Yushan

作品賞析

In recent years, the artist Hsiao Chu-Sheng has often created ink painting landscapes themed around the mountains of Taiwan. This work, Yushan, depicts Taiwan’s spiritual symbol, Yushan or “Mount Jade.” With his understanding of natural studies and the humanities, he insists on using natural mineral pigments and plant-based glues, and he uses ink techniques such as smudging, wash, various texture strokes and so on to paint Yushan and some of its surrounding peaks. There is a general upsweep of energy from top to bottom. This was painted during the COVID-19 pandemic, so along the bottom there are rectangular figures symbolizing masks. He seeks to imitate the spirit and charm of Song dynasty literati painting, such as those of Su Dongpo, since he is deeply impressed by their plain, innocent, simple, clean style. In creating an ink painting in the contemporary style, he brings the impulse to create what is seen in his mind, while retaining a sense of spontaneity and oneness with nature, so that not a trace of dusty impurity is seen.