Veteran artist Cheng Chung-chuan (鄭瓊娟) passed away on Jan. 6 at the age of 93. She was one of the most important female painters in Taiwan’s history of modern fine art. National Hsinchu Living Arts Center (NHLAC) Director Yeh Yu-cheng (葉于正) expressed deepest regret on behalf of the Ministry of Culture for the artist’s death.
Born in Hsinchu City in 1931, Cheng Chung-chuan studied fine arts at the Taiwan Provincial Teachers College (Now National Taiwan Normal University). She was a student of distinguished artists like Chu Teh-chun (朱德群), Liao Chi-chun (廖繼春), and Li Shih-chiao (李石樵). She was a founding member of the Fifth Moon Group (五月畫會), an art group that led the modernization of fine arts in Taiwan.
The NHLAC launched a documentary project in 2021 to pay tribute to significant artists including Cheng Chung-chuan. In the interview, she shared her struggles during the 1950s when women were expected to serve their family at that time. She was determined to pursue an art career in Japan, but it came to a pause due to familial commitment. However, she was able to pick up the brush again in the 1960s after a 10-year hiatus and she returned to Taiwan’s art community in 1992. In memory of the talented female artist, the full documentary is available now on the NHLAC’s website.