● The purpose of Oriental water-ink painting is not objectively painted out objects, but to depict the spirit. Through the colorful mined of the artist, together with the bold neglecting and emphasis techniques that are not used in sketching, he could then create a “lively and touching” style water-ink painting. Mr. Chiang Ming-shyan was such a rare composer that could inherit the traditional spirit successfully. Being a devotee to promote the rich water-ink paintings to bear modern creativity, I sincerely hope Mr. Chiang Ming-shyan can reach a higher peak in his future efforts and paintings.(From “An Appreciation of the Works of Chiang Ming Shyan,” Chiang Ming Shyan Painting Collection, Tokyo Mikimoto Gallery,1978)
● The painter Chiang Ming-shyan has passed through a long arduous process in this art. He was educated both in Taiwan and American artists. Excelling in water color painting and also skilled in oils, he has always concentrated most of his efforts on ink painting and is dedicated to revitalizing this traditional Chinese art from. He paints by day and reads by night,searching for the inter-relationship between art,literature and philosophy,and thus advancing daily in his studies.drawing on his quiet observations of the nature of appearance and his everyday personal experiences,he moves from the concrete to the intuitive,taking what he will and leaving what he will,stressing the essential and de-emphasizimg the non-essential.in his pursuit of a thorough expressing of likeness and spirit consonance,the interplay of his ink and colors produces a distinctive flavor. Viewing his paintings is like reading poems: they refresh and delight the eye and heart,yet reach the depths of profundity.Though today his ink paintimgs are Chinese,are Eastern,someday they will certainly be recognized by the world.(From “Water and Ink – Form and Harmony: Thoughts on Viewing Chiang Ming Shyan’s Recent Works” ,Art Magazine,May 1980)
● When Chiang Ming-shyan won first prize in the Faculty exhibition of the Faculty of Fine Art at National Taiwan Normal University,he had already laid the foundations of his career as a landscape painter.During his time in Taiwan,he worked with exemplary diligence and reaped rich rewards. In the course of his many years studying in Europe and America, he absorbed much from western art and through sketching and watercolour poured his knowledge into his landscapes. His highly discipilined approach has allowed him to plumb the secrets of both Chinese and western art. While studiously avoiding any hint of preciousness, he has already established himself as an outstanding painter.
Although I hardly dare claim that I know him better than anyone simply because I was his teacher, I nevertheless have observed with interest the enthusiastic progress Chiang Ming-Shyan has made in his studies. His manner of painting can be adduced as a powerful proof of the theory that Chinese an western art can be combined together, and to cite his particular career as an example is to show how difficult the path of original creativity can be. Why do we praise painting as immortal? And why do artists in the west receive such honor in their society? At least his can be explained as far as oriental painting is concerned, with its uniquely individual tradition; and here is a man who is a match for this intellectual challenge.(From “Viewing the Creative Process through the Art of Chiang Ming Shyan” ,Min Sheng Daily,May1981) Kuo Jen
Professor, Department of Fine Arts, National Taiwan Normal University
● Bold and delicate style, clear and strong expression, and full of mysteries. After his several exhibitions at Glkihon Gallery in Tokyo and the Mizukoshi Department Store in Nagoya, Mr. Chiang Ming-shyan gained remarkable recognition from Japan.( Chiang Ming Shyan Painting Collection, Tokyo Mikimoto Gallery1985) Dr.Tadawo Sakai Chairman of the Asian Cultural Studies Association in Japan
● The creative method and thinking process will eventually assist an artist to elicit the poetic atmosphere in his works, as the realm of his imagination is expanded by incessant contemplation and searching for themes. Chiang Ming-shyan puts the wise maxim of “traveling thousands of miles” to practice by touring magnificent landscapes of the world to obtain original inspiration. He also diligently “studies thousands of books” so as to broaden his mind. His diligence contributes to the construction of atmosphere in his works. He is thus able to transplant the exquisite poetic sense he has developed into his own paintings. His works bear a unique quality of his own.(From“CHIANG MING –SHYAN-INK PAINTINGS”,The Hong Kong Institute for Promotion of Chinese Culture,January1988) Van Lau Chairman, Board of Directors
The Hong Kong Institute for Promotion of Chinese Culture
● I was lucky to have the chance to view Chiang Ming-shyan’s water-ink painting at the Chinese Fine Arts Museum in Beijing in 1988. We were surprised by his traditional roots and modern flavor. At that time, we did not have too much information about the arts development in Taiwan. The general impression of Taiwanese arts was anti-tradition and quite avant-grade. Mr. Chiang’s works brought us a new message that many young men in Taiwan still worked very hard on traditional water-ink painting, and have also obtained noticeable results. Furthermore, his exhibition provided new information for the arguments on the future of water-ink painting in Mainland China. To sum up, Mr. Chiang’s exhibition was meaningful not only to himself, but also very influential at that time.(From “Thoughts on Chiang Ming Shyan’s Vivid and Vigorous Ink Paintings,” Collection Magazine,January 1990) Shau Da-Jen Professor of Chinese art history Beijin Central Academy of Fine Arts
● Chiang Ming-shyan’s unique style is the result of both his academic background and the combination of Eastern and Western ideas and techniques. He still inherits the Chinese intellectual philosophy, emphasizing the frame mind and style in his creating process. But he applies western techniques, concepts of dimension and perspective on the arrangement and form and of his painting. Chiang Ming-shyan tries to provide other possibilities for the dying intellectual paintings by combing Eastern and western artistic spirit, techniques, accurate composition and various colors.(From “Clouds Surge and Mountains Move – The World of Chiang Ming Shyan’s Ink Painting,” Artist Magazine,1992)
Hsieh Dong-Shan Art critic
● He sincerely and carefully applies the spirit and techniques of Western painting to traditional Chinese painting. Therefore, he creates his unique style by changing the quality of Chinese water-ink painting. His style is fresh and touching.(From“The Ink Paintings of Chiang Mingshyan, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts Publication,March1994) Liou Dang-he
Director of the Fine Arts Museum of Taiwan
● Mr .Chiang Ming-shyan breaks the rules of intellectual artists. He observes and experiences variously and profoundly. Sometimes he takes exotic materials or real life as his subjects. Through his spiritual examination and special techniques, an exotic shape is presented with Chinese spirit, in water-ink painting. This makes him unique.(From“ The World of Chiang Mingshyan’s Ink Paintings”, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts Publications,March 1994)
Liou Kuen-Fu Arts Critic
● I’ve known Chiang Ming-shyan, the water-ink painter, for twenty-five years. I was attracted and moved by his freshness of practical techniques. I find that he is a talented artist because he always catches the spirit of the time and expresses it impressively.
