Ahura

《廖修平─版畫油畫‧福華人生》，台北：沈春池文教基金會，2009。

Hsiao Chong-Ray

Graduate Institute of History, National Cheng Kung University (Tainan, Taiwan)

In the postwar history of art in Taiwan, Liao Shiou-Ping (1936 - ) has become more or less synonymous with modern print-making. In his commitment to and active promotion of the art of print- making, Liao can be compared to a taciturn but resolute missionary, whose faith is print-making, and whose mission is to stimulate the growth and development of modern print-making. Liao has never been a flash, dramatic revolutionary; he has been a persistent, tireless farmer, steadily cultivating the seeds of the modern print-making art. Although Liao is still relatively youthful, many well-established artists in Taiwan refer to him respectfully as "teacher". Many of the people that he has taught over the past four decades have gone on to win international renown. Liao himself won his fair share of plaudits, but he has remained consistently modest and self-effacing. Over time, Liao's importance in the history of art, and particularly in the history of art in Taiwan since 1945, has become steadily more apparent. Many art lovers are deeply interested in the story behind Liao Shiou-Ping's great achievements, a story the broad outline of which is presented below. 

In the early 1970s, Taiwanese society was commencing a process of dramatic transformation. The Modern Art Movement that had emerged in Taiwan in the late 1950s and flourished in the 1960s had been weakened by the emigration of many leading artists.

More importantly, this was a period in which Taiwan was facing serious challenges in its foreign relations, and in its domestic politics. In 1970, there was the emergence of the "Protect the Diaoyutai Islands" movement (which arose out of concern that the U.S. was planning to return control over the islands to Japan, as it in fact did in 1972). This was followed in 1971 by the loss of the R.O.C.'s seat in the U.N., after which many countries broke off formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, including long- standing allies such as Japan and the U.S. Taiwan found itself facing its biggest crisis since 1949; many of those who were in a position to emigrate did so. And yet Liao Shiou-Ping, who had been living overseas for 11 years and had achieved considerable success as an artist in the U.S., chose this time to come back to Taiwan to live and teach modern print- making techniques at his alma mater, Taiwan Normal University.

After returning to Taiwan in 1973, besides teaching at Taiwan Normal University, Liao Shiou-Ping also traveled round Taiwan giving lectures and hands- on demonstrations, helping to lay the foundations for the subsequent development of modern print-making in Taiwan.

Print-making in Taiwan can actually be traced back beyond the wood-block print making tradition of the Ming and Ch'ing dynasties to the copper-plate prints produced by the Dutch (who occupied part of Taiwan during the 17th century). However, print-making as a form of artistic expression only really began to develop during the era of Japanese colonial rule, with works such as Tateishi Tetsuomi's "Taiwan Folk Traditions" series. 

During the period immediately after the end of the Second World War, a number of left-wing print-makers came to Taiwan from Mainland China, producing some quite impressive works. However, following the uprising that began on February 28, 1947, many of these left-wing artists fled back to Mainland China. For some years afterwards, print-making in Taiwan was dominated by officially-sanctioned themes such as eulogies to the nation, and prints stressing the need to build up the armed forces and reconquer China from the communists - the so-called "Combat Print-making" school. In 1957, an exhibition of U.S. prints held in Taiwan provided the stimulus for the establishment of the Modern Print-making Society. However, the emphasis at this state was still mainly on introducing new concepts and changing attitudes; in terms of developing new techniques and forms of expression, things were still very much in the early stages. It was the return of Liao Shiou-Ping to Taiwan in 1973 that brought modern print-making in Taiwan into a new era of greater professionalism.

Liao Shiou-Ping first began to develop an interest in print-making while studying in Japan. In 1962, he traveled to Japan to study art at Tokyo University of Education, where he was exposed to works by many leading Western print-makers, including Picasso (1881-1973), Chagall (1887-1985), and Salvador Dali (1904-1989). The young Liao was deeply impressed by the lively style and wide range of different techniques used in these woodblock prints, copperplate prints, lithographs, and rubber-stamp prints. However, at that time Tokyo University of Education did not offer any courses in woodblock printmaking, so he had to seek private tuition from leading print-makers such as Kitaoka Fumio and Hoshi Joichi. While in Japan, Liao entered the Japanese Prints Show on several occasions; he also entered the Sao Paulo Art Biennial in Brazil with a print in 1963.

