尋生
國立歷史博物館藏《尋生》(館藏編號27323),畫作於紅底上運用黑、白、黃等色大面積、大筆觸地重疊塗佈,抽像描繪出畫家心中意念。作品呈現粗曠大氣,惟又不失細膩的精神刻畫。
本件畫作為陳道明先生作品,陳先生為東方畫會創辦人之一,亦為臺灣第一位抽象派畫家,1931年生於山東濟南。18歲時進入臺北師範學院就讀,由於不滿學校制式教育方式,21歲進入台灣現代畫之父李仲生畫室進行一對一的引導式教學,後並與歐陽文苑、霍剛、蕭勤、李元佳、吳昊、夏陽及蕭明賢等畫室學生於1957年共組「東方畫會」,成員在藝術圈中譽為「八大響馬」。陳先生曾於1959、1965年兩度參加「巴西聖保羅雙年展」,1962年榮獲「第二屆香港國際繪畫沙龍」銀牌獎。後來東方畫會於1971年解散,八大響馬各奔東西,在藝術的世界中繼續打拼。
1980年後,陳先生開始使用壓克力、水彩等水性顏料,善用顏料的流暢和渲染特性,作品色調更加明亮溫暖,也強化出線條的動力特質,表達更自在出入的時空。他曾提及自己的創作態度:「我畫畫的時候,很快樂很遊戲,經常是遊戲人間的感覺。不受任何限制,活得自由自在,這就是我的信仰、我的宗旨。」
《尋生》由國立歷史博物館於1968年典藏。
Vers la vie
Vers la vie (Collection No. 27323), housed in the National Museum of History, is a painting created with broad, layered applications of black, white, and yellow pigments over a red background. Through large, expressive brushstrokes, the artist abstractly conveys inner thoughts and intentions. The work exudes a bold and unrestrained atmosphere, while still retaining a subtle and refined spiritual depth.
This painting was created by Mr. Chen Tao-Ming, one of the founding members of the Ton Fan Art Group and recognized as Taiwan’s first abstract painter. Born in Jinan, Shandong Province in 1931, Chen entered Taipei Normal College at the age of 18. Dissatisfied with the rigid academic system, he left at 21 to study under Li Chun-Shan, regarded as the father of modern art in Taiwan, receiving individualized, mentorship-based instruction. In 1957, together with fellow students including Ouyang Wenyuan, Huo Kang, Hsiao Chin, Li Yuan-Chia, Wu Hao, Hsia Yang, and Hsiao Ming-Hsien, he co-founded the Ton Fan Art Group. The members were collectively known in the art world as the “Eight Bandits.”
Chen participated in the São Paulo Biennial in Brazil in 1959 and 1965, and in 1962 he was awarded the Silver Medal at the 2nd Hong Kong International Painting Salon. After the dissolution of the Ton Fan Art Group in 1971, its members pursued their individual artistic paths.
From the 1980s onward, Chen began working with water-based media such as acrylic and watercolor. By skillfully utilizing the fluidity and diffusion of these materials, his works became brighter and warmer in tone, while also emphasizing the dynamic quality of line and a freer expression of time and space. Reflecting on his artistic philosophy, Chen once said:
“When I paint, I feel joy—it’s like a game. I often feel as though I’m playfully engaging with the world. Unrestricted, living freely—that is my belief, my guiding principle.”
Vers la vie was acquired by the National Museum of History in 1968.
這段文字記錄了藝術家陳道明之子追尋父親傑作**〈尋生〉(Vers la vie)的動人歷程,揭開了這幅畫作塵封超過一甲子的歷史真相。透過考據法國藝術評論檔案館的原始文件,證實此作曾代表台灣參加1959年首屆巴黎青年雙年展**,並留有親筆中法雙語簽名。該畫作在1960年因「秦松事件」引發的政治風波,被迫由國立歷史博物館轉移至美國新聞處展出,隨後消失於家屬視線中長達數十年。直到2024年,這件被史博館典藏並修復的作品重新在特展中亮相,才讓這段跨越巴黎與台北、遺失已久的藝術生命史得以拼湊完整。這場重逢不僅是一次視覺的再現,更是對台灣現代藝術發展重要片段的深刻見證。
This passage recounts the moving journey of artist Chen Tao-Ming’s son in searching for his father’s masterpiece, Seeking Life (Vers la vie), unveiling the long-buried historical truth of the painting after more than six decades. Through meticulous research into original documents preserved in the French art critics’ archives, it has been confirmed that this work represented Taiwan at the inaugural Paris Biennial of Young Artists in 1959, bearing the artist’s handwritten signature in both Chinese and French.
In 1960, amid the political turmoil triggered by the “Qin Song Incident,” the painting was transferred from the National Museum of History to the United States Information Service for exhibition. It subsequently disappeared from the family’s sight for several decades. It was not until 2024, when the work—having been preserved and restored by the museum—reappeared in a special exhibition, that this long-lost artistic narrative, spanning Paris and Taipei, could finally be pieced together.
This reunion is not merely a visual rediscovery, but a profound testament to a significant chapter in the development of modern art in Taiwan.