The National Museum of Taiwan Literature (NMTL) has received a donation of one oil painting from national treasure painter Shih Bing-shyi (施並錫). During the appreciation ceremony on Feb. 15, NMTL Director Nikky Lin (林巾力) presented a certificate of appreciation to Shih.
The oil painting depicts the image of Lin Qiu-wu (林秋梧), a Taiwanese monk and poet who recited a verse about "strengthening the weak to defeat the strong" at the Kaiyuan Temple, demonstrating his vigor and determination in standing up against formidable authority.
During his speech, Shih Bing-shyi, a former supervisor of the Oil Painting Association of R.O.C and professor at National Taiwan Normal University, shared his ideas and artistic inspiration for the artwork. He noted that the portrait of Lin looked radiant and glowing in the painting due to the presence of several individuals, which suggested that many people had gathered to hear his speech.
With the hope of passing down the intangible spirit of predecessors through paintings, Shih previously drew historical events, such as the February 28 Massacre, and figures like Mona Rudao (莫那‧魯道), an indigenous tribal chief who led a rebellion (the Wushe Incident) against brutal Japanese rule in 1930.
Born in 1903, Lin Qiu-wu passed away in 1934 at the age of 32 due to tuberculosis. He was a member of the Taiwanese Culture Association (TCA, 臺灣文化協會) who expressed his grievance through poetry. He studied in the painting division of the Taiwan Governor-General's Language School (now National Taipei University of Education) and was unable to graduate because he was suspended from school for joining a student movement. Later, he participated in TCA's speech events on culture and took on a role of a benshi, a silent film narrator, at the Beautiful Taiwan Group (美台團). Additionally, he co-founded the left-wing publication "Equator (赤道報)" and served as its editor and publisher.
Addressing the ceremony, Lin stated that NMTL has a key role in preserving and restoring cultural artifacts. To enable the public to access valuable cultural assets, the museum intends to leverage its creativity to showcase its precious collections given by donors.