It was not until 1964, when he went to study in Paris, that Liao Shiou-Ping threw himself whole- heartedly into print-making. In October 1965, Liao joined the famous Atelier 17 printmaking studio, where he studied under S.W. Hayter; initially, Liao focused on print-making using metal plates. In 1966, he produced a series of prints with Taiwanese temples as their subject matter, using single-plate, multi-color metal plate etching; in the same year, Liao had his first exhibition at the Taiwan Provincial Museum in Taipei. At the time, Liao was still living in Paris; his parents handled all the matters relating to the exhibition for him. In his preface to the exhibition catalog, Ch'en Hui- k'un (陳慧坤, who had been Liao's teacher at Taiwan Normal University) wrote that: 

In 1962, Liao Shiou-Ping entered the graduate institution of painting at Tokyo University of Education, graduating in 1964. It was during this period that he began to produce his first prints. The black-and-white prints in the first section of this exhibition date from that period. Rather than temples, these prints present images combinations of abstract images. During this period, in Tokyo, Liao was still in the early stages of experimentation, so not surprisingly these works are somewhat lacking in maturity.

Liao subsequently traveled to Paris, where he studied oil painting at the School of Fine Arts, and joined Atelier 17 to learn print-making techniques. It is clear from the prints dating from this period how much effort Liao was putting in, and how much he had improved. His use of form has become more refined, and the use of color is more effective. He has gone back to painting the subject matter that had always been there in the back of his mind - the temples of his home town, New Year couplets, guardian deities, incense burners, etc. It may be that having been away from home so long has enabled him to "distill" his mental image of his native place. At the same time, possibly as a result of his exposure to contemporary art in Paris, although the subject matter of Liao's work has remained the same over the past two years, the way in which he presents these subjects has been completely transformed. Adhering to post-cubist principles, he has succeeded in digesting the forms and colors of ordinary life in Taiwan. There is none of the naivety or superficiality that characterizes so many paintings of Taiwanese scenes by other artists; Liao has managed to distill the very essence of Taiwan folk customs and tradition, which gives these prints a powerful emotive appeal.

It was during this period that the modern art critic Huang Ch'ao-hu (黃朝湖) praised Liao's work in a newspaper with the following comments:

Here is an artist who emphasizes Asian ethnic identity. He has worked to absorb the key features of Chinese folk art, and as a result his work is truly Asian, truly Chinese; it exudes a powerful simplicity and an unquenchable vitality. Liao draws his inspiration from Chinese temples, architecture and decorative motifs, creating an intensely popular, intensely Chinese sense of mystery with pronounced philosophical significance. The distinctive forms of these guardian deities, temple walls and dragon-pillars have made Liao's work stand out from the crowd in the contemporary Parisian art scene.

In 1966, Liao began working on his "Gate Symbols" series, and started to exhibit widely around the world. Prints by Liao were included in the Contemporary European Prints exhibition that toured the U.S. in 1966, the International Print Triennial held in Genchen, Switzerland in 1967, the Canadian Print Exhibition in Montreal in 1967, and the Norwegian International Print Exhibition in Fredrikstad, again in 1967. Liao held his first solo exhibition of prints and collages in Paris in 1967; these works were subsequently shown at the Salon des Artistes in Paris, and in fifteen other galleries around the world, including galleries in Argentina, Vienna and Austria. Liao received an award in New York's Jamaica District Arts Festival in 1967, and won a scholarship from the Norwegian government to spend a period of just over a month at an artists' village in Norway in 1968. In a very short space of time, Liao went from being an unknown art student to being an up-and-coming young artist with a strong international outlook.

1968 was a year of widespread student rioting in Paris, with strikes, sit-ins and demonstrations going on everywhere. Shortly after his stay at the artists' village in Norway, Liao received an invitation from the Museum of Modern Art in Miami to teach there. In the event, Liao went to New York, where he was a teaching assistant at the Pratt Institute. Displaying immense willpower and strength of purpose, Liao was constantly on the lookout for opportunities to exhibit his work and take part in competitions. In just a few short years, he racked up an impressive list of awards and honors. His print Festival of the Sun won first prize in the Audubon Artists Awards in New York in 1970; in the same year, he received a commendation at Tokyo International Print Biennial, and the New Jersey Sculptors and Painters Association annual award. In 1971, Liao won an award at the Boston Print Exhibition, In 1972, his work Sky won first prize in the print section at the Rochester Festival of Religious Art, in New York State, and his print Counter Part won special mention at the Sao Paulo International Print Exhibition in Brazil, as well as an award from the New Jersey Art Council.

In the spring of 1973, at a time when Taiwan was face with several serious challenges, Liao Shiou-Ping came back to Taipei, having built up an impressive reputation.

Having spent 11 years overseas, Liao was invited back to Taiwan by Yuan shu-chen (袁樞真), a professor at his alma mater Taiwan Normal University, to teach a new course on modern print-making at the University's Department of Fine Arts. Liao also established Taiwan's first print-making workshop, providing guidance to help students in their senior year with their graduation project.

