Eslite Gallery (誠品畫廊) is currently holding a retrospective exhibition on the work of Yeh Tzu-chi (葉子奇), titled Dialogue — Monologue (對話‧獨白). Divided into four themes — landscape, still life, home-sickness and life records — the 30 paintings from 1980 up to the present offers a thorough introduction to the work and themes of one of Taiwan’s foremost artists.
Yeh’s paintings are highly personal statements of his travels at home and abroad and, in the case of his recent work, depict the vastness and lushness of Taiwan’s natural scenery, particularly the mountain and seascapes of Hualien, which the artist calls home. In other works, particularly his paintings of fish, Christian religious symbolism is apparent, though in a subtle manner.
Yeh’s landscape and still-life works share many characteristics with portrait painting. As the gallery accurately points out, “they emphasize contrasts in lighting and atmosphere between background and foreground, which accents the development of space.” His technical facility with the brush allows him to reveal precise changes in tone and hue to express a unified sense of light, and employs a minimalist composition and subtle arrangement, creating a tranquility that calms the viewer. Under Yeh’s brush, a dialogue gently unfolds between the paintings and the viewer.
Photo courtesy of Eslite Gallery
■ Eslite Gallery (誠品畫廊), 5F, 11 Songgao Rd, Taipei City (台北市松高路11號5樓), tel: (02) 8789-3388 X1588. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 7pm
■ Until June 30
Photo courtesy of Eslite Gallery
Photo courtesy of Eslite Gallery
Photo courtesy of Eslite Gallery
Photo courtesy of Eslite Gallery
Photo courtesy of Eslite Gallery
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