As Taipei's alternative art spaces are disappearing and many galleries are feeling the pinch from the lackadaisical art market, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum proves to be the only place in town that consistently holds art exhibitions that are provocative, informative, educational and entertaining.
One such show is the in-house exhibition titled Depictions in Line and Form that combines its collection of Western and Eastern artwork on view until May 1.
Looking at the works from a distance, it is impossible to tell who had the larger influence. Were Western artists embracing Asian calligraphic styles when they were creating Modernist works or were Asian artists emulating European and American styles of painting? Instead of trying to resolve this conundrum, this display of paintings, prints and a few sculptures from the museum's vast collection provides a wonderful opportunity to see pure line and form in art.
PHOTO COURTESY OF TFAM
In most of the works, the artist's energy and vitality is expressed through the line that is hand-drawn, etched, brushed or sculpted in the various media. The line in all its various permutations -- curvy, biomorphic, angular, thick, thin, geometric or sketchy -- conveys emotional intensity and may inspire the viewer to return home and pick up a brush.
Often, categories of art seem arbitrary. For didactic purposes, the exhibition is divided into four categories: "Tumultuous Worlds," "Traces in Time and Space," "Primal Nature" and "Urban Energy." The categories are a way to help the viewer decipher and try to understand the abstract lines and shapes on view.
Tumultuous Worlds
Grouped under the theme "Tumultuous Worlds," a set of four small-framed woodcuts by Jean Hans Arp sets the tone for the Modernist-style works that are arranged in the cavernous space. Arp's white curvy lines dance on a black background, creating a piece that is simultaneously playful, intimate and sensuous.
Renowned Taiwanese artist Max Liu (
Pierre Alechinsky's series of lithographs titled Fenetre really stand out in the exhibition. As lithography is a slow process entailing several steps, this work is noteworthy in that the artist's hand-drawn lines with a dark grease pencil still seem immediate and freshly made. It is a work where the lusciousness of the material is conveyed very passionately.
Traces in Time and Space
Works that show motion are grouped under the theme "Traces in Time and Space." The famous Chinese artist Hsia Yang's (
Italian artist Lucio Fontana is known for his reductive canvases made in the early 1960s in which he slashed the surfaces with a knife, thus creating cut-away lines. It was controversial at the time to treat such a sacred surface as the artist's canvas with such violent gestural aggression.
Primal Nature
More of the calligraphic and loosely painted works are grouped under the theme "Primal Nature." Kaoshiung-based artist Lu Ming-te (盧明德) shows Tatu Mountain, a collage of paint and twigs on fabric. A marble sculpture of a mythic beast that is half lion and half female by Pierre Sz'kely exemplifies the theme.
Urban Energy
Works whose combinations of lines create a strong vortex of feeling are grouped under "Urban Energy." Michell Hwang's Dignity is an acrylic painting on a cut-out piece of wooden board that resembles a winter sled designed especially for the Abstract Expressionist painter, as curvy, expressive lines and bright color lend a lot of energy to the oddly-shaped piece.
Swallow Lin's (
Exhibition notes:
What: Depictions in Line and Form at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum
Where: Taipei Fine Arts Museum, 181, Zhongshan N Rd, Sec 3, Taipei (
When: Until May 22; Tuesdays to Sundays, 9:30am to 5:30pm
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