Fu Chuan-fu (1910-2007) originally had the name Baoqing but became known by his sobriquet Juanfu (Chuan-fu) to avoid confusion with another famous contemporary painter, Fu Baoshi. Fu Chuan-fu also had the sobriquet Xuehua cunren and, after the age of seventy, took the sobriquet Jueweng ("Enlightened Elder"). A native of Hangzhou in Zhejiang, he reached great heights in painting and calligraphy. After coming to Taiwan in 1949, he continued to innovate as an artist, developing a unique form of "unbroken cursive" script calligraphy. In painting, he also skillfully adopted the coastal waves, sea of clouds, and rugged peaks of Taiwan, becoming renowned as the "Spokesman for Taiwan's Landscape. "Fu Chuan-fu excelled at both painting and calligraphy, and many in the core of today's art circles have studied under him, demonstrating his profound influence on contemporary painting and calligraphy in Taiwan.
Between 2010 and 2012, members of Fu Chuan-fu's family generously donated 134 works of painting and calligraphy by or related to him. In addition to these 63 pieces of calligraphy and 71 paintings, the donation also included 100 of the seals he used; together, they now form part of the National Palace Museum’s permanent collection. Not only are there works of painting and calligraphy by Fu himself but also examples by his teacher Wang Renzhi (1869-1932), father Fu Yu (1880-1959), and wife Fu-Si Te-fang (1916-). Moreover, there are title pieces written for his painting studio by such renowned friends of his in the art world as Yu Yu-jen (1879-1964) and Pu Hsin-yu (1896-1963); most of the seals are carved by Wang Chuang-wei (1909-1998), Wu Ping (1920-), and other contemporary masters in the field. As a group, these works serve as a precious testament to the heritage, family, friends, and artistic achievements of Fu Chuan-fu. Besides enriching the National Palace Museum collection, they also enhance the Museum’s connection to the local Taiwan art scene and testify to a crucial point in the transformation of traditional Chinese ink painting in modern times.
In gratitude to the family of Fu Chuan-fu for its great generosity in donating this collection of artworks, the National Palace Museum is holding this exhibition, featuring a selection of 78 works of painting and calligraphy as well as 53 seals, to commemorate Fu's attainments. The display spans his career and is divided into six sections: "A Visitor from Xiling," "Major Cursive Script Unbroken," "The Landscape of Taiwan," "Communing with Mi Fu," "Ink Realms of the Elder," and "Fragrance from the Heart." Together, they fully represent the art and life of Fu Chuan-fu. On the tenth anniversary of his passing, the National Palace Museum offers its sincere respect to him by holding this special exhibition.
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