Mr.Chiang is a water-ink painter without doubt, for he is an Oriental composer. In other words, he refines Chinese traditional tools and develops his own specialties. Therefore, he is not only an important figure in Taiwan but also in Northeastern Asia as a water-ink painter.(From“ Joyous Landscapes – Native Sentiments: Chiang Ming Shyan Puts Art Into Life”,Collection Magazine,April 1994)
Hwang Kuang-Nan Director of the National History Museum
● This illustrates Mr. Chiang’s vision of the two great traditions with which he works. We at Pacific Asia Museum are particularly interested in artists who exhibit cross-cultural influences and certainly, Mr. Chiang is one of these artists. His masterful use of washes and the subtle coloring in his work creates a subtle mood which transfixes those who view his paintings. (From“THE ART OF CHIANG MING –SHYAN”, Pacific Asia Museum,U.S.AJuly 1998)
David Kamansky Director of Pacific Asia Museum
● From the periods of Chiang’s art works, we discover that other than inheriting and promoting the traditional culture, his early style uses water-ink in depicting foreign images, simple yet deep, with an uncommon atmosphere. In his middle period, his works are unique in presenting a grandness and boundlessness, reaching the zenith of creation after traveling extensively in the Mainland. After he was fifty years old, with the rising consciousness in the culture of China as homeland and the Taiwan local consciousness, he interprets his home with a broader perspective. His style has stabilized and traces of intricate thoughts are evident and frequent in his works. A cultural memory often looms in his art. Landscape paintings of the east ultimately use the mind in understanding and creating Nature; their power to touch people is all the more mightier. In contrast to the water-ink paintings of the revolution movements of late Qing that strive for the beauty of form, Chiang’s works differ from the subjectivity of the traditional literati. His works score a higher success with subjective interpretations and objective, intricate ways of representation. Hence the atmosphere is more capable of grasping people’s subjective understanding toward objects. Although Chiang’s compositions arise from tradition, they are ever-changing and his meticulous and rational control is a special ability in capturing the objects.(From“Native Yearnings and Modern Ink Painting’s New Artistic Conception”,Artist Magazine,June 2005) Pan Fan
Director of the Centre of Asian arts, Fo Guang University
● What must be pointed out is that Prof. Chiang Ming-Shyan has traveled again and again in China ever since his first exhibition in Mainland China in 1988. This has a definite effect on his art and style today. Chiang watches closely China’s modern art, whose influence is often concretely reflected in his works. Chiang has benefited from his cultural inheritance and personal experiences in both Taiwan and China. His works are among the best Chinese modern ink-and-color paintings, and his significance as an artist is recognized not only in Taiwan.(From“Integrating East and West-Breaking New Ground:A Preliminary Discussion of the Art of Chiang Ming-Shyan,”Chinese Art News,july 2005) Chen Lushen
Critic , Research Fellow National Art Musuem of China
● The fifth way is “airy perspective” or “bird’s eye-view perspective,” which places the focal point on or above the middle zone of the painting. In the paintings of modern architecture, for example, he gives more details to the roofs than the lower walls and the court yards. In other words, he tries to eliminate the severe space of depth which emphasizes the logical relation between the front and the back. Since the front scenes have been visionary, no matter how realistic the painting is, the scenes appear as if they are floating in air or on water. The airy perspective composition, long used by Chinese painters, can elevate the viewers in the air to experience the spectacular scenes of the world.
The last strategy he likes to use is the “leaving empty space” in painting. This is also an idea extensively used in Chinese painting. While the empty space is filled out with calligraphy, it adds a sense of abstraction to the scene. This is a good way to bring the aesthetics of East and West together. Using these skills, Mr. Chiang gives his paintings of modern and classic architecture a poetic aura of Chinese art.(From“Painting by Chaing Ming-Shyan”,Collection Magazin,July 2005)
Arthur Mu-sen Kao
Professor of Chinese art history ,San Jos’e University, U.S.A.
