Google Taiwan on Wednesday displayed a Google Doodle on its Taiwan portal to mark the 115th birthday of Chen Chin (陳進 1907-1998), widely recognized as Taiwan’s first female commercial painter.
Born into an affluent family in Hsinchu, Chen first began painting under the tutelage of artist Gohara Koto at Taipei Third Girls Senior High School (today’s Taipei Municipal Zhong Shan Girls High School).
She later became the first female Taiwanese artist to study in Japan when she enrolled at the Tokyo Women’s Academy of Fine Arts in 1925.
Chen was one of the three Taiwanese artists among 92 selected to exhibit at the first Taiwan Art Exhibition (Taiten) in 1927 during the Japanese colonial era, alongside Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖) and Lin Yu-shan (林玉山).
The trio — all 19 years old, and dubbed the “Three Youths of Taiten” — went on to have long and illustrious careers.
Chen’s paintings were displayed at Taiten 10 years in a row, earning her the prestigious title of the exhibition’s “reviewless painter.”
From 1934 to 1938, Chen taught art at the Takao Prefecture Heito High School for Girls (today’s Pingtung Girls’ Senior High School) as the first Taiwanese woman to teach at a Japanese colonial-era high school.
In 1935, Chen again made headlines when the Imperial Fine Arts Academy Exhibition in Tokyo chose to display her painting “Ensemble,” which depicts two women dressed in typical 1930s Taiwanese upper-class style.
She returned to Taiwan for good in 1945, and in 1946, she served as a juror for the first Taiwan Provincial Fine Arts Exhibition.
She remained highly active in Taiwan’s art community by holding solo exhibitions and forming painting groups.
Her artwork continued to be celebrated by Taiwan’s art circles, and in 1986, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum curated and exhibited 80 of her paintings to mark her 80th birthday.
The “Three Youths of Taiten” reunited in 1987 for a joint exhibition at the East Gallery in Taipei.
Specializing in Eastern gouache, also known as nihonga, Chen is best known for her earlier works depicting upper-class women from the first half of the 20th century. Her works are often described as having finessed, expressive brushstrokes and a “mellow” aesthetic.
“By studying Chen’s numerous paintings in chronological order, one can trace two separate histories at once — that of Taiwan’s and that of Chen’s personal growth,” Chen’s page on the Ministry of Culture’s website states.
“From demure women with their eyes downcast to high-spirited individuals coasting on bicycles, women’s expanding role in Taiwanese society can be witnessed in Chen’s scrolls of silk,” it says.
“Her choice of subjects over the years also varied to reflect her roles as an independent artist, a loving wife, and a doting mother,” it says.
In 1996, Chen won the National Cultural Award, along with prize money of NT$600,000 (US$18,630) granted by the Executive Yuan, the executive branch of Taiwan’s government
She donated the prize money the following year — along with NT$400,000 from her personal savings — to launch the Chen Chin Arts & Culture Award.
The scholarship program still receives funding from the interest generated by Chen’s NT$1 million endowment.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel