The Drifting Community

This essay is to discuss the artist community, and subject is the western style artists from provinces in mainland China that migrated across the strait to Taiwan in1950’s.(From Taiwan province perspective, mainland provinces are generally referred as’other province’, this essay also used the term accordingly.) From1949, a mass of western style artist migrated to Taiwan with nationalist government (KMT), they had already completed studies in college when they were in the mainland, and their aesthetic consciousness directly inherited from various fine arts ideological trends of Mainland between1930’s to1940’s; especially closely related to Realistic and Modernist trends of thought. During1950’s nationalist party rebuilt Taiwan fine art plate after it migrated to Taiwan, western style artists from other provinces took dominated position in establishing large fine art constitution and major exhibitions. However, after established these infrastructures, these other province western style artists had fade out artist forum of Taipei due to aesthetic ideology or political preference during mid to late1950’s; some migrated to oversea. Therefore it is difficult to positioning this community of western style artist with phenomenal contribution to Taiwan fine arts history. This essay intends to renovate an investigation for a comprehensive view of1950’s Taiwan fine art, and attempts to restore historical positioning of this community of artist, through researches on other province artist community and by means of historical circumstances and impact.Chapter1, Introduction:After nationalist government migrated across Taiwan Strait, its strong measures over politic, economy, and cultural had caused ethnic discretion between Taiwan province community and other province community. Taiwan fine art history research emerged from an era of local awareness upsurge in1970’s, and had strong criticism towards official arts led by other province artist in1950’s, thus its manner of writing marginalized these other province artists who actually occupied a dominant position. This chapter emphatically elaborates on the status of this community of other province western artist in current Taiwan fine art sector, and at the same time clearly points out its research significance.Chapter2, Other province western style artist and post was Taiwan arts plate:This chapter discussed large fine art institutions established by government in1950’s, organizations and major exhibitions, and fine art related faculties. Here take the discussion about the distribution of major characters in fine art circle and their inheritages.Chapter3, Origins of aesthetic ideology of other province artists:There are two origins of other province western artist. One is the modern arts trend in1930’s, and another one is the anti-Japanese war fine art in1940’s. This chapter respectively introduces of several key other province western artists who evangelized aesthetic ideology and their inheritage back in time of mainland.Chapter4, Other province western artist and Taiwan fine art movement in1950’s:’Battle arts movement’,’New arts movement’, and ’Modern painting movement’ are the three major fine art movements in Twain in1950’s. This chapter discusses several other province western artists in these three movements and their impacts.Chapter5, Case study on other province western style artists:This chapter selected several other province western artists, took their art work to discuss specifically about historical circumstance of other province artist community of1950’s. Analyze the big era and exile experiences impact on their aesthetic ideology.Chapter6, Conclusion:Self-exiles in1950’s political turbulence and modern practitioners of driving Chinese painting reform in Taiwan; this essay thinks that it is their historical circumstances and impacts.