● on n’en finira pas de constater l’heureuse osmose établie par l’artiste entre Orient et occident, sans que l’un prenne le pas sur l’autre. Et on concluera cette brève étude sur l’ œuvre exemplaire de Chiang Ming-shyan, rebelle à tous les embrigadements, tant elle lui est propre, en soulignant que chez lui, nature et culture se rejoignent autour d’un double postulat spirituel et philosophique, où la poids de la sensation coutribue à cimenter son dialoque avce le monde. (“Chiang Ming-shyan—Une heureuse synthèse”- From Symposium on the Works of Chiang Ming Shyan, sponsored by the National Art Museum of China, July 2005) Gerard Xuriguera French art critic
● Seemingly quick and unrestrained, in fact, the brushwork of the artist Chiang Ming-Shyan is filled with the beauty of power and fluency. The intercrossing straight lines are replete with the rise and fall of rationality. Seemingly disheveled, the art works are graceful and effortless. Chiang’s style has a special rhythm to it, like the wind and rain, the sharp and free lines undulate with confidence and ease.(From““From Modernism to Post-modernism – The Development, Characteristics, and Meanings of Chiang Ming Shyan’s Ink Painting”, China Arts Magazine, Beijing,July 2005) Tseng Su-Liang
Professor of Graduate Institute of Fine Arts, NTNU
● The brushwork of the artist is as if inherited from the ancestors. The brush freely and easily gallops across his art. The artist employs simple forms to present his keen observations of life, which allow viewers to be touched right before his paintings. Moreover, his paintings exude a thick and rich “vitality” (qi). To me, the vitality is what Laozi once said: “Only unconscious and unclear, only unclear and unconscious”—a state of existence bolstering the world of appearance. This is the spirit and essence of “Tao.” This state cannot be reached without long years of assiduous study and deep reflections on objects. (From“The Art of Chiang Ming Shyan – Exploring His Origins”,Chinese Art News ,July 2005)
Mineko Mori Japanese art critic
● After nearly a hundred years of conflict and paradox, and having passed through the theoretical controversies of the mid-twentieth century, the art world has definitely begun to move in the direction of “East-West synthesis.” On viewing the radiance given off by Chiang Ming Shyan’s works and his painterly conception, from the perspective of world art history, I boldly regard him as having striven to absorb the essence of Chinese literati painting, and then, emerging from it, continued to move forward in contemporary “new literati painting,” his brushwork technique expressing both East Asian and Western aesthetics! Thus, I have written “Roaming the Universe – Looking Back on the World: Chiang Ming Shyan’s Neo-Humanistic Expressionist Conception of Ink Painting” for the traveling exhibition held at Sun Yat-sen Memorial in Taipei, National Art Museum of China in Beijing, Shanghai Art Museum, and Guangdong Art Museum. In the essay I examine the course of Professor Chiang’s artistic development and creative style from the standpoint of the Evolutionary Perspective of Aesthetics, and in the 21st century I have given him a basic developmental viewpoint: “Neo-Humanistic Expressionist” Ink and Watercolor Conception. Adopting the aesthetic perspective, I have proposed a new interpretative meaning; also, at the beginning of the 21st century, I proactively, optimistically, and in a forthright manner respond to the questions raised in Professor Shao Dazhen’s “Contemporary Chinese Painting Under the Assault of Globalization (2004).” After reading this monumental work, under the inspiration of Professor Shao, I offer this response: I want to give the collective works of Chiang Ming Shyan – from the time he was sixteen years-old to the present – a label: “Neo-Humanistic Expressionism,” or “NHE.” Coming to Beijing, I want to announce to the world: “A new century is coming and it belongs to Chiang Ming Shyan!” I want to let him be like mercury spilled on a floor – there’s no crack it won’t run into – to penetrate and spread far into the international art world. (From “Symposium on the Works of Chiang Ming Shyan,” sponsored by the National Art Museum of China, July 2005) Guo Wen-Fu
Professor,Department of Philosophy, National Taiwan University
● Chiang Ming Shyan’s exhibition here was very well received. What is more important, however, is the criticism and advice he received from all sectors. This is the true value of his Beijing exhibition. When a painter puts his works on display, he is not really showing anything; he is using his research to conduct a test and allowing the public to witness it, an act that requires great courage. Therefore, the exhibition can be seen as the artist lying on an operating table and allowing everyone to view his naked body. In coming together to view Chiang Ming Shyan’s art, reviewing and criticizing it are more important in giving him a place in history than simply admiring it. Chiang Ming Shyan is an artist in his prime; he’s like a game of chess that is still being played – the outcome is as of yet uncertain. So, coming together to discuss and research his futurity, and the macro-environment he will face in what kind of era – this is more important to the direction of our discussion today than giving him a place in history. Chiang Ming Shyan was born in the Taichung countryside. When I returned to Taiwan from abroad, I lived in the area where he was born; it was then that I finally realized that Chiang had gradually come into contact with art in the countryside, and there developed an interest in art; only after that did he begin formal studies at the academy. He finished his studies, received good marks, and wanted to go abroad for further study. After he returned to Taiwan, with Taipei as his base, he pursued a career as an artist. There were two directions he could take: the first was to develop his career internationally; the second was to return to the Taichung countryside and give something back to his place of birth. (From “Symposium on the Works of Chiang Ming Shyan, sponsored by the National Art Museum of China, July 2005)
Xie Li-Fa Professor, Department of Fine Arts, National Taiwan Normal University
