Kuo, Hsueh-hu

郭雪湖 1908-2012

father of Kuo Songfen 郭松棻

http://taiwanpedia.culture.tw/web/content?ID=4670

http://baike.baidu.com/view/152364.htm

http://www.wretch.cc/blog/phesha0822/13678657

http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%83%AD%E9%9B%AA%E6%B9%96

http://www.culture.tw/index.php?option=com_events&task=view_detail&agid=332&Itemid=176&catids=40

Centenarian Mr. Kuo Hsueh-Hu, whose influence has extended into a second century, is one of Taiwan's first-generation gouache painters and a pioneer of Taiwan's art movements. In 1920 when he was only twenty years old, Mr. Kuo, together with two other young artists, Mr. Lin Yu-Shan (1907 - 2004) and Ms. Chen Chin (1907 - 1998), had works selected for the first Taiwan Art Exhibition. These three young artists were thence known collectively as the "Three Youths of Taiwan Art Exhibitions". In 1928, Mr. Kuo was awarded the Special Prize in the second Taiwan Art Exhibition with his gouache painting entitled "Scenery near Yuan Shan". Indeed, his artworks were awarded Special Selection prizes in the Taiwan Art Exhibition for several years in a row. Subsequent awards included the Taiwan Exhibition prize, the Taiwan-Japan Prize and the Asahi Prize. By virtue of his accomplishments, Kuo was one of the few Taiwanese artists to be granted direct-entry status for exhibitions in Japan.

Originally named Kuo Jin-Huo, Mr. Kuo Hsueh-Hu was born on 10th April 1908 in the Dadaocheng area of Taipei. He is the second child of Mr. Kuo Chung-Kwei and Mrs. Kuo-Chen Shun, with one elder sister and one younger sister. From a very young age, Mr. Kuo displayed keen interest in singing and painting. When he attended the Second Public School of Dadaocheng (renamed "Ze-Hsin Public School in 1922, and "Ze-Hsin Primary School in 1945), his talents were discovered by both his music and arts teachers. After some careful considerations, Mr. Kuo chose painting as his life-long career.

During the Japanese colonial era, Dadaocheng, beside the Tamshui River, was a beautiful pastoral area. Although it was not so eye-catching, it holds warm memories for Kuo Hsueh-Hu of the early years of his life. Moreover, it was the source of inspiration for his later creativity. Through his elegant paintings, we can see a different era devoid of the noise of the city, as the purity of the land comes pouring forth from within the paintings and the love for this land is impressed on the viewer through every detail.

Master Kuo Hsueh-Hu has dedicated his life to artistic creation, and accomplished more so far. We can explore Master Kuo's artworks and artistic journey from from five directions. First, " The Beginning of Kuo Hsueh-Hu's Artistic Life", looks at the remarkable talents that Master Kuo displayed as a young and rising artist. Second, "Depiction of Taiwan Scenes", looks at Mr. Kuo's sensitive depictions of Taiwan's scenery and folk customs. Third, "A Multicultural Vision", shows the body of work that Mr. Kuo has accumulated from his extensive travel. Mr. Kuo travelled all over the world in order to broaden his cultural and artistic horizons. His travel experiences have allowed him to produce a collection of paintings which articulate a multicultural vision. Fourth,"The Calling of Rural Sentiments", looks at the works that Mr. Kuo produced during the time he lives abroad, and more specifically in Japan and the U.S.. While living abroad, Mr. Kuo had deep yearning for the people and landscape back in his homeland, and continued to paint on the themes related to the scenes of Taiwan. The fifth section, "The Inheritance of Culture and Art", looks at Master Kuo's contribution in art education. Mr. Kuo's artistic legacy has inspired not only his family, but also numerous artists of the younger generation through the founding and running of the Taiwan Art Exhibition. Indeed, Master Kuo's contributions in artistic education and cultural inheritance have been recognized and highly appreciated the wider community of arts and culture.

Master Kuo Hsueh-Hu's remarkable artistic achievements are the result of the combination of his talents and hard work. On 24th January 2008, Master Kuo was awarded the prestigious honor of the "27th Executive Yuan Culture Award" as a tribute to his life-long contributions to the promotion and advancement of arts and culture. The award presentation ceremony was held in Taipei 101, which was a great way to celebrate Master Kuo's 100th birthday. The Age of Elegance: a Centennial Exhibition of Kuo Hsueh-Hu is organized and held by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts to honor Master Kuo's contributions to Taiwan's art community, and to help promote his magnificent achievements to a wider public. This centennial exhibition consists a total of 101 of Master Kuo's artworks complemented by his sketches, photographic records and news articles. We hope that these features will allow visitors to gain a better understanding of a great master's artistic journey, and especially to gain an insight as to how the master has inherited and carried forth traditional culture to continuously create beautiful melodies throughout his long artistic career which spanned across the century. （Chou Ming-Tsung）

Source and Photo courtesy of National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts(國立台灣美術館)