This exhibit chiefly displays the development of ‘Geometric Abstraction’ in Taiwan from the 1960’s to today.
From 1965 to the 1970’s, Taiwanese modern artists accepted inspiration from Western art styles, such as abstract painting, minimalism, pop and op art, in their efforts to create modern Chinese paintings. At the same time, they blended the symbolism of Geometrical Abstraction of the West with expressive forms of worldviews from the Book of Changes (also know as the I Ching), such as Round Heaven and Square Earth, Yin and Yang, movement and stillness, and falseness and truth, while incorporating the spirit of One People. Representative artists include Chen Ting-shih , Hsiao Chin , Ho Kan , Li Shi-chi , Liu Sheng-rong .
The minimalism works of Richard Lin from the 1960’s to the 1970’s, when the artist was in England, seemingly transmit the beauty of the classical Chinese painting concepts of ‘emptiness’ and ‘nothingness.’ These works were not only praised in the international art world, but also greatly influenced the Taiwanese Geometric Abstraction artists of the 1980’s.
The main difference between the aforementioned artists and those of the 1980’s is that the latter dismantled the mental burdens of culture. They studied in Spain and France, accepting the scientific spirit of Western schools towards the basics of painting such as material, framing, brushwork, form and color. After their training in this kind of precise research, they explored freedom within their compositions through rationality, strict considerations and analysis, or through oblique lines and color fields. Some melded abstract expressions to create contrasts and differentiation, displaying the moods and landscapes within their heart. Representative artists include: Hu Kun-jung , Tsong Pu , Chen Shu-ming , Chu The-I , Kevin Yu.