Poet of the Canvas
Wang Pan-youn (王攀元) is a late painter remembered for developing his own superlative, unique style in traditional ink wash, oil painting, and watercolor. His distinctive skills and sensibilities have combined into an artistic blossom that reflects Taiwan's own cultural diversity, inclusiveness, and creativity.
The Jiangsu-born painter came to Taiwan in 1949 and settled down on the beautiful Lanyang Plain in Yilan. Over a lifetime of painting in Taiwan, Wang developed his own distinct style characterized by simplicity and a sense of loneliness. He passed away in 2017 at the age of 109.
Over the years, Wang trained a number of outstanding artists and spared no effort in promoting the arts. When he was honored at the 5th National Awards of Art, the judges explained their reasoning thus: "[Wang is] an introspective artist who has persisted through difficulties in pursuit of excellence and dedicated his life to painting."
Their statement also noted that, "In an era of bustle and noise, he has always looked inward, interpreting simple themes with exquisite, profound emotion and a unique, refined style distinct to Taiwan’s particular place and time."
As a young man, Wang experienced hardships and displacement, and he incorporated such personal tragedies into his art, expressing profound worlds of meaning through minimalist symbols.
His use of color was elegant and simple, his composition straightforward yet wondrous. Wang's paintings are at the same time austere and evocative, creating a canvas of introspection. The emotional directness yet sense of poetry enable the unostentatious elements of his paintings to communicate deeply moving stories.
An artist who bore witness to an era of great historical change, Wang's life and creations comprise a significant chapter in Taiwan’s art history. More information can be found here.
The artist will be memorialized in a special exhibition titled "By the Passing of a Thousand Sails," which will be the last event at the National Museum of History before it closes for renovations over the next three years.