Over the coming month, the National Museum of History will be showcasing a selection of works by one of Taiwan's earliest, most celebrated and influential female artists, Chen Chin (
Born in Hsinchu in 1907, Chen was the first Taiwanese female artist to study in Japan. She studied at the Tokyo Fine Arts Girls School under the guidance of some of Japan's leading artists. Even at such a young age her works were so sought after and her style so respected that critics dubbed her "the female genius of the Southern Sea."
PHOTO COURTESY OF NATIONAL MUSEUM OF HISTORY
Chen's repertoire included landscapes and still-life, but it was her portraits of ladies and her ability to transform a painting into an image that incorporated a genuine feel for the era in which they were created that was to prove her enduring legacy.
By the time she passed away in 1998, Chen had become not only one of Taiwan's most prominent and eminent artists, but her works were taking pride of place in museums and galleries throughout Europe and the Americas.
Incorporating 32 of her works dating from 1932 through 1998, The Beauty of Chen Chin's Ladies (
Beginning with Modern Lady, the exhibition takes the viewer through Chen's early unmarried days form between 1925 and 1945. Her eye for detail saw her create works that depicted both the fashions, hairstyles as well as the mannerisms and moods of young ladies of the day.
Works such as her celebrated 1936 Applying Make-up (
The latter part of the exhibition, Traditional Mother deals with Chen's works from 1945 through 1998. Here viewers see how Chen's marriage, motherhood and life as a grandmother changed her outlook on both life and art and saw her style changing in subtle yet noticeable ways.
In later works such as 1968's Fragrant Orchids (
Regardless of which chapter of Chen's life the viewer chooses to enjoy, the current exhibition gives a highly appealing overview of not only the life of one of Taiwan's foremost artists. It is also an interesting insight into the changing fashions and mannerisms of Taiwanese women as see through Chen's eyes.
The Beauty of Chen Chin's Ladies (
In the March 9 edition of the Taipei Times a piece by Ninon Godefroy ran with the headine “The quiet, gentle rhythm of Taiwan.” It started with the line “Taiwan is a small, humble place. There is no Eiffel Tower, no pyramids — no singular attraction that draws the world’s attention.” I laughed out loud at that. This was out of no disrespect for the author or the piece, which made some interesting analogies and good points about how both Din Tai Fung’s and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) meticulous attention to detail and quality are not quite up to
April 21 to April 27 Hsieh Er’s (謝娥) political fortunes were rising fast after she got out of jail and joined the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in December 1945. Not only did she hold key positions in various committees, she was elected the only woman on the Taipei City Council and headed to Nanjing in 1946 as the sole Taiwanese female representative to the National Constituent Assembly. With the support of first lady Soong May-ling (宋美齡), she started the Taipei Women’s Association and Taiwan Provincial Women’s Association, where she
It is one of the more remarkable facts of Taiwan history that it was never occupied or claimed by any of the numerous kingdoms of southern China — Han or otherwise — that lay just across the water from it. None of their brilliant ministers ever discovered that Taiwan was a “core interest” of the state whose annexation was “inevitable.” As Paul Kua notes in an excellent monograph laying out how the Portuguese gave Taiwan the name “Formosa,” the first Europeans to express an interest in occupying Taiwan were the Spanish. Tonio Andrade in his seminal work, How Taiwan Became Chinese,
Mongolian influencer Anudari Daarya looks effortlessly glamorous and carefree in her social media posts — but the classically trained pianist’s road to acceptance as a transgender artist has been anything but easy. She is one of a growing number of Mongolian LGBTQ youth challenging stereotypes and fighting for acceptance through media representation in the socially conservative country. LGBTQ Mongolians often hide their identities from their employers and colleagues for fear of discrimination, with a survey by the non-profit LGBT Centre Mongolia showing that only 20 percent of people felt comfortable coming out at work. Daarya, 25, said she has faced discrimination since she
RSS