EXHIBITED:

Chu Teh-chun moved from Mainland China to reside in Taiwan during 1949. In 1950, he began teaching firstly in the Department of architecture at the Taipei School of Industry. From 1951 onwards, he started teaching in the fine arts department at the Taiwan Academy of Pedagogy (now known as National Taiwan Normal Universi ty) . While teaching, Chu continued to create by himself, not stopping even once. In December 1954, he held his first solo exhibition since residing in Taiwan at the Chungshan Hall in Taipei, putting up more than 50 pieces of work for show. The exhibition was also held to raise funds for furthering his studies in Paris. Well – guided and supported by elders and friends such as literati Huang Shao-ku (1901 - 1996), Lo Chia-lun (1897 - 1969) and Chang Tao-fan (1897 - 1968), the exhibition proved hugely successful. All paintings were sold, successfully raising the funds that he needed for the trip. In March 1955, Chu Teh-chun left Taipei to embark upon an art career spanning more than half a century in France. Chang Tao-fan, a scholar and painter who had studied in Britain and France, made the following comment for Chu Teh-chun's 1954 exhibition, "We can see what the foundation of his painting is: he does not excel at realistic likeness and sketches, and cannot achieve much in these areas; although he can produce paintings on any subject, his fortes are landscapes and figures painting. But he already has a profound mastery of the technical skills of oil painting, and both his brushstrokes and coloring attain a natural grace and rightness. His lively brushstrokes, bright colors and vivid lines everywhere give expression to the characteristic sentiments of Oriental art, at the same time revealing to us Chu's unique personal style." (excerpt from Chang Tao-fan, Chu Teh-chun and his works, "Taiwan Shin Sheng Daily News", 17 December 1954) The poet Lo Chia-lun has a profound understanding of Chu Teh-chun. In 1953, he recommended Chu Teh-chun to the Academia Historica for painting portraits of founding father Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek as well as several works concerning historical subjects such as the Uprisings by the 72 martyrs from Huanghuagang. While composing the introduction to Chu's 1954 inaugural solo in Taiwan, he mentioned, "Chu's paintings are rich in colours and bold in colour selection. Obviously he is influenced by new schools of painting. However, he is a person who studied considerably on Western classical works of art, hence the variations in his art are like water from a spring, and not the torrential rushing of waters from a mountain. His oil paintings contains substant ial Chinese flair, demonstrating his true mastery of Chinese culture. Modest and amiable towards others, he does not seek fame and fortune but exemplifies the spirit of making art for art's sake. Chu Teh-chun is a highly intelligent man. His painting emphasizes the importance of basic foundations. Claiming to be a stupid person, he advocates doing things the hard way. This highly talented and studious artist is a good educator as well. Certainly he'll be having a shining future. (excerpt from Lo Chialun, 'Discussing on Art based on paintings by Chu Tehchun', "Central Daily News", 17 December 1954)

Current historical records and catalogues regarding Chu Teh-chun's inaugural solo all points to the 1954 exhibition at Chungshan Hall. Approximately 50 pieces of paintings were put up during that exhibition, but owing to the length of time gone by, the whereabouts of most of these paintings have become a mystery. The works produced during his time at the Hangzhou National Academy of Art were completely destroyed during migrations and the travesty of war. Today, it is terribly difficult to locate these works, which are a testimony to the Chu Teh-chun's early prowess in realism. The "Ali Mountain" put up in this season's auction belongs to one of Chu Teh-chun's former colleagues at the Taiwan Academy of pedagogy. The period of collection exceeds more than half a century. The owner is now an elder who is more than 80 years old. As the collector himself is also a well known painter who treasured the classic painting by Chu Teh-chun for many years, there is an added beauty of the mutual appreciation.

Between 1953 and 1954, Chu Tehchun accompanied undergraduates from National Taiwan Normal University to sketch at Ali Mountain. It has been told that there were 3 landscapes based on Ali Mountain. The item "Ali Mountain" in this auction is one of them. At the bottom left hand corner are the inscriptions of "Teh-chun forty-three". The number forty three refers to the calendar years of the republic, meaning the year 1954. The painting "Ali Mountain" is rational and sound in structure, obviously a trait inspired by the art of Cézanne. Chu Tehchun once said that that Cézanne was the first painter from the West to have a huge influence on him. During his early days at the Hangzhou National Academy of Art, he had been deeply influenced by the high esteem for which his teacher Wu Dayu had for Cézanne. During an interview in 2006, while speaking about how he came to be influenced by the impressionists, Chu Teh-chun said, "I, an avid follower of Cézanne, was influenced by him for twenty years. Cézanne's compositions were what benefited me most - using minute changes in colours and tones to represent space and to control the picture plane." (excerpt from Jin Mei, Jean Dominique Jacquemond, "Interview with Chu Teh-chun: Eliciting light sources, calling up images and rhythm", "Ching Hwa Fine Arts", vol.3, Beijing, November 2006)

American Kansas University Professor Emeritus Chu-tsing Li also pointed out the early features of Chu Teh-chun's art. He revealed, "During the period in Taiwan, Chu Teh-chun's painting style was mostly influenced by Cézanne, but much of his subject matter was derived from the landscape of Taiwan. He also did a number of portraits and still life paintings. His female nudes also display the influence of the painting styles of Cézanne, Picasso and Matisse. Among his landscape paintings, his most frequent subjects were 'Mountain of the Eight Immortals', the scenery of Taipei, Wulai Falls and Ali Mountain. His paintings of the trees and forests are also obviously influenced by Cézanne, laying stress on line, stroke, color, structure and composition. He was quite able to control the elements of the picture's pattern and rhythm. This style of modern painting emphasizes formalism as the basis. On the other hand, Chu Teh-chun's colors were very vivid, and his compositions were very precise. The line he used in his oil painting was still able to fully express the flavor of traditional Chinese painting, while including new elements of modern Chinese painting." (Chu-tsing Li, 'The Abstract World of Chu Teh-chun', Chu Teh-chun exhibition catalogue, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung, November 1997 , p. 17) (Chu-tsing Li, 'The Abstract World of Chu Teh-chun', Chu Teh-chun exhibition catalogue, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung, 1997, p. 25)