An exhibition featuring works of renowned painter Yang San-lang (楊三郎) on Saturday opened at the Taimei Gallery in Toyko, marking the artist’s first retrospective exhibition in Japan.
The show, titled “Yang San-lang: A Taiwanese Treasure,” features several of Yang’s scenic oil paintings and some pastels. It is to run until July 10.
The extensive showing of Yang’s work illustrates the progress of modern art that occurred simultaneously in Taiwan and Japan, the Japanese Gekkan Bijutsu newspaper said.
Photo: Lin Tsui-yi, Taipei Times
Yang’s Sunrise at Yushan was publicly admired by former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), Yang’s daughter-in-law, Noriko Morakoshi, said at the show’s opening event, adding that the work showcases the magnificent blue ridges of the mountain set against a golden dawn.
Lee thought that the painting conveyed a sense of hope and vitality, Morakoshi said.
Snowing Peaks-Hakuba, Japan, the only painting in the show that is based on a site in Japan, was composed in Nagano Prefecture when Yang was 85 years old, two years before his death in 1995, she said.
Yang traveled to the village of Hakuba carrying canvas and tools to draw the mountain with its characteristic red maples and green pines covered in snow, Morakoshi said.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented many people from traveling, the gallery hopes that the exhibition’s visitors will be able to view scenes of landscapes from around the world through Yang’s eyes, as he had traveled Taiwan, Japan and the US, she said.
New Taipei City’s Yang San-lang Museum, of which Morakoshi is the CEO, loaned pieces from its collection to the exhibition, but several oil paintings were too large to be transported to Japan, she said.
The artist’s personal journals, which show Yang’s affinity for Japan, are also on display.
Taimei Gallery director Masanori Danjo said that Yang is a seminal figure in Taiwanese art, and it is a rare privilege to see his work in Japan.
Yang San-lang’s son, Yang Shin-lang (楊星朗), in a statement said that his father had been a life-long friend of Japan.
His father considered that country his second home and was close friends with Japanese artists such as Ryuzaburo Umehara, he said.
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,