● Looking back on the fruits of Chiang Ming Shyan’s decades of artistic exploration, I feel that his ink creations possess the vivid characteristics of integration and comprehensiveness. His work is built on a strong and solid artistic foundation; East and West, tradition and modernity, ink and oil colors, sketching and ink drawing…all are used in his works, he makes use of them all. As he sees it, these elements are not mutually exclusive or contradictory, but can be linked together to interact with each other. He does not hesitate to make use of these tools to increase the depth and breadth of his expressive language, to strengthen the expressive power of his work. The main element in the formation of the integrative nature of his art was the diversity of influences he diligently cultivated and built on. Artistically, he was not a “picky eater;” regardless of whether it was traditional or modern, academic or avant-garde, as long as it was good, expressive art, he admired and absorbed it. In Europe, he fell in love with El Greco, Velasquez, Rembrandt, Goya, Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Cezanne; he also thoroughly admired Kandinsky and Dali. In America, he praised Pollock and St. Francis’ innovative spirit, yet at the same time was deeply moved by the bucolic sentiment in Andrew Wyeth’s work. In Japan, he carefully researched trends in Japanese ink painting, humbly emulating Japanese artists’ professionalism and diligence. He was particularly affected by the rigorous composition and aesthetic power of Ikuo Hirayama “Silk Road” paintings. In China, he was influenced by the power of Liu Haisu’s painting style, and drew even greater inspiration from Li Keran’s time consuming ink-layering technique, in which layer upon layer of ink were built up to produce a dyed effect, creating a rich layered surface, simple yet resplendent. Absorbing the work of these masters not only broadened his horizons and enriched his painting skills, but also stimulated his creative courage and invigorated his innovative spirit. (From “Painting a New World – Chiang Ming Shyan’s Paintings”, Artist Magazine ,August 2005,) Shao Dazhen,
Director , Graduate School, China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing
●. In recent years Chiang Ming Shyan has gone to Taiwan’s scenic areas and historical sites in search of subject matter. His painting invests even ordinary scenery with a nostalgic, pensive quality that lingers on after one has viewed the work. In the past few years many painters have looked for creative material locally in Taiwan, but there are very few who can turn ordinary scenery into extraordinary works of art as he does. In addition to the traditional methods of Chinese painting, his ink and watercolor techniques include the use of perspective, as well as modernist oil painting techniques such as rubbing, imprinting, dripping, spraying, sprinkling, dyeing and others that he saw when he was studying abroad in New York. Chiang fuses the techniques of traditional Chinese painting with those of modern western painting, “embellishing the Oriental with the Occidental,” creating a unique style of painting. Landscape is the chief subject matter of traditional Chinese painting, but buildings and architecture are often the focus of Professor Chiang’s paintings, dominating the canvas. In these highly affective paintings of buildings we see his rich and concrete blending of Eastern and Western painting techniques. (From “Taiwan Art – Five Modern Masters Exhibition,” Aida Mitsuo Museum, Tokyo, April 2006 )
Wang Hsiu-hsiung,
Professor Emeritus, Department of Fine Arts Graduate School, N T NU
●The development of contemporary painting in Taiwan reflects the diversity of contemporary Chinese culture in a period of transition. This diversity is expressed not only by going beyond traditional methods and styles of East Asian art, but is also manifested in a more comprehensive conceptual approach and in-depth exposure to multi-dimensional East Asian cultural history and social reality. At this stage, Taiwanese artists’ cultural consciousness is not only abundant and developing it own history, it is also infusing painting with a new conceptual outlook. At present, no matter whether living abroad or in China or Taiwan, and no matter how dissimilar their backgrounds and styles may be, the work of contemporary Chinese artists is close to Neo-Humanism in content and spirit. This modern Neo-Humanism, integrating East and West, possesses the East Asian characteristics of ambiguity and marginality. What is meant by ambiguity and marginality? Simply put, an East Asian complex that can’t be shaken off, a Zen-like realm unconsciously revealed. Chiang Ming Shyan’s neo-humanistic spatial poetics, in spirit and content, come very near to this modern neo-humanistic style. (From “ Recent Paintings of Chiang Ming- Shyan”, published by Culture Affairs Bureau, Taichung City Goverment, October 2009 ) Dr. Tseng Chang-sheng (Pedro) Art critic
● Foy every successful artist, the historical opportunity of its success is an important aspect, which can seize the opportunity is another aspect of its success.In 1988, under Hong Kong Xinhua News Agency recommendation, Chiang Ming-Shyan went to the mainland visit on Ministry of Culture's invitation, and in Beijing China art museum and the Shanghai art museum hold exhibition tour, a cross cut off Forty years later the first exhibition in the mainland of Taiwanese painter. In the meantime, he had the honor to get to know the Li Keran, Wu Zuoren, Huang Miaozi, Cheng Shifa and a number of the painter, as well as lucky draw together with Mr. Liu Haisu "Mt. Huangshan grand appearance", since the beginning of the mainland mountains and rivers as the subject matter, and through this to enhance the feelings of the Chinese traditional culture. Therefore, to the 21st century, Chiang Ming-Shyan is actively walking in between the two sides, creating a number of the performance of natural and cultural landscape of the continent works. He treat the familiar natural and cultural landscape of Taiwan as well to create each screen carefully the performance of every beauty, making them the object of so many people heart. The reality of the portrayal, with its wide viewing angle of the natural and cultural landscape in the core content, but not rigidly stick to rigorous, lively and not random, revealing the "Chiang landscape" reality-based style.(From “Chiang Ming-Shyan artistic characteristics”, “famous modern Chinese Paintings - Chiang Ming-Shyan”, December 2011, Beijing People's Art Publishing House)
Chen Lu-Sheng Deputy director of the National Museum of China
Takachiyo Uemura Japanese Arts Critic
