A groundbreaking ceremony for the restoration work of the graveyard of Taiwan's nativist painter Shiy De-jinn (席德進) was held on May 17. The ceremony is part of a series of commemorative events to mark the 40th anniversary of the artist’s passing. A touring exhibition showcasing the artist’s paintings will be held in August.
Those present at the ceremony included director of the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (NTMoFA) Liang Yung-fei (梁永斐) and director of Shiy De-jinn Foundation Lee Ch'ian Lang (李乾朗).
Born in Sichuan in 1923, Shiy De-jinn completed his art education in Hangzhou National College of Art before moving to Taiwan in 1948. Inspired by the beauty of this island, he integrated the characteristics of traditional Chinese culture and features of Taiwan's landscapes in his artworks. Shiy devoted his whole life to the pursuit of art. He passed away in 1981, leaving behind a considerable number of artworks. Shiy's close friends set up the Shiy De-jinn Foundation to preserve the artworks, and in 1991 the foundation donated some of Shiy's works to NTMoFA's permanent collections.
Shiy's resting place is situated at Taichung City Cemetery Datu Mountain. The preliminary sketch of the graveyard was hand-painted by Shiy himself and designed by Lee Ch'ian Lang, who is a professor of the Department of Architecture and Urban Design of the Chinese Culture University. Enclosed within traditional Min-nan styled red brick walls, the graveyard looks like a sealed garden house.
Lee in a recent study of the condition of the site indicated that after 40 years, part of the floor tiles were damaged and the growing and expanding tree roots have caused cracks and distortion of the walls. Besides, the pillars in the pavilion also showed signs of cracks on the surface, spalled concrete, and exposed steel bars.
To ensure the long-term preservation of the cemetery, the foundation has commissioned architect Huang Wen-chieh (黃文杰) to carry out the restoration work. It is estimated that the construction will be completed before Aug. 3, the 40th death anniversary of the artist.