Two paintings by renowned painter Yang San-lang (楊三郎) that had been kept in storage for about six decades and nearly discarded by National Taiwan University’s department of forestry and resource conservation are to see the light of day after they were salvaged and restored.
Yang, born in 1907, is regarded as a national treasure for his contributions to the establishment and development of Taiwanese art. He died in 1995.
Department head Yuan Hsiao-wei (袁孝維) said Yang painted the two pictures, titled Landscape I and Landscape II, 58 years ago at the behest of Tso Mao-hsiung (鄒茂雄), an alumnus, to mark the inauguration of the department’s research building.
Photo: Wu Po-hsuan, Taipei Times
Due to Tso’s background as a former student, he had access to the Xitou Forest in Nantou County and took Yang there, where he painted the pieces, Yuan said, adding that Yang agreed to let the department purchase the two paintings in 1958 for a small fee.
However, the paintings were put in a storage room while the office was being decorated, and when Tso found out about it, he reportedly said: “If you do not cherish the paintings, I will buy them back for NT$2 million” (US$62,519 at today’s exchange rate).
The paintings were put on display again, but they sustained serious damage when leaks occurred at the office, as they were not treated with water repellent, Yuan said.
In addition, an employee left a fingernail mark in one of the paintings, she said.
“About 20 years ago, department staff tried to dump the paintings into a garbage truck, but couldn’t because the frames were too big,” she added.
Yuan said that in 2013, she thought about having the paintings restored and had them examined, but an appraisal declared that they were counterfeits.
To verify the paintings’ authenticity, she requested the help of Taipei National University of the Arts professor emeritus Lin Pao-yao (林保堯) and InSian Gallery director Ou Hsien-cheng (歐賢政), with whom Yang had a close working relationship.
The experts declared the paintings to be authentic, Yuan said.
The department then began to raise funds to restore the paintings, Yuan said.
The paintings are to be displayed at the department building so that the public can appreciate Taiwan’s rustic scenery, she said.
There are no more than 30 paintings by Yang circulating on the market, Ou said, adding that a well-preserved piece signed by Yang can fetch about NT$10 million.
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