramics where assembled and painted, much more accessible.
The ceramics presented in this exhibition, most of which were made between 1741 and 1744, represent two styles of vase painting that were developed in the mid 18th century. One aspect of the exhibition deals with the subtle differences that distinguish the fa-lang-tsai (琺瑯彩) style and the yang-tsai (洋彩) style. Unless you intend to spend serious time in Gallery 306, this aspect of the exhibition is probably best left to the specialists. Both styles favor intricate brocade decorative designs applied through multiple layers of glazes, the yang-tsai, at its simplest, being distinguished by the use of some Western painting techniques, such as the use of shading to create a fuller and more three-dimensional image.
The intricacy of the enamel work can be matched in a number of instances by the complex structure of a number of the vases. The technical complexity of creating vases in which a painted inner vase is able to rotate within a fretwork outer vase is evident even to the casual observer. The displays and diagrams showing how these complex works were assembled are fascinating, and give a clear indication of how hard the craftsman at the imperial kilns of Jingdezhen (景德鎮) pushed themselves to impress their notoriously discriminating emperor.
While the incredible ornateness of these works may not be to everyone’s taste, they are indisputably “stunning,” as the title of the exhibition suggests. The only criticism is that given the intricacy of the enamel work, it is difficult to make out some of the detail looking at the objects behind glass. Many of the items were clearly intended to be handled lovingly by connoisseurs and to be admired in a manner more intimate than is possible in a museum gallery. Blown up displays of design elements do help viewers appreciate some of the workmanship, but time and again you simply want to reach out and hold some of the pieces close up.
In late October of 1873 the government of Japan decided against sending a military expedition to Korea to force that nation to open trade relations. Across the government supporters of the expedition resigned immediately. The spectacle of revolt by disaffected samurai began to loom over Japanese politics. In January of 1874 disaffected samurai attacked a senior minister in Tokyo. A month later, a group of pro-Korea expedition and anti-foreign elements from Saga prefecture in Kyushu revolted, driven in part by high food prices stemming from poor harvests. Their leader, according to Edward Drea’s classic Japan’s Imperial Army, was a samurai
Located down a sideroad in old Wanhua District (萬華區), Waley Art (水谷藝術) has an established reputation for curating some of the more provocative indie art exhibitions in Taipei. And this month is no exception. Beyond the innocuous facade of a shophouse, the full three stories of the gallery space (including the basement) have been taken over by photographs, installation videos and abstract images courtesy of two creatives who hail from the opposite ends of the earth, Taiwan’s Hsu Yi-ting (許懿婷) and Germany’s Benjamin Janzen. “In 2019, I had an art residency in Europe,” Hsu says. “I met Benjamin in the lobby
April 22 to April 28 The true identity of the mastermind behind the Demon Gang (魔鬼黨) was undoubtedly on the minds of countless schoolchildren in late 1958. In the days leading up to the big reveal, more than 10,000 guesses were sent to Ta Hwa Publishing Co (大華文化社) for a chance to win prizes. The smash success of the comic series Great Battle Against the Demon Gang (大戰魔鬼黨) came as a surprise to author Yeh Hung-chia (葉宏甲), who had long given up on his dream after being jailed for 10 months in 1947 over political cartoons. Protagonist
Peter Brighton was amazed when he found the giant jackfruit. He had been watching it grow on his farm in far north Queensland, and when it came time to pick it from the tree, it was so heavy it needed two people to do the job. “I was surprised when we cut it off and felt how heavy it was,” he says. “I grabbed it and my wife cut it — couldn’t do it by myself, it took two of us.” Weighing in at 45 kilograms, it is the heaviest jackfruit that Brighton has ever grown on his tropical fruit farm, located