e-catalog of my oil paintings

2. PATH OF YEARNING

3. 1996
GRE
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago SAIC SAIC

4. 2007.6.24

5. Path of Yearning
– Author’s Preface
When I finished graduate school at National Taiwan University in 1996, it never occurred to me that I would be engaged in art throughout my
life.
My generation regarded artists as indigent vagabonds, or, at best, art teachers. Being an artist was considered not a career, but rather a hobby.
Children were instead encouraged to learn other fields that interested them so that they might secure stable positions in the future. I was not an
exception. Though my artistic talents emerged early in childhood, the fact that I could succeed in school in almost any subject I chose pointed
increasingly toward a future bourgeois life. I was too young to break ‘the social norm’ by chasing after my desire to make art into an unknown
future – so instead, I followed it. I then succeeded in passing one exam after another and finally obtained my master’s degree in engineering
from a top university. Everything looked as if it had been pre-arranged from the start.
Even though I had put this desire for art aside, my heart was conflicted. I could not help but feel envious when I spotted other students’ works
showcased in our high school’s Student Gallery. I did not pick up art study until I had successfully completed all coursework recognized by
society as defining a ‘good’ student. I went to Original Art Studio, a private studio in Taipei, and began with the most basic art skills – drawing.
Art then became a passion which I pursued with infectious vigor. My days were spent honing my talents under art instructor Chien Chung-Wei,
who focused and refined my skills.
Stepping into a role in environmental engineering was aimed at realizing my dream to help protect the environment and contribute to society.
However, the harsh truth of the matter finally disappointed me in the end, as I concluded that it was impossible for me alone to change anything.
Then, I turned to art which I had always longed for but had no opportunity to explore when I was young. To move increasingly toward my
dream, while working a high-pressure job, I commenced preparations for overseas study, including admission tests, TOEFL and GRE,
recommendation letters and an art portfolio. I relied on sheer determination to get me through that series of challenges.
With pride and ambition to compete with world-class talents, I made up my mind to study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC).
The three years at that school set my life on a new course, though I was truly torn between heaven and hell. The course was so inspiring that it
allowed me to make breakthroughs in my thoughts and enhance my capability. In spite of the demanding course, learning itself was more than
fun. However, the expensive tuition and living costs were always been a truly heavy burden for me; the piercingly cold weather threatened my
already-fragile health condition. What was worse, the loneliness and discrimination of life in a foreign country was a constant torture, draining
me spiritually and mentally.

6. Thanks to those years abroad, I have clearer understanding of myself and the world. What impressed me most was the yearning for home.
Brought up in the hustling and bustling city of Taipei, I thought I had less emotional attachment to places. I liked to walk around in the
countryside sometimes to get close to nature, but such contact was not a necessity of life. Moving from Taipei to Chicago would be as normal
and easy as a tour to any other city in the world; as long as I got used to using the language, everything would be fine -- at first, I really thought
so. But things turned out differently.
Lake Michigan offers a truly panoramic view; however, it is the ocean with the salty air, deep blue water and strong waves hitting the shores
that commands a more extensive and profound vista than any lake can provide. No matter how magnificent the architecture and how developed
the urban green areas of big cities, it is the mountain forests and natural landscape that satisfy me; artificial scenery cannot substitute for real.
The green house in the botanic garden was one of the places I particularly liked to visit, as its damp air, smell of soil, and deep green tropical
and subtropical plants reminded me of the low-elevation mountains in Taiwan. A small library in Chinatown was another place that I often
visited to appease my hunger for Chinese reading. Dwelling in a land where I was not recognized made me realize the importance of our culture
and soil of origin.
Creation is motivated by a yearning for communication with others. As for who with and what to communicate, it is up to artists themselves.
The concept of the artist as a personification of individualism remains popular. I am convinced that the higher value of art is its power to touch
its audience and even inspire creative thoughts, positive emotions and feelings within them. Moreover, the ideal of an “art for all” is not only
my belief but also my goal. If you would emotionally move others, first do so for yourself. Thus, those subjects that I care about appear in my
art. I want them to convey the idea of yearning, an experience common to all that strikes a chord in our hearts. Yearning is a beautiful state of
mind, whose basis is love– no love, no yearning. Though it may sound clichéd, love can make the world better. This is my belief, and from it I
draw strength to continue making art.
Each artwork has its backstory. Through it, the paths of yearning can be mapped out – to that time, with those people, filled with those emotions.
It takes you back, and touches you. I would like to share my passions for art and stories, and I hope that my art can be a tool of service to others.
Chen, Min-Tse in Beijing, on June 24th, 2007

