Modern Ink Painting Quintet

Despite sharing the same teacher and mentor, the five artists each strive to develop their own style. Chiang Li-hsiang sets natural rhythmic white lines against solid black lines; the contrasts creates a bold rendering of natural light. Lien Yu takes Eastern thought as the basis of her painterly experimentations, thereby constructing an unique personal style of Modern Ink. Hsu Hsiu-lan utilizes innovative techniques such as “Ink-rubbing” and “Ink-staining,” in layering the faces of mountains in respect to the contrast of light and dark. Wu Pui-wah uses the effect of liubai, or negative space and the balance of dark, light, thick and thin colors in representing her artful perception of the natural world. Chen Yi-fen holds her concept of altering the composition as the painting unfolds, and employs a rich display of colors and lines; she ultimately searches for the delight of inkplay between likeness and abstraction.