Taiwan Today

Paul Chiang has journeyed around the world to make his mark, drawing inspiration from sources ranging from Western classical music to the landscape of eastern Taiwan.

Hidden away along the coast of the scenic southeastern county of Taitung, Jinzun has long been popular with surfers in Taiwan thanks to its large, uncrowded beaches overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Surrounded by tall mountains but easily accessible from Provincial Highway 11, it has also inspired generations of artists and free thinkers, none more so than 78-year-old Paul Chiang (江賢二), a tall, lean man with a short ponytail pulled tightly behind his head. “Setting up my studio in this location has brought me a lot of joy,” he said.

Chiang’s happiness is on full display in many of the works he has made since relocating from Taipei City in 2008, such as the oil painting series Pisilian, meaning “the place where goats graze” in the language of the indigenous Amis people. But like many artists, Chiang also has a darker side that drives his creativity. These different moods were all visible during the “Paul Chiang: A Retrospective” exhibition at Taipei Fine Arts Museum, which ran from March until June this year and was the largest ever showcase of the artist’s portfolio since he began his career 55 years ago.

Humble Beginnings

Long before anyone knew his name, Chiang started on his path as an artist at Taipei-based National Taiwan Normal University, where he demonstrated potential with his abstract and semi-abstract drawings. Months before graduation in the summer of 1965, he took part in a group exhibition with two classmates at what is now National Taiwan Museum. His first solo display was held the following year at the same institution before Chiang relocated to Paris to further his career.

Soon after, the artist moved once more, this time to New York City, an up-and-coming center of global arts. For three decades, Chiang was an eyewitness to many of the century’s artistic trends and styles that developed in the Big Apple. But amid the fast-paced city life, it was the time-tested sounds of classical music that proved a major source of inspiration for the artist, such as for his Transfigured Night series, named after a string sextet by German composer Arnold Schoenberg.

Although a fruitful period for his development, Chiang faced many challenges professionally in New York. He was once advised in person by Ivan Karp, the former agent of American pop art icon Andy Warhol, to quit painting while he was still young enough to switch careers. “There were times when he felt quite lonely as an artist, but he chose to persevere and be true to himself,” said Stanley Yen (嚴長壽), a former entrepreneur in the hotel industry with many connections to Taiwan’s art scene. First introduced to Chiang’s work in the late 1990s, Yen has since built a personal relationship with the artist.

Chiang’s career took an unexpected turn when his father was injured in a fall in 1995. Flying back regularly to Taiwan for visits, the artist began to rediscover a love for his home country. He remembers it as a time of intense inspiration: “I barely ate or slept because I was so absorbed in painting. I often had dinner at midnight after working on a piece for hours in a row,” he said. This period saw Chiang begin the Hundred Year Temple series of paintings featuring local religious iconography such as candles, joss sticks and Buddha statues, as well as a series aptly named Home.

With his creativity unlocked, Chiang began to produce some of his finest work, but he never allowed himself to become too comfortable. “I would start a new series every few years to avoid getting into an artistic rut,” he said.

In the following decade, the artist produced a variety of signature series including Silver Lake, based on his time living in the Los Angeles neighborhood of the same name. According to Yen, the paintings are remarkable for their use of darkness and light. “Somehow they make you feel unusually calm and peaceful,” he said.

Fresh Perspective

The move to Jinzun provided Chiang with an opportunity to live a different kind of life than he experienced in the bustling metropolises he had called home for several decades. The village’s secluded location surrounded by breathtaking natural scenery took his career in a new direction. In 2015, the artist undertook a redevelopment of his Jinzun studio to create the Paul Chiang Art Center with assistance from Yen’s The Alliance Cultural Foundation, which was established to boost cultural development in eastern Taiwan. In addition to Chiang’s personal creation area, it features an art gallery and five residential studios.

According to Jason Wang (王嘉驥), an art critic and curator of Chiang’s retrospective in Taipei, the artist was once known for covering the windows of his studio, but he decided to quit the decadeslong habit after moving to Jinzun. “The way the light plays off of the blue seas and green mountains of Taitung through the now uncovered windows all became new elements in his art,” he said.

Employing oil and mixed media including refuse like wire mesh and used brushes, Chiang’s Jinzun series created from 2017 to 2019 illustrates the artist’s ability to explore new frontiers. It features four pieces depicting the seasons in an abstract style. The repurposing of waste objects for artistic ends was also on display in “Jinzun/Transfigured Night,” a piece made using spray-painted scrap iron wires especially for the 2020 retrospective.

The 3D work, which rotates slowly in a dedicated gallery, is open to interpretation. For Wang, it represents Chiang’s lifelong love affair with art, a journey that has taken its creator across multiple continents and seen him spend countless days drawing the world in his own unmistakable style. As for Chiang, he has no plans for retirement. “I feel more inspired to create now than I ever have before,” he said.

Write to Oscar Chung at mhchung@mofa.gov.tw