Date: March 2 to September 28, 2022
Venue: Room 205, Museum of the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica
Contact:Ms. Lin, +886-2-2789-9937
Website: http://museum.sinica.edu.tw/en/exhibitions/86/
Introduction:
“During those desperate times towards the end of the civil war on the Chinese mainland, I had followed the Nationalist Government to Taiwan, and in spite of the grief I felt as a result of the tumult of war, I continued in my love of traditional Chinese calligraphy and painting, seeking out like-minded individuals. Due to my professional connections, I was able to meet Mr. Chiang Chao-shen at the National Palace Museum, and afterwards, Mr. Au Ho-nien also came to Taiwan, where Mr. Yeh Kung-chao and I wrote introductions to an exhibition of his paintings. From that time onwards, we kept in frequent contact. Chiang Chao-shen’s specialty was ink and watercolor landscapes; Au Ho-nien, on the other hand, excelled at every aspect of traditional Chinese painting—landscapes, flowers, birds, etc. I myself did not have much talent for painting, but with much difficulty, composed a little poetry. At the time, I once again took up traditional Chinese calligraphy in the styles of the seal and clerical scripts to amuse myself, and we thus all had similar interests and pursuits. Afterwards, Mr. Chang Dai-ch’ien, by then well known for his paintings, came to Taiwan and took up residence in the vicinity of the National Palace Museum. He and a few close friends would often gather at his “Maya Studio” for some lively conversation. Chang Dai-ch’ien often worked together with Au Honien and Chiang Chao-shen, and I would on occasion chat with them as well as contributing a little poetry, forgetting the passing years in the joy of our friendship. But then Chang Dai-ch’ien passed away and was followed by Chiang Chao-shen, leaving only Au Ho-nien. His painting and calligraphy only got better.
At first his poetry was not particularly exceptional, but eventually, it improved to the point that it became brilliant, brimming with both beauty and spirit. It thus came to be that his poetry, his calligraphy, his painting, and his seal carving vied with each other in terms of both beauty and genius, and he is today considered a great master of the Lingnan School of painting.
At the same time, Mr. Chang Chi-yun, founder of Chinese Culture University, was extremely enthusiastic about Au Ho-nien’s paintings and began to collect and display them in the Yangmingshan ChungShan Hall as well as at the Hwa Kang Museum of Chinese Culture University. In addition, Mr. Chang Chi-yun invited Au Ho-nien to serve as a professor at Chinese Culture University. His fame consequently spread overseas, and he was frequently invited abroad, especially to Europe and throughout Asia, to exhibit his art and to lecture. Au Ho-nien often joked about this, saying that he had to tramp to the ends of the earth carrying his calligraphy and paintings.”
Previous Director of the National Palace Museum
Ch’in Hsiao-yi
