Hsin-yueh Lin is one of the most dynamic and authoritative figures of the Taiwanese art world, equally accomplished as a painter, art educator, cultural critic and art writer. Possessing a magnificently expansive heart and a resolute critical will, his profound, incisive words have made Lin one of the most dazzling, resonant, powerful voices of his generation.

Hsin-yueh Lin: Enchanting Taiwan is a major solo retrospective exhibition organized by Taipei Fine Arts Museum, offering a comprehensive study of his artistic thought and works. Lin’s assiduous efforts with both brush and pen have profoundly influenced several different periods of Taiwanese modern art. For half a century, he has built up a copious, significant collection of paintings and publications, proving himself prodigious in quality and in quantity. This exhibition is structured in three parts: The first is paintings, both oil and watercolor. From a body of 260 pieces, 138 works or sets of works were selected, produced from the mid-1960s up to 2012. Four of these are opulent, large-scale oil paintings – Returning Home(210x419cm, 1998), Blessed Hualien (218 x 654cm, 2010), Formosan Landlocked Salmon (160 x 1260cm, 2011) and Glory of the God Tree Forest (218 x 654cm, 2012) – publicly unveiled for the first time at Taipei Fine Arts Museum. Secondly, documents by or about the artist are displayed throughout all galleries. These include a biographical timeline (in both Chinese and English), dozens of exhibition catalogs and art reviews from previous years, and rare articles such as hand-written drafts of his compositions. Thirdly, the exhibition features the documentary on Hsin-yueh Lin, The Boundless River (produced by Public Television Service). These sublime, graceful paintings and essays of epic scope reveal the many dimensions of Lin’s career in art.

Image: © Hsin-yueh Lin, Taipei Fine Arts Museum