Whatever you may call him--painter, calligrapher, whatever--"Little Fish" is true to himself. All he hopes for is a spirit at peace. But this is for him no easy task.

In 1983, Little Fish suddenly resigned his position as a high school teacher. His father, old Mr.Chen, fretted: "Where in the world is there an idiot who will come to your house to give you money?"

Was Little Fish worried? If you get the chance, ask him.

In 1985, Little Fish held his first solo show at the Caves Gallery. The elder Chen was on the scene, watching the seemingly endless stream of visitors. It was like a dream . . . . Finally, Mr.Chen believed: "Cheng-lung, he wasn't kidding after all!"

The actual name of our subject is one Chen Cheng-lung. He was born, grew up, and still lives in Keelung. In high school he took a liking to calligraphy, and occasionally studied with the calligrapher Tsao Chiu-pu, then over seventy. Tsao had said, "I write my characters on inspiration." It was a sentiment Little Fish would remember.

Little Fish then moved on to the Department of Fine Arts at Chinese Cultural College. There he learned to 'know myself, know others, know the environment, know books, know life." In school he read a lot on the serene life of the classical scholar-gentleman, but his own heart was less and less at ease.

As a junior, he studied seal carving in the classical style with Tseng Shao-chieh, which marked the beginning of his own carving.

But Little Fish liked too much the freedom of open seas, and his performance suffered. At the end-of-semester exhibit, he had only one piece tucked discretely away in a corner. There was no clue that ten years later he would be carving out a name for himself as Little Fish.

Today, seal carving is relegated to the cultural boondocks; the success of Little Fish has at least instilled some passion into it.

His works have a spiritual quality which infuses the shallow and blaze with a new vitality. His sentences seem part poetry, part Zen. It is no surprise that a collection of his essays went through four printings in a single year. He wrote the pieces as soliloquy when he was most without peace of mind, not expecting them to find such widespread resonance. This made Little Fish a bit more settled: it seems there are more than a few with hearts uneasy.

Critics may find the works of Little Fish little more than curios: small paintings and small seals, nothing that fixes the eye. As for his calligraphy, it is no better than the slight skill of any cultivated man and not worth special mention. What's more, Little Fish would not argue with these assessments.

This fall "Little Fish Craft," a second personal show, opened at Caves. At the same time was published a collection of paintings, seal carvings and writings, and a three volume collection of seal carvings.

That many buy his works is satisfying; that many are deeply moved is more so. One couple--by no means wealthy--took twelve sets of his paintings on installment. The columnist Liang Hsuan was moved to write a letter to Little Fish--whom he had never met--thanking him for the happiness "The Collected Works of Little Fish" had brought his family. A Japanese collector buys all the Little Fish seals he can get his hands on when coming to Taipei. Painters at home use his seals.

Even the non-connoisseur finds something addictive: One man named Cheng has as his goal to collect 100 seals done by Little Fish. At least four others share his passion. Chan Ping-fa, a scholar of business administration, commissioned Little Fish to carve the Buddhist Sutra of the heart of Prajna, an eight-month project. The resulting work was of mesmerizing quality. Another has asked him to carve selections from the Prajnaparamita (or Diamond) sutra.

For Little Fish, that people enjoy and buy his work makes him both surprised and delighted.

Little Fish has a profound foundation in calligraphy as the basis for painting and carving. For him the knife is his brush, the brush his knife.

The size of the work is a function of his fervor. But who can say that size determines greatness? Wang Kuo-wei has said, "The poem is written with the state of mind; high quality comes from the state of mind."

We cannot say that Little Fish lacks skill, but this is not the pedestal on which he stands. He learns after the ancients, but is not mired in their ways. He creates, but not by cheap shortcuts. He is sparing, not boring. His moods are at once immediate and distant, seemingly shallow yet penetratingly deep.

One elder from the world of painting once remarked while teaching students, "You can't just painfully apply layer after layer of paint in this way; Little Fish would make fun of you." Nothing can more eloquently sketch the esteem of the elder toward his student. I believe many people can similarly appreciate this kind of compliment.

