ILLUSTRATED:

Paul Chiang, Eslite Gallery, Taipei, 2005, color illustrated, p. 41

Paul Chiang first came to Paris in 1967, hoping to realize his dream of becoming an artist. However, his plans were disrupted by widespread student demonstrations that occurred in France in May 1968. The following year, Chiang moved to New York, the world's leading center for modern art. From Chiang's early works dating from the period in which he was living in New York, through the "Hundred Year Temple" Series and "Meditation on Eternity" Series which he created in Taiwan, his artistic travels have seen him move back and forth between Taiwan, New York and Paris. Chiang firmly believes that exposure to different spatial and temporal environments can enrich his work, and that it enables him to present a range of different spiritual journeys in his art.

In "Meditation on Eternity 04-17", overlapping patches of thickly applied paint are gradually replaced by a smoother, more streamlined surface, reflecting the artist's emotional journey from an early state of chaos and flux towards calmness and stability. "Space" has become more and more important to the artist; this is reflected not only in the treatment of space in his paintings, but also in the interaction between his home life and spiritual life. One can see here the continuing influence of Paul Chiang's long-standing interest in architecture.