CHEN CHENG PO, who's father was a scholar in Chin Dynasty, was born in Chiayi on February 2,1895. As a child, he demonstrated a strong will to be successful. In 1924, he entered the Normal Education Division of Tokyo Fine Arts School in Japan. In 1926, his painting, "Chiayi Street", was first selected for the exhibition at the 7th Imperial Exhibition of Japan.
Upon graduation from Tokyo Fine Arts School in March 1929, he went to Shanghai. At Shanghai, he was chosen as a judge at the First National Art Exhibition to evaluate the western style paintings. While in Shanghai, he had more involvement in Chinese painting. Among the Chinese painters, he favored Ni Yun Lin and Ba Da Shan Ren. His later works also reflected these two Chinese painters' influence.
In June 1933, CHEN CHENG PO, viewed by his country-folk as a cultural hero, went back to his hometown Chiayi in his late thirties. Since then, his hometown Chiayi became the main subject of his paintings. During this period of time, the change of his painting style was very clear. Since he started late in learning western style painting, his works still reflected his self-learned painting skill in a certain way, especially his love for painting common folks and countryside with various local colors. His works present to his viewers the earlier Taiwanese local culture and surroundings.
|
