HSU Yu-Jen

Hsu was born in Taiwan in 1951, graduating from the National Academy of Arts in 1975. In a creative career almost 30 years long, Hsu has broken through the existing boundaries of ink painting and is adept at using geometric patterns for the basic composition of his paintings. From old brush technique he developed a new way of expressing and thinking, with a minimalist but uninhibited and powerful visual sense expressing a domain of existence space that cannot be infringed on, implying endless life energy; with the precondition of freedom and liberation, he conveys his personal inner will, life horizon and his thoughts and reflections with regards the environment in which he exists. Hsu Yu-Jen's Thin-brush Ink Painting Series adopts solid dots and short, fragmented lines painted with thin brush and dry ink, which are reminiscent of sketch drawings. His Rough-brush Ink Painting Series, on the other hand, adopts the method of freehand ink painting, and replaces the traditional ink painting structure by employing a rarely seen composition of long, vertical form to demonstrate a contemporary quality unseen in that traditional ink painting. The Aquarene Painting Series employs rich colors to portray Taiwan's lush and ample climatic and geological features. Besides, Hsu Yu-Jen's Color Painting Series reveals an integration of ink and oil painting, preserving the texture and expressive colors of oil paintings while retaining the sharp and exquisite characteristics of ink painting. In the unique and extreme transfiguration in Hsu’s composition, his ink painting has gained individual characteristics and a profound charm of modern aesthetics. Hsu’s works have been shown on many occasions in places including Cologne, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, and Taipei and his works are in collections in many art museums, including ones in the US, Hong Kong and Taiwan. In 2024, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum present the first major retrospective exhibition titled "HSU Yu-Jen : A Retrospective," featuring his artistic work spanning over 50 years from the 1970s to the present.