But his main body of work is in Penghu, which boasts the nation’s highest temple density.
At least 70 percent of Penghu’s roughly 200 temples are decorated with his character paintings.
The most difficult part of temple painting is painting the facial expressions of the door gods, whose role is to protect the temple and its worshipers from evil spirits.
“If your master dares to allow you to paint a door god’s face, it means that your professional skills have reached a level of maturity and that your apprenticeship may come to an end,” he said.
Wang Wen-liang, a fine arts teacher at Magong Senior High School who is versed in Penghu’s temple art development, said Huang Yo-chien is a master at capturing door gods’ facial expressions, the eyes in particular.
Huang regrets that the temple painting profession is fading fast in Taiwan, especially as there is nobody to follow in his footsteps.
Huang says age has caught up with him and the Dongjia Beijhih Temple door gods will be his last work.
“I’ll retire when it is completed,” said Huang, who estimates he has painted more than 150 temples over his six-decade career.
It is a fitting final assignment for Huang, as his career started and will end at one of the nation’s oldest temples that bears witness to the long history and development of the art form.
RSS