Artist Lee Tai-yuan was born in , southern in 1949. Before graduating from the Department of Fine Arts at National Taiwan University of Arts (formerly National Taiwan Junior College of Arts) in 1972, he won first prize in a nationwide watercolor competition for undergraduates the same year. He has been painting since then with shows of his works held in , and . These images of Lee's work are selected from a book of his paintings entitled 2007 Taiwan Impressions. In the foreword to the book, Lee writes about the experiences that have shaped his life as an artist.
"I remember one time in oil painting class, the teacher said, 'You don't need to say too much about a good picture or use a lot of written words to dress it up.' At that time, I was young and somewhat frivolous. I thought the professor's words made sense, but, actually, I could not get the main point."
"Now, after all these years, I've had the profound experience of that professor's words. With creativity and ideas, executed in a fine and natural way, a work certainly does not need unnecessary language or written anecdotes to be complete."
"When I'm facing the first stroke of a new work, I aim to capture the harmony between people and scenery. Then, wielding my brush heartily, I enter a realm outside myself. There is a feeling of 'release' that is like a fountain pouring through me, giving me inspiration, flitting here and there like the dance of a butterfly. I look and I grasp the scene. In the finished work there's no need for a lot of language or written words adorning it, just time to admire the view and contemplate it for a few seconds, so that viewers can get a simple yet steadfast sense of Taiwanese taste."
"Painting has been my whole life, but for the past three years, while I've still been painting I've also realized that 'taking care of one's body helps to cultivate a calm spirit.' Every morning very early, I set out for a nearby park to do the 37 postures and 108 movements of tai chi chuan and greet the start of a new day. Ah, it feels great! Not only does it help me enter my senior years with vitality and health, but it has also boosted my skill with the paintbrush."
"In the past, I wielded the brush almost with a kind of aggression, which showed in the final work. Gradually, my paintings have become steadier and brighter, with each level clearly demarcated, until finally the real image can be discerned and the entire scene is filled, images full of tension and confidence. This has become the picture of that I want to express."
Copyright © 2009 by Lee Tai-yuan
Jinan Presbyterian Church
2007
91 x 72.5 cm
(Courtesy of Lee Tai-yuan)
Under the Trees at Shenkeng
2007
72.5 x 91 cm
(Courtesy of Lee Tai-yuan)
Lotus Pond, Competing Beauties
2007
72.5 x 91 cm
(Courtesy of Lee Tai-yuan)
Colored Clouds of a Bitan Sunset
2006
60.5 x 72.5 cm
(Courtesy of Lee Tai-yuan)