Moon

Lu Tieh-chou attended the Kyoto City School of Painting from 1928 to 1930, studying with master painter Fukuda Heihachiro (1892-1974); other instructors included Takeuchi Seiho (1864-1942), Kikuchi Keigetsu (1879 -1955), Nishiyama Suisyou (1879 – 1958), all associated with Japan's Maruyama Sizyouha. At the time, Fukuda Heihachiro was the standard-bearer for the middle-period contemporary?nihonga?painters at the Kyoto City School of Painting. When Lu studied at the school, Fukuda was at the height of his powers as a decorative realist. At the time, Fukuda also experimented with the use of pure lines and colors to create paintings; however, Lu primarily studied Fukuda's decorative objective-realist painting techniques. In the fall or winter of 1930 Lu returned to Taiwan. That year, his "Moon" was shown at the 5th Taiwan Fine Arts Exhibition. In the painting, a half-moon, accented with silver powder, hangs high in the sky, giving off soft, lovely light, while a clump of flowers and grass sway gently in the breeze. Lu's training in modern Japanese painting is apparent—the artist has broken away from his earlier painting methods, no longer working from sketches of classical paintings or imitating works from the past. The "xiesheng 寫生" technique—sketching from life—is the prime creative force: through objective observation and meticulous depiction, ordinary plants are imbued with elegance and refinement, projecting vitality and lyricism. The work embodies the spirit and style of the Kyoto School: "The xiesheng style's (adopted from the West) elegant flowers and birds come together with ancient (Eastern) traditions quiet and melancholy."