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Li Mei-shu () (13 March 1902 – 6 February 1983) was a Taiwanese painter, sculptor, and politician. Born to an upper-class family in Sankakuyū (),
The subjects of Li's paintings are depicted in a realist style and are primarily figures, landscapes, and still lifes. Even in the 1950s, when abstract art styles were in favor, his paintings still remained true to
Li Mei-shu Memorial Gallery, Taiwan Site
Li Mei-shu Memorial Gallery
人間國寶 梅樹先
Starting Out from 23.5°N: Chen Cheng-po, Academia Sinica Digital Center (ASDC)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Mei-shu Taiwanese sculptors Taiwanese people of Hoklo descent Artists from New Taipei 1902 births 1983 deaths 20th-century sculptors Tokyo School of Fine Arts alumni Politicians of the Republic of China on Taiwan from New Taipei National Taiwan Normal University faculty National Taiwan University of Arts faculty Chinese Culture University faculty
Japanese Taiwan
The island of Taiwan, together with the Penghu Islands, became a dependency of Japan in 1895, when the Qing dynasty ceded Fujian-Taiwan Province in the Treaty of Shimonoseki after the Japanese victory in the First Sino-Japanese War. The sho ...
(modern-day Sanxia District
Sanxia District () is a District (Taiwan), district in the southwestern part of New Taipei, Taiwan. It is the second largest district in New Taipei City by area after Wulai District.
Name
The old name of Sanxia, ''Sa-kak-eng'' () refers to t ...
, New Taipei City
New Taipei City is a special municipality located in northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 3,974,683 as of 2022, making it the most populous city of Taiwan, and also the second largest special municipality by area, be ...
).
Education
Li Meishu began to demonstrate a propensity for painting in his early years. In 1918, he was accepted into the Painting Division of the Taiwan Governor-General's National Language School. He taught himself painting after school through a copy of A Collection of Lectures, which he ordered from Japan through post. Upon graduating, he taught at Zuihō Public School (in modern-dayRuifang District
Ruifang District () is a suburban district in eastern New Taipei City, Taiwan.
History
During Japanese rule, Ruifang was called , and was administered as part of of Taihoku Prefecture. Mining was an important industry in Ruifang (then kno ...
). During this time, he participated in the Summer Art Seminar organized by Ishikawa Kinichiro. His works 'Still Life and Backstreets of Sanxia' were selected for the first and second Taiwan Art Exhibitions (Taiten), respectively.
He then obtained his family’s consent to go to Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
to further his painting studies. In 1929, he was accepted by the Division of Western Painting at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, where he studied with teachers such as Okada Saburousuke and Kobayashi Mango.
Work and public life
After graduating in 1934, Li returned to Taiwan and co-founded the Tai-Yang Art Society along with artists such as Liao Chi-chun,Tan Ting-pho
Tan Teng-pho (; 2 February 1895 – 25 March 1947), was a Taiwanese painter and politician. In 1926, his oil painting '' Street of Chiayi'' was featured in the seventh in Japan, which was the first time a Taiwanese artist's work could be d ...
, and Yen Shui-long
Yen Shui-long (; 5 June 1903 – 24 September 1997) was a Taiwanese painter and sculptor, was born in Ensuikō Chō, Japanese Taiwan (modern-day Xiaying, Tainan, Taiwan).
Early life
By the he was thirteen, both of Yen's parents, as well as his g ...
. In 1935, his work ''Girl at Rest'' was the special selection of the ninth Taiwan Art Exhibition. In 1939, his work ''Red Dress'' was selected for the third Ministry of Education Art Exhibition (Shin Bunten).
After World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Li served several terms as chairman of Sanxia street, township representative, and county councilor. From 1945, he served as director of the re-construction committee of Qingshui Zushi (Divine Ancestor) Temple in Sanxia. He invited his friends in the art community, such as Chen Jin, Lin Yushan, Guo Xuehu, to complete the stone walls and sculptures of Zushi Temple together, making Zushi Temple a collective work of the artists.
In 1962, he devoted himself to the promotion of art education by teaching in the art departments of schools such as Chinese Culture University
The Chinese Culture University (CCU; ) is a private Taiwanese university located in Yangmingshan in Shilin District, Taipei, Taiwan. CCU was established in 1962 and is one of the largest universities in Taiwan with an enrollment of about 32,000 ...
, National Taiwan University of Arts
National Taiwan University of Arts (NTUA; ) is a university in Banqiao District, New Taipei City, Taiwan. It is the oldest and most prestigious art university in Taiwan.
History
National Taiwan University of Arts (NTUA) was established as the N ...
, and National Taiwan Normal University
National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU; ), or ''Shīdà'' is an institution of higher education and normal school operating out of three campuses in Taipei, Taiwan. NTNU is the leading research institute in such disciplines as Education and Lin ...
.
Painting style
The subjects of Li's paintings are depicted in a realist style and are primarily figures, landscapes, and still lifes. Even in the 1950s, when abstract art styles were in favor, his paintings still remained true to realism
Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to:
In the arts
*Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts
Arts movements related to realism include:
*Classical Realism
*Literary realism, a move ...
. Li’s paintings demonstrated strong local sentiments and his love for portraying local people and culture. His great love for Sanxia has produced scenic paintings of Sanxia such as ''Spring Dawn at Sanxia'' (1977) and ''Washing Clothes in the River'' (1981). He also loved to use his family members as models for his paintings and used photographs to provide an outline or base for his work. Li emphasized the characteristics of the people he was painting through details such as the patterns of their clothing and subject’s relationship with the background.
See also
* Li Mei-shu Memorial GalleryReferences
External links
Li Mei-shu Memorial Gallery, Taiwan Site
Li Mei-shu Memorial Gallery
人間國寶 梅樹先
Starting Out from 23.5°N: Chen Cheng-po, Academia Sinica Digital Center (ASDC)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Mei-shu Taiwanese sculptors Taiwanese people of Hoklo descent Artists from New Taipei 1902 births 1983 deaths 20th-century sculptors Tokyo School of Fine Arts alumni Politicians of the Republic of China on Taiwan from New Taipei National Taiwan Normal University faculty National Taiwan University of Arts faculty Chinese Culture University faculty