● The painter Chiang Ming-shyan has passed through a long arduous process in this art. He was educated both in Taiwan and American artists. Excelling in water color painting and also skilled in oils, he has always concentrated most of his efforts on ink painting and is dedicated to revitalizing this traditional Chinese art from. He paints by day and reads by night,searching for the inter-relationship between art,literature and philosophy,and thus advancing daily in his studies.drawing on his quiet observations of the nature of appearance and his everyday personal experiences,he moves from the concrete to the intuitive,taking what he will and leaving what he will,stressing the essential and de-emphasizimg the non-essential.in his pursuit of a thorough expressing of likeness and spirit consonance,the interplay of his ink and colors produces a distinctive flavor. Viewing his paintings is like reading poems: they refresh and delight the eye and heart,yet reach the depths of profundity.Though today his ink paintimgs are Chinese,are Eastern,someday they will certainly be recognized by the world.(From “Water and Ink – Form and Harmony: Thoughts on Viewing Chiang Ming Shyan’s Recent Works” ,Art Magazine,May 1980)
Yao Men-Ku Arts Critic
● When Chiang Ming-shyan won first prize in the Faculty exhibition of the Faculty of Fine Art at National Taiwan Normal University,he had already laid the foundations of his career as a landscape painter.During his time in Taiwan,he worked with exemplary diligence and reaped rich rewards. In the course of his many years studying in Europe and America, he absorbed much from western art and through sketching and watercolour poured his knowledge into his landscapes. His highly discipilined approach has allowed him to plumb the secrets of both Chinese and western art. While studiously avoiding any hint of preciousness, he has already established himself as an outstanding painter.
Although I hardly dare claim that I know him better than anyone simply because I was his teacher, I nevertheless have observed with interest the enthusiastic progress Chiang Ming-Shyan has made in his studies. His manner of painting can be adduced as a powerful proof of the theory that Chinese an western art can be combined together, and to cite his particular career as an example is to show how difficult the path of original creativity can be. Why do we praise painting as immortal? And why do artists in the west receive such honor in their society? At least his can be explained as far as oriental painting is concerned, with its uniquely individual tradition; and here is a man who is a match for this intellectual challenge.(From “Viewing the Creative Process through the Art of Chiang Ming Shyan” ,Min Sheng Daily,May1981) Kuo Jen
Professor, Department of Fine Arts, National Taiwan Normal University
● Bold and delicate style, clear and strong expression, and full of mysteries. After his several exhibitions at Glkihon Gallery in Tokyo and the Mizukoshi Department Store in Nagoya, Mr. Chiang Ming-shyan gained remarkable recognition from Japan.( Chiang Ming Shyan Painting Collection, Tokyo Mikimoto Gallery1985) Dr.Tadawo Sakai Chairman of the Asian Cultural Studies Association in Japan
● The creative method and thinking process will eventually assist an artist to elicit the poetic atmosphere in his works, as the realm of his imagination is expanded by incessant contemplation and searching for themes. Chiang Ming-shyan puts the wise maxim of “traveling thousands of miles” to practice by touring magnificent landscapes of the world to obtain original inspiration. He also diligently “studies thousands of books” so as to broaden his mind. His diligence contributes to the construction of atmosphere in his works. He is thus able to transplant the exquisite poetic sense he has developed into his own paintings. His works bear a unique quality of his own.(From“CHIANG MING –SHYAN-INK PAINTINGS”,The Hong Kong Institute for Promotion of Chinese Culture,January1988) Van Lau Chairman, Board of Directors
The Hong Kong Institute for Promotion of Chinese Culture
● I was lucky to have the chance to view Chiang Ming-shyan’s water-ink painting at the Chinese Fine Arts Museum in Beijing in 1988. We were surprised by his traditional roots and modern flavor. At that time, we did not have too much information about the arts development in Taiwan. The general impression of Taiwanese arts was anti-tradition and quite avant-grade. Mr. Chiang’s works brought us a new message that many young men in Taiwan still worked very hard on traditional water-ink painting, and have also obtained noticeable results. Furthermore, his exhibition provided new information for the arguments on the future of water-ink painting in Mainland China. To sum up, Mr. Chiang’s exhibition was meaningful not only to himself, but also very influential at that time.(From “Thoughts on Chiang Ming Shyan’s Vivid and Vigorous Ink Paintings,” Collection Magazine,January 1990) Shau Da-Jen Professor of Chinese art history Beijin Central Academy of Fine Arts
● Chiang Ming-shyan’s unique style is the result of both his academic background and the combination of Eastern and Western ideas and techniques. He still inherits the Chinese intellectual philosophy, emphasizing the frame mind and style in his creating process. But he applies western techniques, concepts of dimension and perspective on the arrangement and form and of his painting. Chiang Ming-shyan tries to provide other possibilities for the dying intellectual paintings by combing Eastern and western artistic spirit, techniques, accurate composition and various colors.(From “Clouds Surge and Mountains Move – The World of Chiang Ming Shyan’s Ink Painting,” Artist Magazine,1992)
Hsieh Dong-Shan Art critic
● He sincerely and carefully applies the spirit and techniques of Western painting to traditional Chinese painting. Therefore, he creates his unique style by changing the quality of Chinese water-ink painting. His style is fresh and touching.(From“The Ink Paintings of Chiang Mingshyan, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts Publication,March1994) Liou Dang-he
Director of the Fine Arts Museum of Taiwan
● Mr .Chiang Ming-shyan breaks the rules of intellectual artists. He observes and experiences variously and profoundly. Sometimes he takes exotic materials or real life as his subjects. Through his spiritual examination and special techniques, an exotic shape is presented with Chinese spirit, in water-ink painting. This makes him unique.(From“ The World of Chiang Mingshyan’s Ink Paintings”, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts Publications,March 1994)
Liou Kuen-Fu Arts Critic
● I’ve known Chiang Ming-shyan, the water-ink painter, for twenty-five years. I was attracted and moved by his freshness of practical techniques. I find that he is a talented artist because he always catches the spirit of the time and expresses it impressively.