8. 2000
10 12
Valley in Mt. Yang-Ming My family and I used to go and have fun at Yang-Ming National Park in Taipei. This triptych is also a
milestone of my painting career, and thus is very special to me.

9. Valley in Mt. Yang-Ming oil on canvas, 91x337 cm, 2000

10. 1992

11. In summer 1992 I went on a trip to the Silk Road in northwestern China. On the way the highland area and Jiuzhaigou impressed me
the most, and Highland Barley Valley and Running Water were created based on photographs taken at those two places.
“Highland Barley Valley” was also the piece shown in my BFA exhibition at SAIC.

12. Highland Barley Valley oil on canvas, 91x152 cm, 2001

13. Running Water oil on canvas, 91x117 cm, 2003

14. 1996
97
2003
17
1997
1997
Shuang-Lian Pond was a beautiful and impressive place to me during the years I participated in an environmental protection
organization called Society of Wilderness (SOW), and SOW has been working hard trying to protect this precious wetland. Shuang-
Lian Pond 1997 was based on an aerial photograph taken in 1997, in memory of its unique aspect before it suffered damage.

15. 1997 Shuang-Lian Pond 1997 oil on canvas, 91x117 cm, 2003

16. Looking through the window of an airplane on landing approach, the night scene of the city is like the Milky Way on Earth, and the
homes of my friends and I are the stars scattered in it. In memory of a special flight experience that helped me make an important
decision of life.

17. Milky Way on Earth oil on canvas, 91x117 cm, 2003

18. 2004
East Coast Taitong, the county at the eastern border of Taiwan, is my childhood hometown; the Pacific Ocean it faces is the
scenery I never get tired of, and it always comforts me when I am in need.

19. East Coast oil on canvas, 90x146 cm, 2004

20. Les Ulis
2003
Les Ulis
ERE 50
Les Ulis
Although I paint landscape, there is always a memory of a person or a group of people related to that place behind the painting – I
don’t miss Paris, except for the one who lives at the edge of the Woods in Les Ulis, a small town in suburban area of Paris.

21. Les Ulis Woods of Les Ulis oil on canvas, 65x91 cm, 2004

22. N
Edge of the Land is a landscape painting with an adjusted perspective of Kenting, located at the very south end of Taiwan. The title
of this piece is an equivoque – a description of the geographic location as well as a frame of mind. Kenting marks my solitary but
abundant year of seventeen.

23. Edge of the Land oil on canvas, 90x150 cm, 2007

24. The estuary of Tamsui River was a must-go place for school field trips when I was growing up. The original pictures of Estuary and
Field by the Estuary were photo records from a highway planning project that I participated in; the engineers working on that
project contributed a lot of effort trying to reduce the environmental impact of construction, and that moved me deeply.

25. Estuary oil on canvas, 105x75 cm, 2006

26. Field by the Estuary oil on canvas, 90x120 cm, 2007

28. Pine Woods and Bridge There are beautiful forests and natural sceneries up in the high mountains in Taiwan, waiting for people to
experience and protect them. What nature can bring to us is a lot more than we expect.

