A retrospective of the late artist Shiy De-jinn (席德進), titled “For the Love of this Land” (茲土有情), opened at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts in Taichung on Saturday.
The exhibition, which is to run through Oct. 3, commemorates the 40th anniversary of the artist’s passing, the museum said.
Sixty-two important works created by Shiy between 1970 and 1980 are on display, the Ministry of Culture said in a statement on Saturday.
Photo courtesy of the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts
Curated by museum researcher Lin Ming-hsien (林明賢), the exhibition is divided into two themes: “Taiwanese Landscapes” (臺灣山水) and “Traditional Architecture” (民房古厝).
The exhibition is being presented “with hopes of illustrating the connection between Shiy and the culture and landscape of Taiwan, as well as the artist’s unique artistic expressions that were inspired by the island,” the museum said.
Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te (李永得), Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) and Museum Director Liang Yung-fei (梁永斐), who is also the chairman of the Shiy De Jinn Foundation, which co-organized the exhibition, were among those who attended its opening event.
Shiy’s works are touching for the way they show his love of Taiwan, Lee said at the opening ceremony.
His paintings of Taiwan’s traditional architecture, especially, remind people that they should cherish the nation’s cultural assets, Lee said.
Citing writer Chiang Hsun’s (蔣勳) critique of Shiy’s art, Lee added in his remarks that Shiy “does not view Taiwan from the perspective of an immigrant, but rather truly cultivates Taiwan.”
Shiy was born in China’s Sichuan Province.
Although it has been 40 years since Shiy’s death, the heritage he left behind is “eternal,” Liang said.
In the past few years, the ministry has been promoting the restoration of forgotten parts of Taiwan’s art history, the ministry said.
Shiy is one of few earlier artists who used elements of local customs in his creations, combining traditional, modern and local influences, it said.
The exhibition “presents an important puzzle piece in Taiwan’s art history,” the ministry added.
Following the exhibition’s run in Taichung, it is to travel to Chiayi City, where it can be seen at the Arts and Culture Gallery from Oct. 28 to Nov. 14, the Museum said.
The exhibition will then move to the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei from Dec. 10 to Dec. 20, before opening at the Pingtung Art Museum from Jan. 2 to Jan. 16 next year and the Yilan Museum of Art from Jan. 22 to March 6, the museum said.
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