This course introduces the art of Taiwan under the Japanese rule (1895-1945). During this period Taiwan experienced profound social and cultural changes that on the one hand, transformed Taiwan from a land of outcasts to the frontier of modernization in East Asia, and, on the other hand, forced the inhabitants on the island to assume a colonial identity. By examining major works in painting, sculpture, architecture, and public monuments produced by Taiwanese artists or the Japanese authority, we will examine the various roles of visual art in the negotiation between modernity and colonialism, self-identity, and cultural affiliation. Specific topics explored in this course include the making and remaking of the idealized images of Taiwanese women as opposed to modern womanhood, the appropriation of Western modernism filtered through Japanese interpretations, the searching of Taiwan's local image encouraged by the Japanese colonial authority, and the cultural and political relativity adopted by Taiwanese artists sandwiched between China and Japan. The ultimate goal of this course is to offer contextualized understanding about the art and culture of Taiwan during the colonial period. |