Trend Changes-Taiwan Contemporary Ink Art Exhibition: Generational Renewal 流變 世代出新的[台灣當代水墨展]
May 1, 2017
- Category: Ink painting
- Format: UV color printing, 84 pages, perfect binding
- Size: 21 x 29.7cm
- Price: 600
Trend Changes-Taiwan Contemporary Ink Art Exhibition: Generational Renewal
Curator: Lien Tung CHUANG
Professor, Department of Fine Arts, National Taiwan Normal University
Preface
If we consider a decade as the span of a generation, then under a shared temporal and cultural context, the styles forged by individual artists—after long periods of refinement and maturation—can indeed reflect the spirit and perspectives of their times. This is particularly true in the case of postwar Taiwanese art, where the convergence and clash of multiple cultures brought rapid shifts in artistic trends. Following the end of martial law, the rise of individual consciousness further shaped the era’s cultural landscape. Thus, examining each decade as a unit of change helps us understand the trajectory of Taiwan’s contemporary art, and provides a meaningful lens for discussing its current creative state.
Ink painters born between 1960 and 1970 emerged during a critical turning point in artistic history. They belong to a generation that bridges the past and the future, and their development of personal styles is worthy of focused discussion.
Perseverance and Choices Amidst Change
Taiwanese ink painters born in the 1960s and 1970s began their artistic training during the peak and eventual decline of Taiwan’s nostalgic realism—a movement that celebrated local scenery and traditional aesthetics. Whether their engagement with plein-air ink painting was short or long, many of them once passionately ventured into nature, capturing Taiwan’s landscapes through direct observation and transforming these experiences into introspective visual expressions.
Their early commitment to ink painting was grounded in a belief in “discovering the beauty of Taiwan, praising its homeland sentiments, and honing brush-and-ink skills.” For them, expressing deep concern for their environment was the purpose, and mastering the traditional techniques of ink was the means.
At the time, these artists were still students—not yet the pioneers of nostalgic realism, but rather inheritors of its passion and vision. They followed in the footsteps of earlier masters, many of whom were fervently advancing the movement. The younger generation saw themselves as loyal followers and idealistic supporters, eager to strengthen their own foundations and eventually step onto the same prominent stage—where they, too, could root ink painting in Taiwanese soil and celebrate the spirit of their homeland.
However, just as their technical skills matured and their landscape-based ink works began to gain recognition, the once-vibrant plein-air movement began to wane. Taiwan’s economic downturn and the political liberalization following the end of martial law led to the collapse of collective aesthetic ideals. Individualism surged, and the sudden flood of ideological liberation clashed with the artists’ still-developing self-awareness.
They found themselves caught off guard—uncertain and unprepared to respond. In the postmodern tide of plurality, hybridity, and fragmentation, these artists faced a dilemma: should they abandon traditional paradigms in pursuit of subjective expression, or preserve the spiritual essence of ink painting while navigating contemporary shifts? Caught in this tension, they moved forward tentatively—balancing uncertainty with resilience, one step at a time.
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流變─世代出新的臺灣當代水墨展
策展人:莊連東 國立臺灣師範大學美術學系教授
前言
如果用十年做為一個世代的劃分，在相近時空背景的孕育下，歷經長期的淬鍊終至成熟後， 個別藝術家所形塑的創作風格，的確可以反映一段時期的時代觀點，尤其，戰後的臺灣美術， 隨著多元文化匯聚後的相互衝撞，藝術潮流的轉換快速，加上政治解嚴後的個人意識抬頭， 用十年來檢視時代環境的特徵，印證藝術發展脈絡的梗概，對於討論台灣當代藝術的創作狀 況，具有重要的意義。從 1960 年至 1970 年出生的臺灣當代水墨畫家，藝術風格的建立，正逢 在時代潮流的重要轉折點，在承先啟後的價值上，是值得討論的一個世代。
面對時代轉折的堅持與抉擇
1960 年至 1970 年出生的臺灣當代水墨畫家，藝術學習的階段正是台灣懷鄉寫實主義歷經興起， 然後攀越高峰再到歸趨沒落的完整時期。無論投注寫生造境的水墨表現時間是長是短，他們 都曾經是熱血走向戶外觀照台灣景觀，經過忠實記錄之後化作內心領會，然後轉為苦心經營 畫面的實踐者。而不管表現的內容是自然風景，或是人文意象，「發現台灣的美，歌詠鄉土 的情，鍛鍊筆墨的能」，成為他們初習水墨畫單純而堅定持守的信念，對他們來說，傳遞對生活環境濃厚關懷的心是目的，而高超精湛的水墨技法對應則是手段。
事實上，當初身為學習者的他們，並非是懷鄉寫實主義時期站在第一線的先鋒，擺在他們面 前的是可以學習的典範，諸多懷抱鄉土熱情的前輩們正努力衝鋒陷陣，他們是忠誠的追隨 者，也是理想的擁護者，在緊跟的步伐後面，一心想著如何壯大自己，如何也能站在光亮聚 焦的舞臺核心，傳達對水墨落實臺灣的想望，也表達讚頌鄉土的愛戀。而正當這批年輕世代 創作者的筆墨技巧逐漸成熟，應用於風土寫生能力開始受到肯定之際，曾經風起雲湧，繁盛活躍的自然寫生風潮隨著臺灣經濟的急凍，也隨著政治解嚴的自由開放，集體美感追尋的意 識崩解，個人主體發言方興未艾。突如其來的思想解放與目標崩毀，對於自我認知尚且不足 的他們而言，無疑陷入茫然無以對應的窘境。在後現代多元並置、異質雜混的浪潮中，抹除 中心主體的思維與保有水墨典範的精神之間，成為他們左右為難的抉擇，於是，在顧此失彼 的茫然因應中且看且走。
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Curator: Lien Tung CHUANG
Professor, Department of Fine Arts, National Taiwan Normal University
Preface
If we consider a decade as the span of a generation, then under a shared temporal and cultural context, the styles forged by individual artists—after long periods of refinement and maturation—can indeed reflect the spirit and perspectives of their times. This is particularly true in the case of postwar Taiwanese art, where the convergence and clash of multiple cultures brought rapid shifts in artistic trends. Following the end of martial law, the rise of individual consciousness further shaped the era’s cultural landscape. Thus, examining each decade as a unit of change helps us understand the trajectory of Taiwan’s contemporary art, and provides a meaningful lens for discussing its current creative state.