Mr.Chiang is a water-ink painter without doubt, for he is an Oriental composer. In other words, he refines Chinese traditional tools and develops his own specialties. Therefore, he is not only an important figure in Taiwan but also in Northeastern Asia as a water-ink painter.(From“ Joyous Landscapes – Native Sentiments: Chiang Ming Shyan Puts Art Into Life”,Collection Magazine,April 1994)
Hwang Kuang-Nan Director of the National History Museum
● This illustrates Mr. Chiang’s vision of the two great traditions with which he works. We at Pacific Asia Museum are particularly interested in artists who exhibit cross-cultural influences and certainly, Mr. Chiang is one of these artists. His masterful use of washes and the subtle coloring in his work creates a subtle mood which transfixes those who view his paintings. (From“THE ART OF CHIANG MING –SHYAN”, Pacific Asia Museum,U.S.AJuly 1998)
David Kamansky Director of Pacific Asia Museum
● From the periods of Chiang’s art works, we discover that other than inheriting and promoting the traditional culture, his early style uses water-ink in depicting foreign images, simple yet deep, with an uncommon atmosphere. In his middle period, his works are unique in presenting a grandness and boundlessness, reaching the zenith of creation after traveling extensively in the Mainland. After he was fifty years old, with the rising consciousness in the culture of China as homeland and the Taiwan local consciousness, he interprets his home with a broader perspective. His style has stabilized and traces of intricate thoughts are evident and frequent in his works. A cultural memory often looms in his art. Landscape paintings of the east ultimately use the mind in understanding and creating Nature; their power to touch people is all the more mightier. In contrast to the water-ink paintings of the revolution movements of late Qing that strive for the beauty of form, Chiang’s works differ from the subjectivity of the traditional literati. His works score a higher success with subjective interpretations and objective, intricate ways of representation. Hence the atmosphere is more capable of grasping people’s subjective understanding toward objects. Although Chiang’s compositions arise from tradition, they are ever-changing and his meticulous and rational control is a special ability in capturing the objects.(From“Native Yearnings and Modern Ink Painting’s New Artistic Conception”,Artist Magazine,June 2005) Pan Fan
Director of the Centre of Asian arts, Fo Guang University
● What must be pointed out is that Prof. Chiang Ming-Shyan has traveled again and again in China ever since his first exhibition in Mainland China in 1988. This has a definite effect on his art and style today. Chiang watches closely China’s modern art, whose influence is often concretely reflected in his works. Chiang has benefited from his cultural inheritance and personal experiences in both Taiwan and China. His works are among the best Chinese modern ink-and-color paintings, and his significance as an artist is recognized not only in Taiwan.(From“Integrating East and West-Breaking New Ground:A Preliminary Discussion of the Art of Chiang Ming-Shyan,”Chinese Art News,july 2005) Chen Lushen
Critic , Research Fellow National Art Musuem of China
● The fifth way is “airy perspective” or “bird’s eye-view perspective,” which places the focal point on or above the middle zone of the painting. In the paintings of modern architecture, for example, he gives more details to the roofs than the lower walls and the court yards. In other words, he tries to eliminate the severe space of depth which emphasizes the logical relation between the front and the back. Since the front scenes have been visionary, no matter how realistic the painting is, the scenes appear as if they are floating in air or on water. The airy perspective composition, long used by Chinese painters, can elevate the viewers in the air to experience the spectacular scenes of the world.
The last strategy he likes to use is the “leaving empty space” in painting. This is also an idea extensively used in Chinese painting. While the empty space is filled out with calligraphy, it adds a sense of abstraction to the scene. This is a good way to bring the aesthetics of East and West together. Using these skills, Mr. Chiang gives his paintings of modern and classic architecture a poetic aura of Chinese art.(From“Painting by Chaing Ming-Shyan”,Collection Magazin,July 2005)
Arthur Mu-sen Kao
Professor of Chinese art history ,San Jos’e University, U.S.A.
