Identity, Modernity, and Hybridity: The Colonial Style of Taiwanese Painter Chen Cheng-po (1895-1947)
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The Ohio State University / OhioLINK
2013
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| Online Access: | http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1386038314 |
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-osu13860383142021-08-03T06:20:51Z Identity, Modernity, and Hybridity: The Colonial Style of Taiwanese Painter Chen Cheng-po (1895-1947) Mathison, Christina Sarah Wei-Szu Burke Art History Taiwan Colonialism Painting Chen Cheng-po Chen Chengbo Identity At the end of the nineteenth century and beginning of the twentieth, the collision of rapid modernization and cultural identity caused massive upheaval in East Asia as wars redrew national boundaries and occupation reshaped traditional viewpoints. From the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) to the Second World War (1939-1945), conflict brought both destruction and cultural exchange. Few places demonstrate this more clearly than Taiwan. Occupied by the Japanese from 1895 to 1945, Taiwan was enriched by a modernized educational system and an active colonial government but was overwhelmed by forced cultural assimilation.Artworks of the time illustrate the interaction of these forces, but one artist in particular, Chen Cheng-po (1895-1947), combined a multitude of influences to create uniquely Taiwanese works. His paintings capture the interplay of colonialism, identity, and cultural hybridity in a way that defines the era for Taiwan. Born the year the occupation began, Chen was educated in the Japanese system, studied in Tokyo, taught in Shanghai, and returned to work in Taiwan. Although killed by the Kuomintang government, his paintings and success as an artist in the three regions he traversed demonstrate Chen’s ability to harness cultural interplay.This dissertation examines Chen Cheng-po’s artworks and personal documents to explore the meaning of identifying oneself as a Taiwanese individual and colonial subject during the Japanese occupation. This dissertation explores primary sources, such as Chen’s own writings and his collection of reproductions of art, within the colonial context through the writings of theorists such as Edward Said, Fernando Ortiz, Homi Bhabha, and Claude Levi-Strauss. It considers how Chen does not simply conform to colonial government standards in the creation of his artworks. Instead, his paintings manifest his ability to understand and succeed within a variety of art circles, and consciously adopt specific elements to create independent and original works of art that exemplify his travels and absorbed ideologies. Returning to Taiwan, Chen’s efforts functioned as a catalyst for the growth and development of the Taiwanese art world, even after his death.Despite this acclaimed career, how is it that Chen is scarcely recorded in Japanese and Chinese art histories, and only now receiving the attention as an artist that he deserves? Political oppression prevented detailed study of the materials associated with Chen until the 1980s, and new primary sources are still emerging. It is my goal in this dissertation to fill voids in the historical accounts of this period, particularly as the last few years have revealed an outpouring of paintings and documents that have been concealed since Chen’s lifetime. This study will examine his works in the contexts of identity and colonization, excavating the layers of complexity in the hybrid nature of colonial Taiwan as revealed in Chen’s paintings. 2013 English text The Ohio State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1386038314 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1386038314 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |
| collection |
NDLTD |
| language |
English |
| sources |
NDLTD |
| topic |
Art History Taiwan Colonialism Painting Chen Cheng-po Chen Chengbo Identity |
| spellingShingle |
Art History Taiwan Colonialism Painting Chen Cheng-po Chen Chengbo Identity Mathison, Christina Sarah Wei-Szu Burke Identity, Modernity, and Hybridity: The Colonial Style of Taiwanese Painter Chen Cheng-po (1895-1947) |
| author |
Mathison, Christina Sarah Wei-Szu Burke |
| author_facet |
Mathison, Christina Sarah Wei-Szu Burke |
| author_sort |
Mathison, Christina Sarah Wei-Szu Burke |
| title |
Identity, Modernity, and Hybridity: The Colonial Style of Taiwanese Painter Chen Cheng-po (1895-1947) |
| title_short |
Identity, Modernity, and Hybridity: The Colonial Style of Taiwanese Painter Chen Cheng-po (1895-1947) |
| title_full |
Identity, Modernity, and Hybridity: The Colonial Style of Taiwanese Painter Chen Cheng-po (1895-1947) |
| title_fullStr |
Identity, Modernity, and Hybridity: The Colonial Style of Taiwanese Painter Chen Cheng-po (1895-1947) |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Identity, Modernity, and Hybridity: The Colonial Style of Taiwanese Painter Chen Cheng-po (1895-1947) |
| title_sort |
identity, modernity, and hybridity: the colonial style of taiwanese painter chen cheng-po (1895-1947) |
| publisher |
The Ohio State University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2013 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1386038314 |
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AT mathisonchristinasarahweiszuburke identitymodernityandhybriditythecolonialstyleoftaiwanesepainterchenchengpo18951947 |
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