112 - Liao Shiou-Ping "Gate of Peace"

Liao Shiou-Ping, Chine-colle' etching 16/75, 23 x 16 in. framed (22 x 15 in. unframed) 

After graduating from the Department of Fine Arts at the Taiwan Provincial University of Education (now National Taiwan Normal University, NTNU), Liao decided to further his studies and went to Japan and France. Eventually he studied intaglio in the famous Atelier 17 Printmaking Studio in Paris. During the period of studying abroad, Liao was aware of the importance of his own culture, and derived inspirations from familiar childhood scenes such as Lungshan Temple, Wanhua Market and all the festive celebrations and crowds of worshippers, and used various techniques to make prints. Later on, while staying in the United States, Liao learned a variety of brand-new print techniques, started his own studio, and earned numerous awards. At the time when serious political-diplomatic crises erupted in Taiwan, Liao chose to return home and taught printmaking courses in NTNU, as well as traveling around Taiwan giving lectures and hands-on demonstrations that helped lay the foundations for the development of modern printmaking. Liao Shiou-Ping is now widely considered as Taiwan’s “Father of Modern Print-Making”.