Double-Edged Phantasmagoria

作品賞析

On his creative journey, artist Li Jiun-Yang has gone from hand-painted movie billboards, sculptures, performance art, and theater stages, to participating in theatrical performances and even building temples. This rich and colorful life journey can be said to be a microcosm of Taiwan’s popular culture. His works embody the vibrant atmosphere of traditional Taiwanese folklore, and his subject matter often incorporates religious and folk imagery. Double-edged Phantasmagoria is one such example. In the painting , the landscape resembles a puppet show set. At the central stands a puppet child embodying an immortal: his eyes are tilt upwards, suggesting a dreamlike state, and brilliant flowers hover over his head. On either side of the composition suggest the idea of the white tiger of the west and the azure dragon of the east. One holds a sword, the other a brush, respectively symbolizing military and civil abilities. Each is depicted with a small stylized image of the Big Dipper. The artist thinks that painters in the Far East rarely painted self-portraits, therefore he uses landscapes to reveal his true self.