29. Bridge oil on canvas, 60x60 cm, 2006

30. Pine Woods oil on canvas, 90x120 cm, 2007

31. 1980

32. Le Temps Scelle
2004
The 13-layer Smelter at Jinguashi, originally the smelter for gold and copper mine, is now the most spectacular industrial ruin in
Taiwan. Golden Castle represents a dream – expecting its value in culture could resurrect it, and shines like gold once again.

33. Golden Castle oil on canvas, 90x240 cm, 2007

34. Map compresses the real space and objects on the ground into symbols. Unfolding the maps of places where you have wandered
around is like opening the boxes of memories; scenes and events in those journeys come to life again.

35. 1 Map 1 oil on canvas, 70x50 cm, 2006

36. 2 Map 2 oil on canvas, 60x60 cm, 2006

37. 3 Map 3 oil on canvas, 80x60 cm, 2007

38. 2004
”Living Jewels”
20
Untitled The patterns of insects turned into highly decorative abstract paintings.

39. 1 Untitled 1 oil on canvas, 73x53 cm, 2004

40. 2 Untitled 2 oil on canvas, 91x65 cm, 2004

41. 3 Untitled 3 oil on canvas, 65x91 cm, 2004

42. In the Café oil on canvas, 73x53cm, 2005

43. Ansel Adams Salute to Ansel Adams oil on canvas, 91x117cm, 2003

44. Night oil on canvas, 60x60cm, 2007

45. Autumn Tone oil on canvas, 60x90cm, 2006

46. 1 Impression 1 oil on canvas, 60x50cm, 2007

47. 2 Impression 2 oil on canvas, 80x50cm, 2007

48. Ride Alone oil on canvas, 50x80cm, 2007

49. Look oil on canvas, 50x70cm, 2007

50. Couple oil on canvas, 60x50cm, 2007

51. Trio oil on canvas, 60x60cm, 2007

52. Group oil on canvas, 50x60cm, 2007

53. Spirits oil on canvas, 60x80cm, 2007

54. Your Place
Yearning is like the scent of rosemary permeating the air
Light, tender but could not be blown away
This is the way I miss you
Walk the paths you walked
Breathe the air you breathed
Wander in the landscapes you knew
Though I know now you are thousands of miles away
And would not show up to my face
But
At this place filled with the sense of you
I almost see your warm smile
In the sunlight coming down through branches and leaves
Just the same as before

55. 1972
2001.5 (The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Bachelor of Fine Art)
1996.6
1994.6
2007 “ ”
2006 “ ” -
2003 “ "
“ ”
2006 “ ”
“ ”
2005 “Animal Logic and the Lack Thereof”, Three Walls,
“A Friend is a Friend is a Friend”, Axtyryx,
2004 “Sketches, Scrawls, Scribbles and Such III”, The Wiggle Room,
“ ”
“Burnin’ Down the House”, Unit B (Gallery),
2003 “Sketches, Scrawls, Scribbles and Such”, Unit B (Gallery),
2001 “Turn”, Gallery B,
“Parson's Group Show”, Parson's Group
“Ink”, Walsh Gallery,
“ ”, Gallery 2,
“Art Window”,
1999 “Artbash”, Gallery 2,
1998 “ ”
“ ” 2005
“ ” (Brian Clegg) 2005

