National Living Treasure of Lacquer Art — The Wang Ching-shuang Family Art Exhibition
Exhibition Period｜2018/11/01～11/14
Officially designated by the Ministry of Culture as a Preserver of Lacquer Art Preservation Techniques, Master (Sifu) Wang Ching-shuang was born in Shengang, Taichung, in 1922 (the 11th year of the Taisho era). In 1941, he traveled to Japan to study traditional lacquer aesthetics, seamlessly mastering and blending lacquerwork, painting, maki-e (gold-sprinkled lacquer), and sculpture into a lifelong mission dedicated to the heritage and innovation of Taiwanese lacquerware. Wang has devoted his entire life to Taiwanese lacquer art. His contributions to the promotion and passing down of this heritage have received the highest national acclaim. He has been honored with the National Cultural Heritage Preservation Contribution Award and was the inaugural recipient of the National Crafts Achievement Award from the Council for Cultural Affairs (now the Ministry of Culture). Officially designated under the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act as a "Preserver of Important Traditional Craft Fine Arts Cultural Heritage – Lacquer Art," he stands as a monumental pillar in the history of Taiwan's lacquer development. Wang’s techniques are remarkably innovative and richly expressive, yet they remain deeply reverent to the classical standards of traditional Japanese craftsmanship. His meticulous creative approach renders every stroke with breathtaking precision. Inheriting the maki-e essence of Japanese master artist Fuzan Kōmo, Wang masterfully deploys advanced techniques—such as hira maki-e (flat metal sprinkling), taka maki-e (raised relief sprinkling), and togidashi maki-e (burnished-radiant sprinkling)—while incorporating novel organic elements like mother-of-pearl inlay and eggshell to fashion deeply moving masterpieces. In his magnum opus, Mount Jade, the primary composition is executed in pure, meticulously sprinkled gold dust. Through complex, layer-by-layer burnishing, he captures a magnificent interplay of light and shadow, using files to personally carve out the towering majesty of the mountain peaks. This unparalleled execution gives Mount Jade a monumental grandeur that few can ever hope to match. Thanks to his decades of unyielding effort, the profound wisdom and elite techniques of his life's work have been successfully passed down to his children and worthy disciples alike, ensuring that this globally sought-after, precious artistry lives on for generations.
Performance Highlights