The Painting to the New Age
J. C. Kuo 、Hu Kun-Jung
2004. 03. 04 — 2004. 03. 27

│EXHIBITION

Since 1980, integral culture of the society in Taiwan stepped into a remarkably boosted phase; following the growth of economic index, the prime time in Taiwan’s history has officially begun; so as art has turned to be with marvelous competitions of modernist from the original soliloquy to country-love. Affected by atmosphere in the time, pursuit of fashion and variation becomes a main trend and motivation to art, passion about creation in the age transfers to be waves of artistic flood.

“The Painting to the New Age” -- display of J. C. Kuo’s and Hu Kun-Jung’s artworks, the two artists with distinct style paint at the alternation of centuries for connoisseurs in the new age; through the articles showed, artists’ moods of being natural and insistent to the art are entirely expressed that salute to their persistence to creation in the past 20 some years.

Hu Kun-Jung’s “the Series of Discontinuous Squares” is the representative work from end of ’90 to entering into new century. Escaping from ruthlessness presented in Josef Albers’ “Applause for Square” that was handled in single form and surface, Hu Kun-Jung expresses dynamic charm, based on a concept of anti-absolute symmetry, outward interknitting of layers in picture to emerge interior interaction and steadiness. The artist jumps out of western viewpoint and leaks branches out of fetters; he even straight drags his persistence existing since ’80 to the new age, and figures an abstract geometry of part of island between the painter’s unique angle, edge, form and color.  

J. C. Kuo’s “The Series of Holy Taiwan” constructs in connection of western holy icons and traditional totems with vivid and lush localization to extol the identification and democratic values in the new generation since mid of ’90. The new age that J. C. Kuo defines has surpassed and heightened to something like the icons praised in religion; it makes not only Taiwan but also the population on the island feel sacred. “The Series of Holy Taiwan” loudly acclaims in positive tune for the island’s nation and its coexistent country to walk together to the new century.