[Picture Caption]

Listening to Sutra, 69×69cm

Wild Flowers, drawing 17×22cm, calligraphy 17×22cm

Little House, drawing 17×22cm, calligraphy 17×22cm

Daisies Grown by Fence, drawing 17×22cm, calligraphy 17×22cm

Tree and Mountain, drawing 17×34cm, calligraphy 17×34cm

Two Carp, drawing 33×45cm, calligraphy 19×45cm

Receiving Instruction, drawing 23×68cm, calligraphy 23×33cm

He Says, Take One and Eat, drawing 18×110cm, calligraphy 18×37cm

Chatting in the Woods, drawing 23×68cm, calligraphy 23×23cm

Many are entranced by Little Fish's seal carvings and enjoy collecting them.

"Listening to Silence" by Little Fish. The carving on the side reads, "People who listen to sounds are deaf; Little Fish prefers to listen to silence."

Fish Facts

The real name of Little Fish is Chen Cheng-lung. He was born in Keelung City in 1948. In 1972 he graduated from the Chinese Cultural College Department of Fine Arts.

In 1983 he resigned the job as high school teacher that he had held for nine years to concentrate on his calligraphy, carving, and painting. He entered a period of virtual hibernation. He called himself "a greenhorn"-- "One who is interested in all things, but whose way of conducting life is a bit out of time and out of place."

Perhaps because of this, Little Fish was able to maintain his own interest and to allow his original self to show through his works.

He is often tongue-tied when confronted with people. In fact he is hospitable and loquacious, with much to say. He most fears being asked to eat by the famous, or going to hotels; these kinds of things make him uneasy.

Once a collector from Hong Kong invited several artists to a meal; Little Fish ended up spilling his drink on a rather senior painter's new scholar's gown.

He often believes he "has a psychological problem." He sought out a psychiatrist; he didn't expect that they would end up talking about literature, art, carving . . . . The doctor even forgot that he had more patients waiting for him.

In 1971, he published "Seals by Little Fish". From this point he attracted increasing numbers of admirers.

In 1985 came the publication of "Little Fish Chops," "A Collection of Calligraphy by Little Fish," and "Little Fish Is Just Little Fish" (published by Hann Colour in Taipei). These were part of the fruits of his first one-man personal exhibition. During the exhibition, it was hard to find Little Fish, because he wasn't sure where he should put himself.

In 1987, Hann Colour collected together various writings from over the years in "Let's Go Eat Noodles"; within a short time a second, then a third, then a fourth printing were necessary. A year later came another collection of writings, "There Is a Defect."

In 1988, Little Fish held his second personal show at the Caves Gallery, and at the same time published "A Collection of Works by Little Fish" (including calligraphy, painting, seal carvings, and writings) and three volumes of seal carving.

He says: "Although these things are not exactly philanthropy, they can be counted as a small contribution to people. From this point of view, they can make up somewhat for my hibernation."

[Picture Caption]

"Interested in all things, but whose way of conducting life is a bit out of time or out of place." That's Little Fish.

Two Carp, drawing 33×45cm, calligraphy 19×45cm.

Wild Flowers, drawing 17×22cm, calligraphy 17×22cm.

Little House, drawing 17×22cm, calligraphy 17×22cm.

Daisies Grown by Fence, drawing 17×22cm, calligraphy 17×22cm.

Tree and Mountain, drawing 17×34cm, calligraphy 17×34cm.

Receiving Instruction, drawing 23×68cm, calligraphy 23×33cm.

He Says, Take One and Eat, drawing 18×110cm, calligraphy 18×37cm.

Chatting in the Woods, drawing 23×68cm, calligraphy 23×23cm.

Many are entranced by Little Fish's seal carvings and enjoy collecting them.

Many are entranced by Little Fish's seal carvings and enjoy collecting them.

"Listening to Silence" by Little Fish. The carving on the side reads, "People who listen to sounds are deaf; Little Fish prefers to listen to silence.".

"Listening to Silence" by Little Fish. The carving on the side reads, "People who listen to sounds are deaf; Little Fish prefers to listen to silence.".

"Listening to Silence" by Little Fish. The carving on the side reads, "People who listen to sounds are deaf; Little Fish prefers to listen to silence.".

"Interested in all things, but whose way of conducting life is a bit out of time or out of place." That's Little Fish.