● on n’en finira pas de constater l’heureuse osmose établie par l’artiste entre Orient et occident, sans que l’un prenne le pas sur l’autre. Et on concluera cette brève étude sur l’ œuvre exemplaire de Chiang Ming-shyan, rebelle à tous les embrigadements, tant elle lui est propre, en soulignant que chez lui, nature et culture se rejoignent autour d’un double postulat spirituel et philosophique, où la poids de la sensation coutribue à cimenter son dialoque avce le monde. (“Chiang Ming-shyan—Une heureuse synthèse”- From Symposium on the Works of Chiang Ming Shyan, sponsored by the National Art Museum of China, July 2005) Gerard Xuriguera French art critic
● Seemingly quick and unrestrained, in fact, the brushwork of the artist Chiang Ming-Shyan is filled with the beauty of power and fluency. The intercrossing straight lines are replete with the rise and fall of rationality. Seemingly disheveled, the art works are graceful and effortless. Chiang’s style has a special rhythm to it, like the wind and rain, the sharp and free lines undulate with confidence and ease.(From““From Modernism to Post-modernism – The Development, Characteristics, and Meanings of Chiang Ming Shyan’s Ink Painting”, China Arts Magazine, Beijing,July 2005) Tseng Su-Liang
Professor of Graduate Institute of Fine Arts, NTNU
● The brushwork of the artist is as if inherited from the ancestors. The brush freely and easily gallops across his art. The artist employs simple forms to present his keen observations of life, which allow viewers to be touched right before his paintings. Moreover, his paintings exude a thick and rich “vitality” (qi). To me, the vitality is what Laozi once said: “Only unconscious and unclear, only unclear and unconscious”—a state of existence bolstering the world of appearance. This is the spirit and essence of “Tao.” This state cannot be reached without long years of assiduous study and deep reflections on objects. (From“The Art of Chiang Ming Shyan – Exploring His Origins”,Chinese Art News ,July 2005)
Mineko Mori Japanese art critic
● After nearly a hundred years of conflict and paradox, and having passed through the theoretical controversies of the mid-twentieth century, the art world has definitely begun to move in the direction of “East-West synthesis.” On viewing the radiance given off by Chiang Ming Shyan’s works and his painterly conception, from the perspective of world art history, I boldly regard him as having striven to absorb the essence of Chinese literati painting, and then, emerging from it, continued to move forward in contemporary “new literati painting,” his brushwork technique expressing both East Asian and Western aesthetics! Thus, I have written “Roaming the Universe – Looking Back on the World: Chiang Ming Shyan’s Neo-Humanistic Expressionist Conception of Ink Painting” for the traveling exhibition held at Sun Yat-sen Memorial in Taipei, National Art Museum of China in Beijing, Shanghai Art Museum, and Guangdong Art Museum. In the essay I examine the course of Professor Chiang’s artistic development and creative style from the standpoint of the Evolutionary Perspective of Aesthetics, and in the 21st century I have given him a basic developmental viewpoint: “Neo-Humanistic Expressionist” Ink and Watercolor Conception. Adopting the aesthetic perspective, I have proposed a new interpretative meaning; also, at the beginning of the 21st century, I proactively, optimistically, and in a forthright manner respond to the questions raised in Professor Shao Dazhen’s “Contemporary Chinese Painting Under the Assault of Globalization (2004).” After reading this monumental work, under the inspiration of Professor Shao, I offer this response: I want to give the collective works of Chiang Ming Shyan – from the time he was sixteen years-old to the present – a label: “Neo-Humanistic Expressionism,” or “NHE.” Coming to Beijing, I want to announce to the world: “A new century is coming and it belongs to Chiang Ming Shyan!” I want to let him be like mercury spilled on a floor – there’s no crack it won’t run into – to penetrate and spread far into the international art world. (From “Symposium on the Works of Chiang Ming Shyan,” sponsored by the National Art Museum of China, July 2005) Guo Wen-Fu
Professor,Department of Philosophy, National Taiwan University
● Chiang Ming Shyan’s exhibition here was very well received. What is more important, however, is the criticism and advice he received from all sectors. This is the true value of his Beijing exhibition. When a painter puts his works on display, he is not really showing anything; he is using his research to conduct a test and allowing the public to witness it, an act that requires great courage. Therefore, the exhibition can be seen as the artist lying on an operating table and allowing everyone to view his naked body. In coming together to view Chiang Ming Shyan’s art, reviewing and criticizing it are more important in giving him a place in history than simply admiring it. Chiang Ming Shyan is an artist in his prime; he’s like a game of chess that is still being played – the outcome is as of yet uncertain. So, coming together to discuss and research his futurity, and the macro-environment he will face in what kind of era – this is more important to the direction of our discussion today than giving him a place in history. Chiang Ming Shyan was born in the Taichung countryside. When I returned to Taiwan from abroad, I lived in the area where he was born; it was then that I finally realized that Chiang had gradually come into contact with art in the countryside, and there developed an interest in art; only after that did he begin formal studies at the academy. He finished his studies, received good marks, and wanted to go abroad for further study. After he returned to Taiwan, with Taipei as his base, he pursued a career as an artist. There were two directions he could take: the first was to develop his career internationally; the second was to return to the Taichung countryside and give something back to his place of birth. (From “Symposium on the Works of Chiang Ming Shyan, sponsored by the National Art Museum of China, July 2005)
Xie Li-Fa Professor, Department of Fine Arts, National Taiwan Normal University