Liao, who was now 38, displayed an almost religious enthusiasm in his work; he was determined to pass on the knowledge and techniques that he had acquired while living overseas for the benefit of his own country. Besides his classes at the university, he also established his own independent print-making workshop; many established artists came to the workshop to discuss art and to learn from Liao, who was always happy to teach them.

Subsequently, with support from the Ministry of Education, Liao took this extracurricular teaching a step further by organizing a print-making workshop "roadshow" that toured throughout Taiwan. People from all walks of life, including primary school and junior high school teachers, teaching college instructors and students registered to attend the classes that Liao gave in Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung (in eastern Taiwan). To facilitate his teaching activities, Liao brought the teaching materials together in book form; The Art of Print-making, which was first published in 1974, remains the classic Chinese-language work on print- making techniques.

The Art of Printmaking is structured as follows: Part One Introduction to Printmaking: The Significance and Basic Principles of Printmaking, The Evolution of the Chinese Printmaking Tradition, The Evolution of Printmaking in Europe, the Emergence of the American Printmaking School, The Growth of Modern Printmaking in Japan, Appreciating Prints, and the Importance of Prints in Modern Art. Part Two - Printmaking Principles and Applications: The Different Types of Prints Compared, What Beginners Need to Know, and sections devoted to different categories of print, including intaglio prints, relief prints, offset prints, serigraphy prints, paste-up prints, collagraphs, and children's prints. Part Three - Collecting and Studying Prints: The Limitations on the Number of Copies that can be Made of a Single Print, Methods for Preserving Prints, Leading International Print Exhibitions, the Skills and Attitude Required for Printmaking, and Conclusions - The Future of Chinese Printmaking. This 260-page work is richly illustrated; with its clear, in-depth explanations, it has played a major role in the promotion of printmaking in Taiwan.

In 1974, Liao was chosen to receive the 10 Outstanding Young Persons Award in recognition of his contribution to print making in Taiwan. During this same period, a group of Liao's students formed the Ten Youths Print Making Society. The original membership included Chung You-hui (鐘有輝), Tung Chen- p'ing (董振平), Lin Hsueh-ch'ing (林雪卿), Lin Ch'ang-teh (林昌德), Huang Kuo- ch'uan (黃國全), Hsieh Hung-ta (謝宏達), Le Yi-p'ing (樂亦萍), Tseng Shai-shu (曾曬淑), Ts'ui Yu-liang (崔玉良), and Ho Li-jung (何麗容); members who joined at a later date included Wang Hsin-kung (王行恭), Shen Chin-yuan (沈金源), Huang Shih-t'uan (黃世團), Kung Chih-ming (龔志明), Lai Chen-hui (賴振輝), Mei Ting-yen (梅丁衍), Liu Yang-che (劉洋哲), Yang Ming-tieh (楊明迭), Liu Tzu-ming (劉自明), Chang Hsin-lung (張心龍), Tai Jung-mu (戴榮木), Yang Ch' eng-yuan (楊成愿), and Chang Cheng-jen (張正仁). All of these individuals rose to prominence in print-making circles in the 1980s and after; several of them were honored with awards at the International Biennial Print and Drawing Exhibition established by the Council for Cultural Affairs in 1983.

Liao Shiou-Ping taught at Taiwan Normal University until 1976. He subsequently settled in the U.S., where he devoted himself to print-making. In 1977, he was invited to teach for two years at a print-making workshop established by Tsukuba University in Japan. Liao returned to the U.S. in 1979 to take up a teaching position at Seton Hall University, where he remained until his retirement in 1992. In 1983, Liao spent a period as visiting professor at the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Taiwan Normal University; it was during this time that he helped the Council for Cultural Affairs to set up the International Biennial Print and Drawing Exhibition, which subsequently developed into an important platform giving international exposure to Taiwanese print makers.

Besides teaching in Taiwan, Japan and the U.S., in 1988 Liao spent two weeks teaching at the Zhejiang Institute of Fine Arts (now the Mainland China Academy of Art). This course focused on copperplate printing, lithography and silkscreen printing; Liao also gave a solo exhibition at the school. In 1990 Liao was invited to spend a period as visiting professor at Nanjing Arts Institutes, where he taught a seminar on modern printmaking, instructing a group of 28 teachers from all over China for a period of one month.