Ink painters born between 1960 and 1970 emerged during a critical turning point in artistic history. They belong to a generation that bridges the past and the future, and their development of personal styles is worthy of focused discussion.
Perseverance and Choices Amidst Change
Taiwanese ink painters born in the 1960s and 1970s began their artistic training during the peak and eventual decline of Taiwan’s nostalgic realism—a movement that celebrated local scenery and traditional aesthetics. Whether their engagement with plein-air ink painting was short or long, many of them once passionately ventured into nature, capturing Taiwan’s landscapes through direct observation and transforming these experiences into introspective visual expressions.
Their early commitment to ink painting was grounded in a belief in “discovering the beauty of Taiwan, praising its homeland sentiments, and honing brush-and-ink skills.” For them, expressing deep concern for their environment was the purpose, and mastering the traditional techniques of ink was the means.
At the time, these artists were still students—not yet the pioneers of nostalgic realism, but rather inheritors of its passion and vision. They followed in the footsteps of earlier masters, many of whom were fervently advancing the movement. The younger generation saw themselves as loyal followers and idealistic supporters, eager to strengthen their own foundations and eventually step onto the same prominent stage—where they, too, could root ink painting in Taiwanese soil and celebrate the spirit of their homeland.
However, just as their technical skills matured and their landscape-based ink works began to gain recognition, the once-vibrant plein-air movement began to wane. Taiwan’s economic downturn and the political liberalization following the end of martial law led to the collapse of collective aesthetic ideals. Individualism surged, and the sudden flood of ideological liberation clashed with the artists’ still-developing self-awareness.
They found themselves caught off guard—uncertain and unprepared to respond. In the postmodern tide of plurality, hybridity, and fragmentation, these artists faced a dilemma: should they abandon traditional paradigms in pursuit of subjective expression, or preserve the spiritual essence of ink painting while navigating contemporary shifts? Caught in this tension, they moved forward tentatively—balancing uncertainty with resilience, one step at a time.
......................
流變─世代出新的臺灣當代水墨展
策展人:莊連東 國立臺灣師範大學美術學系教授
前言
如果用十年做為一個世代的劃分，在相近時空背景的孕育下，歷經長期的淬鍊終至成熟後， 個別藝術家所形塑的創作風格，的確可以反映一段時期的時代觀點，尤其，戰後的臺灣美術， 隨著多元文化匯聚後的相互衝撞，藝術潮流的轉換快速，加上政治解嚴後的個人意識抬頭， 用十年來檢視時代環境的特徵，印證藝術發展脈絡的梗概，對於討論台灣當代藝術的創作狀 況，具有重要的意義。從 1960 年至 1970 年出生的臺灣當代水墨畫家，藝術風格的建立，正逢 在時代潮流的重要轉折點，在承先啟後的價值上，是值得討論的一個世代。
面對時代轉折的堅持與抉擇
1960 年至 1970 年出生的臺灣當代水墨畫家，藝術學習的階段正是台灣懷鄉寫實主義歷經興起， 然後攀越高峰再到歸趨沒落的完整時期。無論投注寫生造境的水墨表現時間是長是短，他們 都曾經是熱血走向戶外觀照台灣景觀，經過忠實記錄之後化作內心領會，然後轉為苦心經營 畫面的實踐者。而不管表現的內容是自然風景，或是人文意象，「發現台灣的美，歌詠鄉土 的情，鍛鍊筆墨的能」，成為他們初習水墨畫單純而堅定持守的信念，對他們來說，傳遞對生活環境濃厚關懷的心是目的，而高超精湛的水墨技法對應則是手段。
事實上，當初身為學習者的他們，並非是懷鄉寫實主義時期站在第一線的先鋒，擺在他們面 前的是可以學習的典範，諸多懷抱鄉土熱情的前輩們正努力衝鋒陷陣，他們是忠誠的追隨 者，也是理想的擁護者，在緊跟的步伐後面，一心想著如何壯大自己，如何也能站在光亮聚 焦的舞臺核心，傳達對水墨落實臺灣的想望，也表達讚頌鄉土的愛戀。而正當這批年輕世代 創作者的筆墨技巧逐漸成熟，應用於風土寫生能力開始受到肯定之際，曾經風起雲湧，繁盛活躍的自然寫生風潮隨著臺灣經濟的急凍，也隨著政治解嚴的自由開放，集體美感追尋的意 識崩解，個人主體發言方興未艾。突如其來的思想解放與目標崩毀，對於自我認知尚且不足 的他們而言，無疑陷入茫然無以對應的窘境。在後現代多元並置、異質雜混的浪潮中，抹除 中心主體的思維與保有水墨典範的精神之間，成為他們左右為難的抉擇，於是，在顧此失彼 的茫然因應中且看且走。
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