Draft:Lin Chih-chu

Lin Chih-chu (February 2, 1917 – February 13, 2008) was born in Daya, Taichung (Daya District, Taichung). He is an Taiwanese Artist and the father of gouache painting in Taiwan. . His works were wildly shown in Japan and Taiwan, featuring figures and scenes in daily life. In his later years, most of his works were bird-and-flower paintings and landscapes.

Life
Lin Zhijuo was a teacher at Taichung Normal School (now National Taichung University of Education), and he was provided with a school dormitory located at No.162 Liu Chuan West Road in Taichung. He used this dormitory as his art studio until he moved out in 2006. In 2007, the Taichung City Cultural Affairs Bureau registered the Lin Zhijuo Studio as a historical building.

Lin Chih-chu was born in Shangfeng village, Daya District, Taichung City, Taiwan. At the age of 12, he went to Japan to study and eventually enrolled in the Imperial Art School of Japan (now Musashino Art University in Tokyo) to study painting under the guidance of renowned artists such as Yamauchi Hōshun and Shoko Kawasaki.

At the age of 24, his works were selected for the prestigious Teiten exhibition in Japan. However, with the outbreak of the Pacific War, Lin Chih-chu made the decision to return to Taiwan to further develop his career as an artist. His works were subsequently exhibited in the Taiwan Provincial Exhibition and consistently received the top prize. Towards the end of the Japanese colonial period, Lin Chih-chu changed his name to Lin Lin Chih-chu.

After World War II, Lin Zhijie entered Taichung Normal School (now National Taichung University of Education) to teach and compiled art textbooks. In the 1960s, he opened a café in Taichung, which became an important cultural and artistic venue in central Taiwan at the time. In his later years, he initiated the establishment of the "Central Taiwan Art Association" and remained a key figure in the art world of central Taiwan. After retiring from Taichung Normal School, he moved to the United States with his son. In 1985, Lin Zhijie became a part-time teacher of gouache painting at the Department of Fine Arts of Tunghai University, paving the way for the education of gouache painting in domestic colleges.

After death
In July 2007, the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taichung City registered Lin Chih-chu's studio as a historic building. On May 7, 2015, Lin Chih-chu's painting "Morning Coolness," which is held in the collection of the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, was designated as a valuable antique of the Republic of China by the Bureau of Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture

On June 6, 2015, after the completion of the renovation of the studio and its surroundings, it was officially opened to the public as the "Lin Chih-chu Memorial Hall ." Visitors can now view Lin Chih-chu's works and learn about his life and artistic achievements. The memorial hall serves as a valuable resource for those interested in the development of Taiwanese art and culture.

Artistic style
Lin Chih-chu is a gouache painter who primarily focused on figure paintings in his early career. He participated in exhibitions in Japan and Taiwan during this time. Later on in his life, he shifted his focus to flower-and-bird paintings and landscape paintings. At one point during his career, his painting style changed to develop in sync with the "Western painting method in Japanese painting," which incorporated the creative concepts and techniques of Western masters from the twentieth century, leading to a unique path in gouache painting. Subsequently, he gradually returned to realistic portrayals. Although the number of works he produced decreased in his later years, his style became more steady and mature.

In addition to painting, Lin Chih-chu also produced works in graphic design, mainly designing covers for art textbooks and leaving behind many sketches. He also created murals for the lobby of the Tainan Grand Hotel, which no longer exists.

In 1969, Lin Chih-chu designed two murals for the walls of the 7th Municipal Junior High School of Taichung (now the Taichung Municipal Tong Feng Junior High School). The works were completed using mosaic techniques and were constructed under the guidance of Lin Chih-chu's disciple Hsieh Fong-sheng. After the 1999 Jiji earthquake, one of the murals was damaged, and only one remains to this day. On May 29, 2006, with Lin Chih-chu's consent, an explanation was placed next to the work, which was named "Moon Landing."

Naming of gouache painting
After the war, the Taiwan Province Art Exhibition was held, and Lin Chih-chu always served as a judge in the traditional Chinese painting department. However, the Oriental painting participated in the exhibition under the name of "Traditional Chinese Painting Part 2," and its status seemed to be lower than that of ink painting. Nevertheless, Lin Chih-chu persisted in promoting his style of gouache painting, and in 1954, he co-founded the "Central Taiwan Fine Arts Association" with his friends. In 1971, Lin Chih-chu participated in the organization of the Chang-Liu Painting Society, attempting to continue the lifeblood of Oriental painting.

In 1972, the Provincial Exhibition unexpectedly canceled the Oriental painting department, also known as "Traditional Chinese Painting Part 2." Lin Chih-chu actively coordinated, and in 1977, he proposed the term "gouache painting" as the official name, which allowed "gouache painting" to be used in the exhibition name. From 1946 to 1979, he was invited to teach art at the Provincial Taichung Normal School (now National Taichung University of Education). In 1981, he organized the "Taiwan Province Gouache Painting Association" and served as its chairman. In 1985, he was appointed as a part-time professor to teach gouache painting at Tunghai University, and his students included Chan Chien-yu, among others.