Hsiao Jen-cheng

Hsiao Jen-cheng (born May 28, 1925), courtesy name Dan Chu, was born in Zhouzhi County, Shaanxi Province. After 1949, he settled in Taiwan and became a painter and art educator.
==Life==
Early Years in Mainland China
Hsiao Jen-cheng was born in 1925, in Huangjiabao, Huaidao Village, Jiufeng Township, Zhouzhi County, Shaanxi Province. During his attendance at the Gaoji Central Elementary School in Zu'an Town, he developed his interest and foundation in art through drawing classes taught by teacher Gong Yuqin. In 1943, Hsiao enrolled in the private Wucheng Junior High School. However, due to financial difficulties, he temporarily dropped out of school during junior high. During this period, his father taught him calligraphy during spare moments amidst farming tasks. He practiced writing with a brush dipped in water on clay surfaces, which later influenced the calligraphic elements in his artworks. In 1946, he returned to school at the Changchun Youth School, a specialized institution under the Bureau of Preparatory Cadres of the Ministry of National Defense. He formally studied Western and traditional Chinese painting in the art curriculum and attended sketch classes at the "Wenying Art Society" in Changchun during weekends. In 1947, he transferred to the Jiaxing Youth School under the same bureau, continuing his study of both Chinese and Western painting.
Years in Taiwan
In 1949, Hsiao Jen-cheng relocated to Taiwan with the Nationalist government. Despite facing financial challenges, he managed to gain admission to the art research class of the Chinese Artists Association in 1951. There, he received guidance in both traditional Chinese and Western painting techniques from prominent artists like Chu The-Chun, Huang Rongcan, and Chen Dingshan. In 1952, he worked as an advertising designer at the "World Advertising Engineering Company" in Taipei. After passing the art teacher qualification examination for primary schools, he began his teaching career in 1953 at various middle schools, elementary schools, and vocational schools in Keelung. He taught for several decades until his retirement, all while maintaining his art creations and participating in exhibitions. In 1962, he held his first solo exhibition in Keelung, which also marked the city's first individual post-war exhibition.In 1965, he was admitted to the Department of Fine Arts at the National Art College (now National Taiwan University of Arts), and continued to participate in both domestic and international art exhibitions. He also co-founded and participated in various art associations, including the Changfeng Painting Association in 1959, the Chinese Modern Ink Painting Association in 1964, the Chinese Ink Painting Association in 1968, the Keelung City Art Association in 1977, the 21st Century Modern Ink Painting Association in 1995, the Keelung Sea Blue Watercolor Painting Association in 2007, and the New Oriental Modern Calligraphy and Painting Association in 2009.
==Artistic Style==
Hsiao Jen-cheng's creative repertoire encompasses watercolor, ink painting, acrylic color, ink wash, calligraphy, and more. In his early years, he primarily used ink and watercolor to create representational landscapes and figures. Starting from the 1950s, influenced by Western modern art trends and the modern painting movement in Taiwan, he began incorporating traditional Chinese ink tones and lines into his modern art creations. This led him to explore various abstract or semi-abstract forms of modern ink expression.
Scholar Hsiao Qiongrui considers abstract ink painting to be Hsiao Jen-cheng's most significant and representative artistic style and achievement. In his works, Hsiao blends the charm of ink, the rhythm of calligraphy, the vitality of colors, and the spirit of the Eastern literati, creating an interplay of these elements. This distinctive approach emerged from his exploration of incorporating traditional Chinese ink techniques into contemporary artistic expressions, marking a pivotal point in his artistic journey.
Category:1925 births
Category:Painters
Category:Art educators