Art as visual metaphor
In his introduction to Chen’s book, Zu Wei recounts a conversation with the famous Chinese-French painter Zao Wou-ki, in which he asked the painter what feelings he had wished to convey in a particular painting. “If I could tell you that,” Zao said. “I wouldn’t have painted it!”
Chen is a different case entirely. He is one of those rare artists who can both paint and express his ideas in writing.
In 1965 he wrote “On Abstract Art,” in Wen Hsing Magazine. It was the first real examination of abstract art published in Taiwan. Subsequently he published a series of articles in other magazines, including Oriental Magazine and Young Lion Monthly, introducing Western art to local readers. He introduced his collection of Aboriginal art through columns published in the United Daily News and the Independence Evening Post. He has also published his ideas on art in book form, in The Sayings of Chen Cheng-hsiung on Art.
“My art is evocative, not descriptive,” Chen writes in the book. “It is a visual metaphor, not a visual narrative.”
Looking at Chen’s paintings after reading his writing on art allows for a deeper comprehension of the artist’s vision. His landscapes are painted without clear borders; his world needs no horizon. Viewers can understand his sensibilities through his blocks of color and seemingly random sprays of colored dots. In Cherishing the Ambitions, the artist uses blocks of color to express the energy and excitement of new beginnings. Standing in front of the painting, the viewer can sense the power stirring within the work. “That’s right,” Chen says. “Only if it resonates is it a success.”
In 2014, Chen received a National Award for Arts from the National Culture and Arts Foundation. This honor recognized the artist’s six decades of creation. But Chen is not done innovating. “As long as I can still paint and my mind is still active, I won’t stop creating new art,” he says.
At over 80 years of age, Chen says he hopes to make more money through his art so that he can open an art museum in a downtown location and exhibit his paintings and his collection of Aboriginal artifacts. In my notebook, I jotted down the following words, “Joy makes him indefatigable; his enthusiasm has never wavered.” This encapsulates the relentlessly pioneering career of this celebrated Taiwanese abstract painter.
Chen Cheng-hsiung has found new sources of artistic inspiration in different cultures, including the gentle beauty of Qing-Dynasty court apparel and the use of brilliant colors in Aboriginal art. The photo shows a beadwork shoulder cape of Taiwan’s Paiwan tribe.
Color is part of Chen Cheng-hsiung’s artistic DNA. His paintings reflect his lust for life and love of nature. Shown here is Fringes of Space and Time Series III.
Chen Cheng-hsiung’s artistic career has been as brilliant and colorful as his “Spring Within Spring” series. (photo by Chuang Kung-ju)