The Land God is old and his vision is dimming. Perhaps he needs some “eye candy” in the form of busty women. Bare-breasted fairies can be seen in many of the murals of the Futeh Temple in a neighborhood of Hsinpu Township in Hsinchu County where there are many rice noodle shops.
Among them, there is a picture of the legendary pious woman who suckled her toothless mother-in-law, shown with both breasts completely exposed. The murals have provoked differing reactions from residents of the conservative Hakka town. Cultural historian Huang Yu-fu complains that the illustrations go against tradition, but painter Liao Fu-chin argues that they are his artistic creations.
Huang complains that Liao’s paintings have taken on a bold style in recent years, and he has altered images of fairies in three of Hsinpu’s temples, including the Futeh temple in the rice noodle district, away from their original dignified and elegant appearance. Huang says he is rather embarrassed when showing tourists around. He adds jokingly that having this kind of “eye candy” on show might cause quarrels between the Land God and his wife.
In fact Liao has painted murals for several temples in Taoyuan and Hsinchu counties over the past few years. His controversial works can be seen in the Kuangho Temple in central Hsinpu, the entertainment stage of the Kaitai Temple in Wupu Borough and various other places, and have often been a topic of discussion.
The murals in the Futeh Temple in Ssutsuo Borough, where there are many rice noodle shops, is actually Liao’s earliest-completed work in Hsinpu. Worshippers are welcomed by busty fairies that cover the temple both inside and out. Even on the lintel of the front door of the main hall, which directly faces images of the Land God and his wife, there are two fairies with ample cleavage holding up a scroll with the words “lucky stars shine all around.” Besides, the ceiling of the prayer hall outside the main temple features a scene from the 24 Paragons of Filial Piety in which a woman is shown baring her breasts to suckle her aged mother-in-law, causing some visitors to look askance.
One 70-year old visitor, Mrs. Liu, remarks that she breastfed her own children, but asks, “Who would uncover both breasts for everyone to look at when feeding her baby?” And then on the wall of the entertainment stage of the Kaitai Temple in Wupu Borough there is a painting of an imperial concubine coming out of her bath, in which the concubine leaves very little to the imagination. People living nearby confess that they sometimes feel embarrassed to look directly at the painting and would rather not have their children play near the stage.
Liao argues that temple murals are artistic creations, and religious images of naked people can be seen even in stately churches in other countries, so he thinks it is not a big deal. Liao says he has been painting for temples for 36 years. He is very confident about his ability to paint the female form, and that is why he has adopted such a bold style to attract people’s attention.
Ssutsuo Borough chief Liu Shih-hsiang, who was also a member of the committee for reconstructing the Futeh Temple in the rice noodle neigborhood, says he did not know to begin with that the paintings would be done this way, but that was a few years ago, and now everyone has got used to it.
(LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY JULIAN CLEGG)
土地公老眼昏花,需靠爆乳仙女「養眼」?新竹縣新埔鎮米粉寮福德宮內,爆乳仙女壁畫隨處可見,甚至還有二十四孝「乳姑不怠」兩點全露的孝親圖。位在保守的客家庄內,地方居民反應不一,文史工作者黃有福大嘆敗俗,畫工廖鳳琴則說這是他的藝術創作。
黃有福直言,廖鳳琴近年畫風尺度大膽,新埔鎮包含米粉寮福德宮在內,已接連有三座寺廟的壁畫仙女,被他畫得失去原有端莊嫻雅形象,讓他在帶領遊客導覽時,頗為尷尬。黃有福更戲稱,這樣「養眼」,不知道會不會讓土地公夫婦因此失和?
事實上,廖鳳琴近年在桃、竹地區為多所寺廟畫壁畫,新埔鎮市區的廣和宮、五埔里開臺宮的歡樂臺等,都可看到他的爭議創作,也曾引起討論。
位於四座里的米粉寮福德宮,其實是他在新埔最早完工的「作品」,內外不僅充斥著許多爆乳的仙女迎接香客,甚至在土地公、土地婆面對著的正殿大門門楣上,就有兩個捧著「福星拱照」的爆乳仙女。此外,在廟外拜庭的天棚上則有二十四孝中「乳姑不怠」的孝親圖,畫中媳婦袒胸露乳讓婆婆吸乳,引人側目。
七十歲的劉阿婆說,她用母奶養大小孩,但是「有誰餵奶,兩顆全都掀出來給人看的?」至於五埔里開臺宮的歡樂臺牆上貴妃出浴的畫面,更讓貴妃幾乎「三點全露」;附近住民坦言,有時實在不好意思直視,更不希望孩子接近戲臺玩耍。
廖鳳琴說,寺廟壁畫其實也是藝術創作,在國外,就是莊嚴的教堂也有人體裸露的宗教壁畫,他不認為這有什麼。他為寺廟彩繪三十六年,因為對女子身體的線條掌握很有信心,為吸引大家注意才改變畫風,放大尺度。
四座里里長、也是當初米粉寮福德宮重建委員會委員的劉士相說,當初並不知道會畫成這樣,但是幾年過去了,大家已經見怪不怪。
(自由時報記者黃美珠)
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