Chen Cheng-po, acclaimed as the father of Taiwanese modernism (photo by Chuang Kung-ju)
A casual passerby of the bustling shop at the intersection of Lanjing Street and Guohua Street in Chiayi City might lift his head and see a sign proclaiming the site to be the former residence of Chen Cheng-po. Although he was acclaimed as the father of Taiwanese modernism, Chen’s untimely death in his prime led him to be forgotten by many. That has changed, however, as in the past decade or so his paintings have auctioned for ever-rising prices and there has been a cultural shift towards appreciating Taiwanese artists.
Hopes of becoming Taiwan’s Van Gogh
Born in 1895, the year the First Sino-Japanese War ended and Taiwan was ceded to Japan, it seems as if Chen Cheng-po’s life was destined to be circumscribed by the major conflicts of the era.
Although his father was a scholar who had passed the local-level imperial exams, Chen’s mother had to peddle peanut oil on the streets because his father died shortly after his birth. Chen Cheng-po entered the Taiwan Governor-General’s National Language School. During college, he became a student of famed Japanese watercolorist Kinichiro Ishikawa, and with his teacher’s encouragement eventually went on to enroll at Tokyo Fine Arts School (now Tokyo University of the Arts).
In 1926 his painting Outside Chiayi Street was chosen for the 7th Imperial Fine Arts Academy Exhibition (the “Teiten”) in Japan, making him the first Taiwanese painter to have an oil painting exhibited at the Teiten. From there, his star began to rise.
With the passing of time, Chen Cheng-po’s former residence has become an ice shop named “We Taiwanese Folk’s Ice Dessert,” but some of the artist’s representative works are still displayed within.
Sketches of home
Chen Cheng-po moved to Shanghai and taught at Xinhua Art College and Changming Art School from 1929 to 1933. He was chosen as one of 12 artists to represent the Republic of China at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1933. After he returned to Taiwan the same year, most of his works were of the scenery of his hometown and portrayed both the local culture of Chiayi and his deep love for his home.
The Chiayi City 228 Commemorative Cultural Foundation established the Chen Cheng-Po & 228 Cultural Museum at 228-12 Guohua Street, near Chen’s former residence. Many of his paintings are displayed there, featuring scenes of Chiayi streets, parks, and temple plazas.
Chen Cheng-po painted Summer Street Scene in 1927. In this painting, he uses space to separate the Chiayi street scene into three half-circular or circular sections, each an independent vignette. The sunbaked streets of the small southern town come to life on the canvas. One can almost feel the shade thrown by the trees and the inexpressible anxiety of a hot summer afternoon. Chiayi Park (1), painted in 1937, is one of Chen’s larger pieces, standing 162 centimeters tall. Red-crowned cranes and white geese frolic in the shade of a magnificent flame tree, creating an idyllic scene straight from the artist’s deepest longings.
Tamsui sunset
Chen Cheng-po truly hit his stride after he returned to Taiwan. He would wander, his easel on his back, painting whenever and wherever inspiration struck.
Nine reproductions of Chen’s paintings are on display in Chiayi’s Zhongzheng Park in front of the Chen Cheng-Po & 228 Cultural Museum. The replicas are showcased in metal frames set on metal easels. The most famous of these works is Sunset in Tamsui, painted in 1935, depicting Hokkien-style houses clustered together beside the Danshui River. It gives the viewer a sense of immersion within the scene.
The “Tamsui” series, including Tamsui and Tamsui Middle School, are iconic examples of Chen’s style of painting. In 2007, Sunset in Tamsui set a record for the highest price paid for an oil painting by a Taiwanese painter at a Hong Kong auction.
The works in Zhongzheng Park also include Chiayi Street Scene, painted in 1934. The perspective of this painting is lowered to eye level, allowing the viewer a point of view similar to what a person would see if they were to stand on a street in Chiayi.
Fifty-eight of these “Chen Cheng-po easels” are placed throughout Chiayi City, showcasing two main focal points: the eponymous “Chiayi” series, the easels placed where Chen originally painted the works, and the “Taiwan” series, with pictures of Tamsui, Mt. Bagua, and Yushan (Mt. Jade). The reproductions also each bear a plaque with a brief introduction of the piece and an audio guide. These 58 displays form the Chen Cheng-po Art Trail.
Replications of Chen’s works are displayed in Chiayi City’s cultural center and in front of the Central Fountain, with 58 in total throughout the city. Chen’s style illustrates a deep love of his hometown and the local culture.
Walking into history
Warm-hearted and generous, Chen Cheng-po was elected to the Chiayi City Council in 1946. When the February 28 Incident occurred in 1947, because he spoke Mandarin he was chosen as part of a locally organized “February 28 Incident Settlement Committee.” The committee was called upon to mediate between Kuomintang forces and civilians when there was a standoff at Chiayi’s Shuishang Airfield. People urged Chen not to go, saying it was too dangerous, but he insisted. However, at the airfield the group was seized by the military. Later, bound with wire, they were taken to Chiayi Train Station and summarily executed.
Xu Yongsen, who runs the ice shop out of Chen Cheng-po’s former residence, says that he used to hear his grandmother speak of the artist: “Mr. Chen was such a kind man. Not only was he passionate about his duties as a city councilman, but he would also sometimes come over to mediate when I argued with your grandfather. Such a good man, yet his life ended in such tragedy.”
Xu adds, “His family even had to risk their lives to bring his corpse home.” Chen’s heartbroken family put his cold body on a door panel and took a picture, proof that he had died an unjust death. His bullet-torn shirt, which hangs in the museum, is like a white flag fluttering over Taiwan, calling his soul home.
The changing fortunes of Chen’s former residence
Seven decades later, Chen Cheng-po’s former residence at 249 Lanjing Street has become an ice shop named “We Taiwanese Folk’s Ice Dessert.” At this ice shop, one can see how bustling excitement and serenity co-exist.
Serenity, because the ice shop doesn’t open until past noon, and in those hours before it opens for business, one can almost imagine how it was back in the days when Chen was in residence, quietly working at his art. Xu Yongsen remembers that when he was young, he could see how the first floor was filled with Chen’s paintings. He’d always wanted to go in and take a closer look, but never had the chance.
The other aspect, that of bustling excitement, is because the ice shop sells flavored ices in summer and hot grass jelly and rice dumpling soup in winter. Hence the shop is very popular and often has a line out the door.
Xu Yongsen says that he rents the storefront from Chen Cheng-po’s family. Chen’s family moved away after the February 28th Incident. In 1983, they started renting the place to Xu’s family, who were in the business of making candied yams. The next generation changed to selling flavored ice instead, and has been doing so for the last 20-odd years. Often, customers will see the sign saying that the place is Chen Cheng-po’s former residence and they will ask about what sort of person the artist used to be.
After finishing our ice and taking leave of Chen’s residence, walking along the busy street we can see one of his easels displayed beside a nearby temple courtyard. Temple of Wenling Sea Goddess (Matsu) was painted in 1927. Although he is long gone, one can still almost see the artist’s solitary figure walking through the bustling marketplace with a smile on his lips and his easel on his back, continuing on his journey to paint throughout Taiwan.
For more pictures, please click 《Bloodied Artist, Warrior of Life —Chen Cheng-po’s Former Residence and Museum》
