Preface from Art Center

Since the European Renaissance, oil painting has been the main medium for Western visual artists. Oil painting also has a long history in China. For example, there are records of paintings being done in oil and silk in the Han Dynasty, and a variety of oil painting techniques are also recorded in the Ming Dynasty. It is generally believed that the Dutch invented oil painting around the 15th century, and then was gradually popularized throughout Europe through its use by Italian masters. Oil painting has remained a mainstay in the art world due to the consistency of its color over time and the ease with which the paint can be layered and not become blended and muddied. This allows painters to create effects by contrasting light and dark and layering pigments to create paintings with vivid colors and three-dimensional effects.

Following several recent exhibitions of oriental ink wash and glue color paintings, the Art Center of National Chin-Yi University of Technology is proud to host three outstanding contemporary oil painters to jointly exhibit 23 pieces of artwork. These paintings showcase each artist’s distinctive style. We believe the beauty of these oil paintings will heighten the aesthetic atmosphere of campus and inspire greater appreciation of beauty and the arts in and around our campus community.

Yang, Yen-Nang’s work evinces a deep and personal style. Below the surface of abstract beauty, the works show intimations of figurative meaning. The depth of meaning evident in these intriguing works has inspired and instructed other artists for many years. Yang, Yen-Nang is a jury member of important domestic art exhibitions, including the Taiyang Art Exhibition, The National 100 No. 100 Exhibition, and Yushan Art Exhibition, among others. In addition to winning the grand prize in the oil painting category, Yang has also been awarded pre-qualification status in the National Oil Painting Exhibition.

Lai, Wei-Yen has been a well-known painter in the Taipei gallery scene since 1975. The stacking of colors and his use of tone are superb and pleasing to the eye. Lai, Wei-Yen often uses seemingly abstract color blocks to suggest beautiful scenes from the situations he sees in various places. Since 1986, Lai has presented more than 50 solo and joint exhibitions in Taiwan and abroad. He is also a jury member of many art competitions, including the Mountain Jade Art Award, which is one of Taiwan’s premier art exhibitions.

Lin, Shien-Mao is the former president of the Taiwan International Art Association. He is also an academician and one of the current committee members of the Taiwan National Exhibition Committee for Art, as well as the preparatory member and reviewer of the National 100 Oil Painting Exhibition. As early as 1980, Lin, Shien-Mao was awarded the Merit Award at the 34th Taiwan Art Award. Lin often uses geometric figures to shuttle the screen, and the structures he creates in his paintings create transformations of time and space. Thus, the idea behind his works seems to be an extreme spiritual self-searching at the level of virtuality and reality, and the overall aesthetics of the works combine natural charm with master thinking.

The three artists in this "Joint Exhibition of Three Oil Painting Artists" are currently three of Taiwan’s key painters, and their artistry exerts a profound influence on the development of Taiwan’s fine arts. The Art Center of National Chin-Yi University of Technology is honored to invite these outstanding painters to this joint exhibition on our campus, giving our faculty members, staff, students and the broader community the opportunity to experience these fine works of art. I would like to express my sincere thanks to them.

 Director of the Art Center of National Chin-Yi University of Technology

Chen, Xian-Lian