Taiwan Today

Artist Tien Wen-pi loves the process, no matter the medium.

Tien Wen-pi (田文筆) felt a great sense of relief after he completed his most ambitious art project to date, sculpting busts of 100 famous Taiwan artists over the course of a decade starting in 2011. The sculptor was thrilled to subsequently launch an exhibition of his work touring nine cities and counties across the country from December 2021 to January 2023. “These artists inspired and enriched the art world with their unique views,” Tien said. “I wanted to pay tribute to them by sculpting their portraits from life to capture their personality and spirit. At the same time, I consciously reinterpreted the subjects through my own philosophy and technique.”
 
Lu Yen-ching (呂燕卿), a professor in the Department of Arts and Design at National Tsing Hua University in northern Taiwan’s Hsinchu City, admires Tien for his stamina in carrying out the labor-intensive project. To begin with, it was not easy to gain the consent of established figures like Li Chi-mao (李奇茂), Han Hsiang-ning (韓湘寧) and Lo Fong (羅芳) to be portrayed, as aside from their personal art projects, they had busy schedules due to their other roles as professors, museum directors or chairs of arts and cultural organizations. Tien also needed persuade them of his own standing as an artist.


Head Start
  To sculpt realistic busts, Tien visited the artists in their studios, taking photos and measurements, and conducted in-depth interviews about their lives, challenges and preferred medium. “The artists generously shared their creative processes and stories, so each visit was a rewarding experience,” he said. “Our interactions offered insights into their personalities while widening my knowledge of different art forms, mediums and techniques.” After finishing each clay maquette, Tien invited the model to come to his studio and sought their approval to continue to the next stages of molding and casting. “Using his observation and technique, Tien yielded accurate representations of physical characteristics that also radiated vitality,” Lu said. “Each of his portraits captures a fleeting moment of recognizable expression and gesture characteristic of the subject. Tien’s portraiture is more than a record of appearance; it also conveys something of the subject’s inner life.” According to Lu, the sculpture project featuring artists born between the 1920s and 1960s is significant because they are all national treasures and their own bodies of work reflect both personal and collective zeitgeist. Tien’s portraits are a distinctive part of the local artists’ legacies and act as memorials for those who passed away during the project.

Always Art
Born and raised on Xiaoliuqiu Island just off southern Taiwan’s Pingtung County, Tien has always felt drawn to the sea. “The ocean has played a very important role in my life, especially when I was a child,” he said. “My father was a fishing boat captain and his boat was like a big toy for me. It inspired me to use everyday objects to create models.” Tien developed an interest in drawing at an early age and gained self-confidence through art activities at school. Coastal communities, fishing vessels and ports became his favorite subjects, harking back to his childhood memories.

  Between graduating from a vocational high school of the arts with a major in sculpture and entering university, Tien worked as a teaching assistant at Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts’ Learning Resource Center in southern Taiwan from 1999 to 2003. The center frequently invited printmaking instructors to teach, igniting his interest in print technique. Tien took an undergraduate degree in fine arts at National Taiwan University of the Arts (NTUA) based in New Taipei City and then went on to its graduate school. Chung You-hui (鐘有輝), honorary art director in the International Printmaking Center at Taipei City-based National Taiwan Normal University, tutored Tien during his master’s degree in printmaking at NTUA, providing both practical and friendly support. Chung was full of enthusiasm for the portrait project and admired Tien’s down-to-earth attitude and perseverance. “He is a diligent, innovative and intelligent artist, as shown by the choice of subject. It was an arduous undertaking, but at the same time, he has made a name for himself,” Chung said. Calling Tien multitalented and prolific, he added that he loves seeing the new pieces the artist produces and his evolution over the years.

Flexible Creation
  The art director said that Tien is distinguished by working in multiple mediums including paint and print, as well as teaching, publishing collections of his work and serving as president of a painting group. “Tien is always keen to try something new, experimenting with a variety of materials, techniques and tools,” he said. “The artist has other arts-based engagements that allow him to diversify his income stream and build a sustainable career.” Of his mentor, Tien said, “Professor Chung taught me not only essential skills but also how to find inspiration and a personal visual language. He enhanced my ability to think critically and see creative projects through to conclusion.”

Tien has taken up different printmaking techniques including intaglio, lithography, relief and stenciling because they cover a wide range of approaches from freehand cutting to meticulous engraving, as well as ink plate and print pressing. He also made a series of prints that folded into 3D forms. “The process of cutting away the negative space in a design or building up the print surface is fun and therapeutic,” Tien said. “The most interesting thing about printmaking is results vary when you try something new. The reveal of the final print is exhilarating. Imperfections are what makes print special.” Time and experience refine skills and give control over the outcome, he added. Tien combines traditional woodcutting tools such as chisels, gouges and knives with an electric sander to even out surfaces to a smooth texture. His woodcut prints have won awards in Taiwan’s International Biennial Print Exhibit: ROC, National Printmaking Exhibition and New Year Print Competition, besides receiving the Chinese Literary Award and the grand prize given by the Paris Foundation of Art, both based in Taipei.
  Present Joy
  Whether simple or sophisticated, prints are challenging but give almost immediate results. The more intricate the design, the harder it is to realize as smaller cutting tools and an attention to detail are vital. “It’s a highly technical and laborious process, but it’s possible to make an original print in one day,” Tien said. “By comparison, a painting or sculpture takes days, weeks or years. Printmaking is a very practical process for me, while painting is subjective and expressive.”

“Compared to printmaking and sculpture, I feel more freedom in color, form, line and shape in oil painting,” Tien said. “I aspire to create pieces that reflect myself and my surroundings, evoke emotions and connect with viewers.” He feels that working in multiple disciplines brings refreshing change to his daily art practice. That is especially true since he can switch to a different medium when he runs into a bottleneck with his current piece.
  For Tien, art is a journey rather than a destination, and he has found passion, purpose and fulfillment as an artist. “Whatever the art form, I enjoy the process of creation for its own sake,” he said. “My mission is to keep creating art that makes an impact. Hopefully, one day I will be recognized as a great artist, just like those I featured in my portrait project.” 
 

Write to Kelly Her at kher@mofa.gov.tw