The portraits project
Lee's home is located on the north coast of Taiwan, about one and half hours out of Taipei.
His paintings are everywhere throughout his three-story house, each looking like a colorful window to the outside world. Wanderers through the house may feel that they are being drawn into a world of video fantasy: one is attracted into rooms containing works with enticing and fascinating themes.
Lee's spacious studio is on the third floor. In the early afternoon, five of his Facebook contacts were there to have their portraits done. While they were eating and drinking with the room ringing with classical music and happiness, Lee's brush never stopped. Photographer Chen Mingcong, there to record the progress of Lee's portrait project, was taking photos. Time disappeared: the sun was setting, lights were being turned on, and five portraits were complete, each with its unique style. The day passed like that.
Similar creative parties have been held in cafes, galleries or street corners and arcades in Taiwan every weekend. For the participants, it's an enjoyable and very cheap way of getting their portrait done.
Lee's paintings in number one (postcard) size are usually worth about NT$5000. For the project, he charges only NT$5000 for a number six, so in this sense, people lucky enough to have their portraits done are making a fivefold profit. Being painted by such a famous painter, everyone is dreaming: "Will I look nice?" "Will my portrait become a work of art?" "Will it be like the Mona Lisa and last forever?"
During a session one day, his subjects were sitting for him on a chair. Others in the room, but not the models themselves, could observe the entire creative process. When the portraits were complete, many were shocked by what was depicted in the paintings. "Why is the character that I take so much trouble to disguise so visible in my portrait? Why do I look both young and old? Why are my wrinkles so clearly visible when I asked the painter to disregard them?"
A wide range of reactions to the works became apparent, but after they had taken their portraits home, they probably couldn't help but stare admiringly at their images. The day following the painting, the photographer posts each portrait into Facebook. At the bottom of the page, viewers add comments of praise, consolation and joy.
The simple relationship between subject and artist has grown into a study of collective behaviors with pluralistic interpretations. Every link in the project chain may affect the final outcome: the artwork. Many of the participants are looking forward to next year's exhibition when all the portraits are to be recalled for an exhibition. What an incredible event that will be!
Eyes were a major subject of Lee's paintings in the 1980s, of which Gaze is an early example.