Lin Yushan (; 1 April 1907 – 20 August 2004), originally named Lin Yinggui (), was a Taiwanese visual artist.

Early life

Lin was raised in a family-owned picture framing store. Lin grew up with an early passion for painting, and his first instructors were folk painters hired by his family. He also spent much of his early years learning from artists such as

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 Isaka Kyokko.

Education

Between 1926 and 1929, he lived in

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 ...

and studied Oriental painting at the Kawabata Painting School. In 1927, his works ''Water Buffalo'' and ''Southern Gate'' were selected for the 1st (''Taiten''), where, together with Chen Jin and Guo Xuehu, he became known as one of the “''Taiten''’s Up-and-Coming Talents”. After this, he was selected in each subsequent year of the ''Taiten''. His works ''Lotus Pond'', ''Sugar Cane'', and ''Evening Glow'' were named as special selections for the 4th, 6th, and 7th ''Taiten''s, respectively.

Work and public life

Aside from participating in exhibitions, he also actively participated in various types of painting societies such as Chiayi's Chun-Meng Painting Society, Crow Society, Mo-Yang Painting Group, and the Zili Society, as well as Northern painting societies like the “Sandalwood Association” and the “Liguang Society”. In order to advance his art Lin went back to

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

to continue advanced studies at Insho Domoto's Art School Tokyusha from 1935 to 1936. During this time, he imitated the styles of

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

painters and became better acquainted with

Chinese painting Chinese painting () is one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world. Painting in the traditional style is known today in Chinese as ''guó huà'' (), meaning "national painting" or "native painting", as opposed to Western style ...

. Starting in 1938, he drew illustrations for serialized novels in newspapers and popular fiction books. The illustrations for Yang Kui’s interpretations of

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220– ...

and

Journey to the West ''Journey to the West'' () is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the greatest Classic Chinese Novels, and has been described as arguably the most popu ...

were among Lin's famous works. In 1946, he served as a juror for the Chinese Painting Section of the 1st Taiwan Provincial Art Exhibition. In 1972, after

gouache Gouache (; ), body color, or opaque watercolor is a water-medium paint consisting of natural pigment, water, a binding agent (usually gum arabic or dextrin), and sometimes additional inert material. Gouache is designed to be opaque. Gouache h ...

paintings were removed from the Taiwan Provincial Art Exhibitions, he and some other gouache painters formed the “Chang Liu Painting Society”. In addition to his creative work, Lin also contributed to the education of new artistic talents. He taught at Provincial Chiayi Senior High School and Blessed Imelda's School. In 1951, he was hired by the Art Department of National Taiwan Normal University, where he stayed until his retirement in 1977.http://chenchengpo.asdc.sinica.edu.tw

Contributions to art

Lin promoted en

plein air ''En plein air'' (; French for 'outdoors'), or ''plein air'' painting, is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein air' painting ...

painting, which he considered an important foundation of painting. His work centered thematically on bird-and-flower, landscapes, and figures. Before 1946, most of his works used a fine-brush technique. Afterwards, he shifted toward a more freehand style while continuing to use fine-brush techniques. Among Lin's works, some are characterized by abstraction, such as 1966's Ivy. In addition to his paintings, Lin also wrote reflections on his creative experiences and life as an artist. His written works include 1955's “Vicissitudes of the Way of Art”, 1964's “A Study of Bird-and-Flower Painting”, and 1968's “An Outline of the Beginning of Chinese Painting”.

References

External links