receiving international recognition for his talents during his lifetime, persisting afterwards as part of Taiwan’s artistic heritage.

Born in Chiayi in 1895, Tan Ting-pho (sometimes credited as Chen Cheng-po) spent most of his life under the Japanese colonial administration. Born to a poor family, Tan Ting-pho grew up with little investment into his education. Nonetheless, by the 1910s, he was able to study his artistic passions at the National Language School of the Taiwan Government General in Taihoku – an institution that would later become the National Taipei University of Education.

During his time at the National Language School, Tan was influenced by Japanese artists such as Kinichiro Ishikawa. His interest in Japanese art would eventually lead him to quit a teaching he had taken up after his studies to enrol at the Tokyo University of the Arts in the 1920s, graduating in 1929.

In 1926, Tan Ting-pho painted, “Outside the Chiayi Street”, which would eventually be selected for the seventh Imperial Art Exhibition in Japan – the first time a Taiwanese artist’s work was displayed at the exhibition. His western-style paintings took inspiration from Van Gogh, an artist whom Tan admired, having read his biography.

Following four years of living in Shanghai to study Chinese ink painting, Tan Ting-pho returned to Taiwan in 1933, establishing the Tai-Yang Art Association with several other well-known painters. Before leaving Shanghai, Tan painted “Shanghai Port”, a depiction of the city’s famous waterfront, the Bund. Below is also a postcard that Tan collected before leaving the city.

Following the end of the Second World War, Taiwan’s sovereignty was transferred to the Republic of China government under Chiang Kai-shek. Elected a councillor for the Chiayi city government in 1946, yet this would unfortunately lead to his premature death. As the newly arrived authorities in Taiwan attempted to solidify their power, they launched a campaign of mass oppressive, culminating on the 28th February 1947 (228). Tan’s involvement in politics would eventually lead to his execution following the 228 Massacre.

Due to his involvement in politics and execution, a large portion of Tan Ting-pho’s artwork was hidden by his relatives until the lifting of martial law in 1987, when the political climate liberalised. Regardless, Tan’s bold use of colours and unique style put him at the forefront of Taiwan’s artistic development at the turn of the twentieth century.