Most of Chou’s early woodcut prints centered on country and farming folks. Prints made in this phase typically depicted in a realistic manner the psychological aspects of human beings and different situations in human life. The refined and flowing lines, woven into a realistic picture of country life by his artistic hand, brought out and highlighted the literary nature of his prints. A deep sense of nostalgia saturated every piece of his work. Amid the anti-Communist climate of the 1950s, Chou had published in newspapers and magazines some prints that reflected the spirit of the time and that served as political propaganda. Apart from woodcut blocks, he kept on experimenting with different mediums of printmaking such as cane-fiber boards, paper and lithographic limestone. In his late years, he continued his exploration of the art world and ventured further into the field of multi-medium arts, seeking to innovate new printmaking techniques. The Ode to Stone series was the fruit of his efforts, in which he revealed the innate structure of stone in an abstract way. By adopting techniques of frottage, he used rubbing instead of carving to create prints. Successfully capturing the subtle variances of stone textures in light and shadow with these unique techniques, he breathed new life into the cold and lifeless natural object and made it radiate light and warmth. Under his hand, the dynamic rhythm of stone textures brings out the vigor and vitality of the seemingly lifeless object. His brilliant performances won himself twice the CCA Chairman’s Award, International Biennial Print Exhibition R.O.C. Up to now, the Ode to Stone series has been widely lauded by the printmaking circles ever since its first appearance. This exhibition highlights this series and exhibits at the same time Chou's masterpieces from different periods. Held in honor of Chou Ying the distinguished artist and educator, the exhibition aims to show the world his ceaseless efforts and full devotion to art by presenting his works as a whole.

Courtesy of Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei National University of the Arts