● Looking back on the fruits of Chiang Ming Shyan’s decades of artistic exploration, I feel that his ink creations possess the vivid characteristics of integration and comprehensiveness. His work is built on a strong and solid artistic foundation; East and West, tradition and modernity, ink and oil colors, sketching and ink drawing…all are used in his works, he makes use of them all. As he sees it, these elements are not mutually exclusive or contradictory, but can be linked together to interact with each other. He does not hesitate to make use of these tools to increase the depth and breadth of his expressive language, to strengthen the expressive power of his work. The main element in the formation of the integrative nature of his art was the diversity of influences he diligently cultivated and built on. Artistically, he was not a “picky eater;” regardless of whether it was traditional or modern, academic or avant-garde, as long as it was good, expressive art, he admired and absorbed it. In Europe, he fell in love with El Greco, Velasquez, Rembrandt, Goya, Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Cezanne; he also thoroughly admired Kandinsky and Dali. In America, he praised Pollock and St. Francis’ innovative spirit, yet at the same time was deeply moved by the bucolic sentiment in Andrew Wyeth’s work. In Japan, he carefully researched trends in Japanese ink painting, humbly emulating Japanese artists’ professionalism and diligence. He was particularly affected by the rigorous composition and aesthetic power of Ikuo Hirayama “Silk Road” paintings. In China, he was influenced by the power of Liu Haisu’s painting style, and drew even greater inspiration from Li Keran’s time consuming ink-layering technique, in which layer upon layer of ink were built up to produce a dyed effect, creating a rich layered surface, simple yet resplendent. Absorbing the work of these masters not only broadened his horizons and enriched his painting skills, but also stimulated his creative courage and invigorated his innovative spirit. (From “Painting a New World – Chiang Ming Shyan’s Paintings”, Artist Magazine ,August 2005,) Shao Dazhen,
Director , Graduate School, China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing
●. In recent years Chiang Ming Shyan has gone to Taiwan’s scenic areas and historical sites in search of subject matter. His painting invests even ordinary scenery with a nostalgic, pensive quality that lingers on after one has viewed the work. In the past few years many painters have looked for creative material locally in Taiwan, but there are very few who can turn ordinary scenery into extraordinary works of art as he does. In addition to the traditional methods of Chinese painting, his ink and watercolor techniques include the use of perspective, as well as modernist oil painting techniques such as rubbing, imprinting, dripping, spraying, sprinkling, dyeing and others that he saw when he was studying abroad in New York. Chiang fuses the techniques of traditional Chinese painting with those of modern western painting, “embellishing the Oriental with the Occidental,” creating a unique style of painting. Landscape is the chief subject matter of traditional Chinese painting, but buildings and architecture are often the focus of Professor Chiang’s paintings, dominating the canvas. In these highly affective paintings of buildings we see his rich and concrete blending of Eastern and Western painting techniques. (From “Taiwan Art – Five Modern Masters Exhibition,” Aida Mitsuo Museum, Tokyo, April 2006 )
Wang Hsiu-hsiung,
Professor Emeritus, Department of Fine Arts Graduate School, N T NU
●The development of contemporary painting in Taiwan reflects the diversity of contemporary Chinese culture in a period of transition. This diversity is expressed not only by going beyond traditional methods and styles of East Asian art, but is also manifested in a more comprehensive conceptual approach and in-depth exposure to multi-dimensional East Asian cultural history and social reality. At this stage, Taiwanese artists’ cultural consciousness is not only abundant and developing it own history, it is also infusing painting with a new conceptual outlook. At present, no matter whether living abroad or in China or Taiwan, and no matter how dissimilar their backgrounds and styles may be, the work of contemporary Chinese artists is close to Neo-Humanism in content and spirit. This modern Neo-Humanism, integrating East and West, possesses the East Asian characteristics of ambiguity and marginality. What is meant by ambiguity and marginality? Simply put, an East Asian complex that can’t be shaken off, a Zen-like realm unconsciously revealed. Chiang Ming Shyan’s neo-humanistic spatial poetics, in spirit and content, come very near to this modern neo-humanistic style. (From “ Recent Paintings of Chiang Ming- Shyan”, published by Culture Affairs Bureau, Taichung City Goverment, October 2009 ) Dr. Tseng Chang-sheng (Pedro) Art critic
● Foy every successful artist, the historical opportunity of its success is an important aspect, which can seize the opportunity is another aspect of its success.In 1988, under Hong Kong Xinhua News Agency recommendation, Chiang Ming-Shyan went to the mainland visit on Ministry of Culture's invitation, and in Beijing China art museum and the Shanghai art museum hold exhibition tour, a cross cut off Forty years later the first exhibition in the mainland of Taiwanese painter. In the meantime, he had the honor to get to know the Li Keran, Wu Zuoren, Huang Miaozi, Cheng Shifa and a number of the painter, as well as lucky draw together with Mr. Liu Haisu "Mt. Huangshan grand appearance", since the beginning of the mainland mountains and rivers as the subject matter, and through this to enhance the feelings of the Chinese traditional culture. Therefore, to the 21st century, Chiang Ming-Shyan is actively walking in between the two sides, creating a number of the performance of natural and cultural landscape of the continent works. He treat the familiar natural and cultural landscape of Taiwan as well to create each screen carefully the performance of every beauty, making them the object of so many people heart. The reality of the portrayal, with its wide viewing angle of the natural and cultural landscape in the core content, but not rigidly stick to rigorous, lively and not random, revealing the "Chiang landscape" reality-based style.(From “Chiang Ming-Shyan artistic characteristics”, “famous modern Chinese Paintings - Chiang Ming-Shyan”, December 2011, Beijing People's Art Publishing House)
Chen Lu-Sheng Deputy director of the National Museum of China