Yan Shuilong (1903 - 1997) Lan Yu oil on canvas executed in 1985 49 x 59 cm. (19 1/4 x 23 1/4 in.) FURTHER DESCRIPTION Among the first generation of artists in Taiwan to have received Japanese education, Yan Shuilong stood out for his multifaceted talents; besides his accomplishments in painting and design, he made tremendous contribution to art education and the promotion of arts and crafts in Taiwan. In 1936, Yan Shuilong’s interest in art began making a turn towards arts and crafts. From 1960 onward, he took part in the production and promotion of Taiwan’s public in ceramic mosaic murals. Set out to promote local art and keep traditional folk art alive, Yan Shuilong’s paintings gradually became centered around the aborigines of Taiwan.
Lan Yu combines the most prominent elements in Yan Shuilong’s painting: the emphasis on the independence of colours; the combination of highly pure colour blocks to create contrasting light and shadow; the attention to detail in both the subject and in decorative elements; the meticulous use of lines with an emphasis on leading lines that brings focus to the elegant curves of the boat, giving it a sense of rhythm and the lines extending outward for an added sense of two-dimensional space. This piece not only offers a visual feast of geometric blend of light and colours, but also shows the rustic lifestyle of Lan Yu aborigines and a passion for the land of Taiwan.