Veteran artist Chou Chen (周澄) passed away on May 24 at the age of 81. Chou was renowned for his works in painting, seal engraving, and traditional poetry. Upon hearing the news, Culture Minister Lee Yung-te expressed his sincere condolences. A certificate from the Ministry of Culture will be presented to him to commend his lifetime contribution to the field of arts and culture.
Born in Luodong, Yilan in 1941, Chou showed an inclination towards the world of art from an early age. In 1961, he studied under a painting and calligraphy master Chiang Chao-shen (江兆申) at the Department of Fine Arts of the National Taiwan Normal University. After graduating, he traveled around the world and gained creative energy. He also explored literati painting and artistic imagination while studying calligraphy and seal carving.
He previously launched many solo exhibitions at several museums such as the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, National Museum of History, National Dr.Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and Yilan Museum of Art. In addition to creating, he also devoted himself to art education. Not only did he participate in multiple art clubs and groups, but also taught at the Department of Fine Arts of the National Taiwan Normal University, National Taiwan University of Arts and National Taiwan University of Arts.
Having devoted himself to artistic creation for more than 60 years, he gave full play to the aesthetic concepts in traditional calligraphy and painting and created new ideas on the basis of traditional poetry.