In 1989, Liao was invited to teach printmaking at The Chinese University of Hong Kong under the S.Y. Chung Visiting Scholar program, and in 1991 he served on the jury of the Hong Kong Art Biennial, at the invitation of the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

Liao Shiou-Ping did not stop teaching after retiring from Seton Hall University. In 1994-1995, he was visiting professor at the College of Arts in Taiwan (now Taipei University of Arts), and in 2002-2003 he was visiting professor at the Taipei Teacher Training College (now Taipei Municipal University of Education). Recently, while continuing to spend some of his time in the U.S., Liao has also taught masters students at Taipei University of the Arts and Taiwan University of Arts.

In 1998, Liao Shiou-Ping received the Award for Arts in the Fine Arts category, in recognition of his achievements in the field of artistic creation.

When examining Liao Shiou-Ping's contribution to the teaching of modern printmaking, the high quality of Liao's own artistic creations must not be forgotten. Over the course of his career, Liao has produced outstanding work in the fields of print-making, oil painting, and watercolors. His achievements in the first two of these have been particularly impressive. In all of his creations - from the early Temple series (1962- ) through the Gate Symbols series (1968), Four Seasons and Rural Scenes series (1979 - ), Manikin series (1984), Windows and Walls series (1988), Garden Party series (1991), and the Knots and Silent Images series (1999-) and Symbols of Life series (2000) through to the most recent Dream series (2002-), Liao has continued to integrate new elements into his art, constantly refining his technique while maintaining a consistent artistic purity.

Liao Shiou-Ping's art makes effective use of cultural symbols, combining them in new and inventive ways. His distinctive color schemes and effective use of intaglio and relief techniques create a refined, elegant visual effect, and encourage philosophical reflection. Liao's creations have an element of design about them, but without the flatness and expository 

character of design. Richly textured and with dense cultural meaning, what seem on the surface to be simple compositions turn out to be filled with the marks of real life, thereby reducing the distance between the work and the viewer. From as far back as 1969, with series such as History, Festival of the Sun and Yin-Yang Symbols, right up to the Symbols of Life series of 2000, the symbols that Liao employs in his art all have a strongly modern feel to them. This is true even of the Paper Money series (which takes its subject matter from the paper money burned in Taiwanese temples), with its fans, combs, articles of clothing, scissors, and umbrellas. 

Liao's art is situated somewhere on the boundary of the worldly and the unworldly, of the mundane and the sacred. In his hands, print-making techniques have a transformative power. When looking at these works, people forget the technical skill that has gone into their creation, and lose themselves in the simple but penetrating visions that they offer.

The main reason why so many of Liao Shiou- Ping's works have been honored at major international exhibitions is because of his insistence on the cultural meaning of his art; for Liao, traditional culture has served as an enormous database, giving him an inexhaustible supply of subject matter to work on.

When drawing on ethnic traditions, there is a danger that one's work will degenerate into didacticism and lose the power to move the viewer. The impact that Liao's art is able to exert on the viewing public is closely linked to the personal experience of life that his works embody. 

Liao Shoiu-ping's art demonstrates immense self- control, and also immense drive. He is enthusiastic and sincere, but also composed and reflective. It is easy to be dazzled by his achievements, losing sight of the loneliness and hardship that Liao has experienced in his time. A biography of Liao (Liao Shiou-Ping: Master of Printmaking) records that, when Liao first arrived in Paris, he experienced severe creative block. Everything that he had learned before seemed to have been thrown into question; he also suffered serious problems because of the language barrier. Liao said that sometimes he felt so miserable that he would run to the banks of the Seine, weep with frustration, and then go back home again to carry on working.

Artistic creation is a process of self-actualization, and a search for wholeness. This can be seen clearly in the art of Liao Shiou-Ping. As Liao has said: 

Over the past forty years, I have been constantly looking for new sources of stimulation for my artistic creation. I have continued to question my own work, experimenting with different techniques, and adopting concepts from all over the world; it is this that has provided the motive power and inspiration for my art. It is like the passage of the seasons (at least in regions such as North America and Europe where the seasons are clearly delineated). Harsh, gray winter is followed by the green freshness of spring, suffused with vivid yellow tones. Then, after the oppressive heat of summer, come the spectacular colors of the autumn leaves. The arrival of autumn, seen in these leaves, can be compared to a person reaching the "golden years" of middle age. After the ups and downs of youth, autumn is the time in which one's thinking gradually reaches maturity. 

Reflecting the artist's constant struggle to achieve progress and refusal to become complacent, Liao Shiou-Ping's art, with its spectacular colors, also gives off a hint of loneliness; within the elegance of the works, there is also an underlying simplicity. This is surely a reflection of Liao's own personal integrity and down-to-earth attitude. While constituting an expression of Liao's character, these works also embody some of the most attractive aspects of traditional Asian civilization.