Crescendo: Three Generations of Tshun-Guân Art Studio

2023 / 06

The present era is one in which folk customs and religious artworks are deeply valued. It is also an era in which people are striving to find stability and a sense of belonging within the flow of history. Where do we come from, and where should we be going? Over the past hundred-or-so years, from within the context of the development of temple craftsmanship, local painters from one generation to the next have passed on their artistry, wielding their brushes, continuously sketching, applying gold, and layering colors. Together, they have paved the roads leading into the future, enriching their Sinological value and imbuing them with contemporary local perspectives.

As the number one city for temples in Taiwan, Tainan not only expands cultural heritage and popular tastes through religious beliefs, but also offers a unique aesthetic experience with local characteristics, making it a favorite place for those seeking a sense of identity and a refined, aesthetic lifestyle. The exhibition Crescendo: Three Generation of Tshun-Guân Art Studio takes a brand-management approach to showcasing the studio’s creative splendor, which spans 115 years and three generations of artists. These artists include Pan Chun-yuan (1891-1972), Pan Li-shui (1914-1995), Pan Ying-chou (1916-2004), and Pan Yueh-hsiung (1943-). This exhibition presents the rich and diverse creative footprints of these interdisciplinary artists, who not only served as folk painters but also had multiple identities. Through the mural paintings in the mansions of prominent families, the colorful depictions of temple gate gods, paper-based figure and landscape paintings, and related extended art pieces, this exhibition allows the public to gain a deeper understanding of the unique artistic, commercial, and aesthetic exchanges that undergird religious folk beliefs.

The English exhibition title is based on the musical notation ‘Crescendo.’ In music, a crescendo deepens the sense of rhythm within a set of musical phrases and gradually reveals the vitality of the melody. This theme echoes the ever-growing spirit of the Tshun-Guân Art Studio family brand over the course of a century. Through the production of sound artist Wu Tsan-cheng, incorporating everyday sounds with musical elements, the audience is invited to imagine the successive owners of the studio as symphony musicians, passing through time, working in harmony and filial piety to keep up the quality and efficiency needed to sustain the family business. The exhibition also offers a glimpse at the resilient mindset of the family in seeking opportunities and undergoing transformation amidst difficulties and hardships, and uses a modern perspective to explore their networks of relationships and inherited ways of thinking from the late Qing Dynasty through to the present day.

Tainan Art Museum Building 1, Gallery B-G
2023/06/22 10:00 ~ 2023/11/12 18:00

Supervisor: Tainan City Government
Tainan Art Museum | AUO FindARTs
https://www.tnam.museum/exhibition/detail/411