Book of Paintings
ClassificationsPaintings-ink
Artist
Lin Yu-shan
(Taiwanese, 1907 - 2004)
Datelate 1920s
Made AtTaiwan, Asia
MediumInk on paper
Dimensions12 × 8 1/2 × 1 in. (30.5 × 21.6 × 2.5 cm)
Credit LineGift of Aloysius F. Kuo
Object number2020.2.2
DescriptionThis collection of 18 paintings by the Taiwanese artist Lin Yu-shan was created for Kuo Ping-chun, the father of the donor, as reference when he took private lessons on Chinese painting from Lin. Born during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan in 1907, Lin first achieved a measure of renown in Taiwan by painting in gouache. However, before and during his stays in Japan in the late 1920s and ‘30s, he began to study Chinese poetry and literati painting. Though he experimented in ink painting after returning from Japan, it was not until gouache paintings fell out of favor in Taiwan following Retrocession that he overtly transitioned towards traditional Chinese ink painting. He most often painted birds, animals and flowers, and rather than be influenced by Japanese ink painting his works drew largely from Song Dynasty painting. He has been credited as one of the many influencers of his style’s renaissance in China. Lin Yu-shan was a firm believer in close observations of nature and fused human emotion with his subject matters by painting outdoors. His techniques included an array of material usage, such as varying brushes, dishes, hide glue, ivory knives and others. His use of different brush strokes and textures give a cohesive sense of movements in his compositions, from the angle of a birds gaze to the direction of the wind. His work accurately captures the expressions of animals because of his extensive studies in plein air. Small details such as the pupils of a tiger and the feathers of a bird’s plumage indicate anatomically correct impressions, while his unique texture strokes create a full story within a single painting.On View
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