Scenery around Taroko Gorge
Artist
Au Ho-nien
(Chinese, 1935 - 2024)
Date2018
MaterialsInk and colors on paper
DimensionsH. 38 9/16 in x W. 24 7/16 in, H. 98 cm x W. 62 cm (image); H. 72 7/16 in x W. 31 1/8 in, H. 184 cm x W. 79 cm (overall)
Credit LineGift of the Au Ho-nien Cultural Foundation
Object number2019.72
DepartmentChinese Art
ClassificationsPainting
On View
Not on viewSigned鈐印
豪年(朱文)，歐介(白文)，聊以自娛(白文)
InscribedIn the summer of 1985, together with Yang Kunfeng, the owner of the car and president of Loving Stone Club, I drove from Hualien to Taroko to sketch. It has been thirty-three years since then, and my friend Yang already passed. I am now an old man with white hair. It takes me much effort to accomplish a show.
—Repainted this scene as a memento of that past journey, Ho-nien, in 2018.
款識
此圖重畫乃憶昔乙丑夏, 有自花蓮驅車, 赴訪天祥泰魯閣寫生之遊。 餘親駕駛, 車主愛石會長楊崑峰故友伴坐, 亦伴覌作畫。忽忽已經三十三 年矣, 故人下世今已多時, 餘亦白首投老, 展畫不勝太息。戊戌重寫此舊 遊。豪年記之。
More InformationThis scene is set halfway down Taiwan’s renowned Taroko Gorge. Au Ho-nien has filled the surfaces of the rocks with rows of calligraphy in cursive script, his innovative substitute for conventional textured strokes. This new style is emblematic of his departure from traditional brushwork. The composition is notable for its appealing visual depth, in which Au breaks up mountain ranges with seemingly infinite layers of mist and clouds.
Au drew himself into the picture, as a tiny figure sitting with a canvas balanced on his knees and with his hand lifted to point at the high peaks. His companion observes his sketch. Nearby is their red car, probably made in the 1970s, suggesting that they drove down from the mountain top.
