"Legend of Wood & Stone,” a special exhibition on legendary printmaker Chou Ying (周瑛), will run at the Taichung-based National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts from April 9 through June 12.
Chou (1922-2011) was born in Changhe, Fujian Province and graduated from the Art Department of Fujian Superior Normal School in 1947. After relocating to Taiwan, he taught at the National Taipei University of Education (formerly the Taiwan Provincial Taipei Normal College) between 1948 and 1988, cultivating countless generations of new artists over a span of 40 years.
As one of the most representative woodcut printmakers in post-war Taiwan, Chou participated in many international and domestic art exhibitions, winning the Council for Cultural Affairs Commissioner's Award twice in the First (1983) and Third (1987) International Biennial Print Exhibit R.O.C.
Chou also was part of an art movement in the 1950s and ‘60s that was partly instigated by the influences of Western modern art and the spirit of experimentation, in which many Taiwanese artists subverted and challenged their ingrained creative habits.
After the 1960s, Chou resolutely broke away from his previous woodcut prints done in a realistic style and began experimenting with a semi-abstract style using a "stone-rubbing” technique. He also developed a series of composite media works with extremely daring and personal characteristics, boldly using "read-made” elements in his woodcut prints.
For instance, his iconic "Symphony of Stone” series diverge in style from woodblock prints of the Sino-Japanese War, focusing instead on the delicate textural changes in stone surfaces produced by different shades of light. The following "Praise of Wood” series led to another breakthrough with the incorporation of actual wood logs in the prints, marking Chou's foray into the field of mixed media.
The National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts has received more than 7,000 donated works since its inception in 1988. Of the 52 pieces by Chou in the museum's collection, 34 were generously donated by the late artist's family members. Therefore, to offer an honest representation of Chou's creative journey, professor Chou Hsiao Chong-ray (蕭瓊瑞) from the National Cheng Kung University was invited to research and curate "Legend of Wood & Stone - Exhibition of Donated Works by Chou Ying.”
The 52 featured items encompassing woodcut prints, silk screen prints, and mixed media will be presented in three sections - Desire of Life, Symphony of Stone, and Praise of Wood. Exhibitiongoers are invited to witness Chou's steadfast passion for artistic creation and his role in the development of fine arts in post-war Taiwan.
'Legend of Wood & Stone - Exhibition of Donated Works by Chou Ying'
- Date: April 9 - June 12, 2016
- Venue: National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts
- Address: No. 2 Wuquan W. Rd. Section 1, West District, Taichung City, 403, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
- Website: https://www.ntmofa.gov.tw/