Twelve Seasons

Twelve Seasons represents the span of three years, serving as the time unit for Chou Cheng-Liang’s depiction of mountain and forest landscapes.

In this exhibition, the artist presents several oil paintings and colored ink works on paper, all centered around pastoral scenery. Continuing his theme of mountain and forest landscapes from previous years, it feels as though we are invited to step deeper into a pastoral world—a dreamland—where we can even observe livestock animals up close beneath the trees.

Regarding this solo exhibition, Chou Cheng-Liang shared his thoughts: “I’ve heard that the soil and rocks beneath our feet were once washed by rivers and seas, and with this thought, time and space expand infinitely. Moving from painting to clay sculpture, and from oil paints to ink, each medium interacts and gives to the other, so that what I depict is no longer just the first encounter of form and shape. The trees, flowers, and fruits, with their infinite diversity and vitality, are all captured through my brushstrokes and forms.”

In this pastoral scene of twelve seasons, there are the young elm saplings my father gave me, the chinaberry tree my mother saw from the last bus, the multicolored garden my wife carefully tended, and the orchard nursery my father-in-law painstakingly cultivated...

Throughout these twelve seasons, Chou Cheng-Liang bases his work on plein-air painting, which has been an essential practice since his shift towards natural subjects. This continuous observation and depiction is something he finds both a necessary task and a joyful realization. For a painter in his middle age, choosing a subject matter is one thing, but understanding and expressing it is the real key. Moving away from the realistic tendencies of his earlier oil paintings, the artist is gradually incorporating the lines and spatial experiences from plein-air painting, as well as the improvisational aspects of colored ink on paper, bringing a new sense of atmosphere to his work.

“Twelve Seasons” – Solo Exhibition by Chou Cheng-Liang
▍Exhibition Dates: June 8 (Saturday) – July 13 (Saturday), 2024
▍Opening Reception: June 8 (Saturday), 2024, 15:00
▍Exhibition Venue: Moon Gallery