“Life and Its Midday Sun-Ni Chao-lung Retrospective Exhibition 2020” organized by National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Ministry of Culture, grandly takes place at Chungshan National Gallery from November 7 to December 13. The opening ceremony was held at 2:30PM today (November 8). The distinguished guests attending the ceremony included Deputy Minister of Culture, Xiao Zong-huang, Director-general of National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Liang Yung-fei, Director of National Museum of History Liao Xin-tian, Honorary Chairman of Tainan Art Museum, Chen Hui-dong, Chairman of Tainan Art Museum, Huang Kuang-nan, Former Taichung City Mayor, Jason Hu, Chairman of National Culture and Arts Foundation, Lin Man-li, former Director of Cultural Affairs Bureau, Taichung City, Director of Da Ai TV, Ms. Ye Shu-shan, Honorary Professor of Department of Fine Arts, National Taiwan Normal University, Su Hsien-fa, artist A-Sun Wu, and Director-general of the hall, Wang Lan-sheng.
The exhibition fully shows Prof. Ni’s creative context. Prof. Ni’s oil paintings in the past years are exhibited in the south room of Chungshan National Gallery. The important print works are exhib-ited in the north room. There are other works including print, com-plete composite wood boards, copper molds, cross-skill innovative print works, and the works under the mutual influence of oil painting and print are also exhibited here to display Prof. Ni’s original inten-tion of offering the chances of art education in art creation. The exhi-bition includes Prof. Ni’s 95 selected fine works of print and oil painting in the different stages, including 54 oil paintings, 47 works of print, 2 works of watercolor, 2 copper molds, and 1 compete compo-site wood board.
Prof. Ni Chao-lung was born in Taichung City in 1940. After graduating from Department of Arts of Taipei Teachers’ College, he started his thirty-year career as an elementary school fine arts teacher. His students won numerous awards at the international children painting exhibitions. He quit at the age of 49 for further studies and received the MA degree of Art Education in University of Hyogo, Ja-pan. After returning to Taiwan, he taught at Department of Fine Arts, National Taichung Teachers College and Asia University. At present, he is the honorary chairman of Central Taiwan Fine Arts Association and Taichung City Art Education Society. As both an educator and an artist, Prof. Ni keeps creating new works at leisure.
Prof. Ni’s woodcut print is inherited from Chou Ying, who excels in print creation. The characteristics include the swift and fierce use of knife and elegant colors. The oriental feelings and modern print tech-niques are used to express his contemplation and praise for life. The works, rough or delicate, present both the joyful and Zen atmosphere. The unique personal style has been globally famous. As for oil paint-ing, the abstract style in the early years has returned to the present concrete expression. The strokes are bold and lively. The images are vigorous and solid. The tension and sensitivity presented are just like his upright and passionate character.
In art education, Prof. Ni has been dedicated to children fine arts education for long. He received many international and domestic awards and was awarded Golden Seal Prize for print, Arts & Busi-ness Awards by Ministry of Culture, and Arts Education Contribu-tion Awards. He contributed a lot to art education in Taiwan. Besides, in art culture, Prof. Ni established Taichung City Fine Arts Education Society in 1998, gathering the fine arts education workers and pro-moting the fine arts activities and contests to make fine arts take roots. He was awarded Arts Education Contribution Award in 2015.
Deputy Minister of Culture, Xiao Zong-huang, on behalf of Min-ister Lee Yung-te, gave a speech. Minister Lee praised Prof. Ni Chao-lung as not only a painter but also a fine arts creator, educator, art critic, and aesthetics promoter. As the first-generation fine arts educa-tor promoting children fine arts education in Taiwan, he has devoted his life to art and education and left the local pure charm of Taiwan with the carving knife and painting brush. The rough and free tech-niques in his print works are like the marks buffalos’ deep plowing leaves for the land of Taiwan. His oil paintings have the unrestrained strokes and strong colors. His support in establishing Taichung City Fine Art Education Society and Taichung City Art Education Society brings energy to fine arts in central Taiwan. Mr. Ni is the representa-tive of the Taiwanese cultural power and a model for the abundant and colorful Taiwanese culture.
In his speech, new Director-general of National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Wang Lan-sheng, said Prof. Ni Chao-lung is an out-standing artist excelling in both print and oil painting. He is also an important art education promoter in central Taiwan. It’s the honor of the hall to hold this exhibition. The colors of the exhibition space have been rearranged to accompany Prof. Ni’s works. In the future, the hall will also spare no efforts to promote and inherit the art cul-ture in Taiwan.
Prof. Ni Chao-lung shared a story with the visitors today. Mr. Zhou Ying, his teacher when he studied in Department of Arts, Taipei Teachers’ College, has kept his two paintings of the summer vacation assignment when Prof. Ni was a first grader for 63 years and asked his son Zhou Zi-jian to return them. He was deeply grateful to Mr. Zhou for his care, and this has also influenced his attitude toward ed-ucation. Prof. Ni also said he planned to establish an art museum in the future and would continue to work hard for Taichung City.
Prof. Ni’s selected print and oil painting works in the different stages are exhibited this time. Besides, the symposium, “Extraction and Beyond-Ni Chao-Lung’s Art Life,” will be held at Chungshan Lecture Hall at 2PM on November 22. The workshop, “Let’s Make Creative Prints Together” will be held at Research Room at 2PM on November 29. For more information, please visit the official website of National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, www.yatsen.gov.tw, or call the service counter, (02) 27588008, ext. 545, 546.