56. Min-Tse Chen
Born in 1972 in Taipei
Education
2001 Bachelor of Fine Art, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
1996 Master of Science in Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University
1994 Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, National Taiwan University
Solo Exhibitions
2007 The Returned of Beijing, Gallery 41, Taipei
2006 Weird Resplendency, Stock 20 in Taichung Railway Station, Taichung
2003 Based on Reality, Smoke & Snake Art Center, Taipei
Min-Tse Chen Landscape Paintings, SOW Gallery, Taipei
Group Exhibitions
2006 19th Century Europe Meets 21st Century Taiwan, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, Taichung
Alluring Rendezvous: a meeting between artists of today and tomorrow, Windsor Hotel, Taichung
2005 Animal Logic and the Lack Thereof, Three Walls, San Antonio, Texas
4-people show, Cathay Bank Art Center, Taipei
A Friend is a Friend is a Friend, Axtyryx, San Antonio, Texas
2004 Sketches, Scrawls, Scribbles and Such III, The Wiggle Room, San Antonio, Texas
TrinOty, Art Gallery at National Taiwan University, Taipei
Burnin' Down the House, Unit B (Gallery), Chicago
2003 Sketches, Scrawls, Scribbles and Such, Unit B (Gallery), Chicago
2001 Turn, Gallery B, Chicago
Parson’s Group Show, Parson’s Group and The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
Ink, Walsh Gallery, Chicago
BFA Thesis Show, Gallery 2, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
Art Window, Michigan Avenue, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
1999 Artbash, Gallery 2, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
1998 Discovering the Beauty of Original Art, Original Art Association, Taipei

57. 天涯海角 Edge of the Land
作 品 清 單
90x150cm
List of Plates 布上油彩 oil on canvas
2007
陽明山坳 Valley in Mt. Yang-Ming 河口 Estuary
91 x 371cm 105x75cm
布上油彩 oil on canvas 布上油彩 oil on canvas
2000 2006
青稞谷 Highland Barley Valley 河口旁 Field by the Estuary
91 x 152cm 90x120cm
布上油彩 oil on canvas 布上油彩 oil on canvas
2001 2007
源頭活水 Running Water 橋 Bridge
91 x 117cm 60x60cm
布上油彩 oil on canvas 布上油彩 oil on canvas
2003 2007
雙連埤1997 Shuang-Lian Pond 1997 松林 Pine Woods
91x117cm 90x120cm
布上油彩 oil on canvas 布上油彩 oil on canvas
2003 2007
地上的銀河 Milky Way on Earth 黃金城 Golden Castle
91x117cm 90x240cm
布上油彩 oil on canvas 布上油彩 oil on canvas
2003 2007
東海岸 East Coast 地圖1號 Map 1
90 x 146cm 70x50cm
布上油彩 oil on canvas 布上油彩 oil on canvas
2004 2006
Les Ulis的森林 Woods of Les Ulis 地圖2號 Map 2
65 x 91 cm 60x60cm
布上油彩 oil on canvas 布上油彩 oil on canvas
2004 2006

58. 地圖3號 Map 3 人物印象1 Impression 1
60x80cm 60x50cm
布上油彩 oil on canvas 布上油彩 oil on canvas
2007 2007
無題1 Untitled 1 人物印象2 Impression 2
73x 53cm 80x50cm
布上油彩 oil on canvas 布上油彩 oil on canvas
2004 2007
無題2 Untitled 2 千里走單騎 Ride Alone
91x65cm 50x80cm
布上油彩 oil on canvas 布上油彩 oil on canvas
2004 2007
無題3 Untitled 3 望 Look
65x 91cm 50x70cm
布上油彩 oil on canvas 布上油彩 oil on canvas
2004 2007
咖啡館內 In the Café 偶 Couple
73x53cm 60x50cm
布上油彩 oil on canvas 布上油彩 oil on canvas
2004 2007
向Ansel Adams致敬 Salute to Ansel Adams 三 Trio
91x117cm 60x60cm
布上油彩 oil on canvas 布上油彩 oil on canvas
2003 2007
夜 Night 群 Group
60x60cm 50x60cm
布上油彩 oil on canvas 布上油彩 oil on canvas
2007 2006
秋調 Autumn Tone 靈 Spirits
60x90cm 60x80cm
布上油彩 oil on canvas 布上油彩 oil on canvas
2006 2007

59. David Parker
Author Min-Tse Chen
Editor Min-Tse Chen
Photographer Tsai-Ming Hu, Yang Chao, Min-Tse Chen
Translator David Parker, Min-Tse Chen