Lü Tiezhou

Lu Tie-Zhou (; 17 June 1899－24 September 1942), originally named Lu Teng-Chu and a native of Daxi, Taoyuan, was a painter in Taiwan under Japanese rule. He belonged to the Maruyama-Shijō school at Kyoto City Technical School of Painting (now Kyoto City University of Arts). Traditional ink wash paintings were the staple of his works. He was known for flower-and-bird paintings after pursuing advanced training in Japan. Plants, flowers, birds and other animals arose frequently as the subjects of his works, presenting a sense of idealized order with superbly created compositions and other aesthetic qualities. He was also known as "Taiten's guru".

Life

Lu Tie-Zhou was born on 17 June 1899 in Daxi, Taoyuan. Growing up, Lu was of wealthy origin, and his father Lu Ying-Yang liked to hang out with local literati. Therefore, by learning through social osmosis, Lu gradually became interested in traditional literature, calligraphy, and ink wash painting. After his father's death in the mid-1920s, Lu moved to Taiheichō in the suburbs of Taihoku and opened an embroidery shop there. He refined his painting skills by drawing flowers and birds for clients and by copying the landscape, flower-and-bird, and figure paintings by famous Chinese artists of the Ming and Qing dynasties and modern times, hence his great competence in calligraphy and painting. His work Plum further won the laurels of Special Selection. Shamo and Castor-oil Plant earned him the Special Selection and Taiten Award in 1932, and Southland also earned him the Taiten Award in 1933. Lu won awards in successive years, which brought him great fame. Journalist Lin Jinhong from the newspaper Taiwan New People even praised Lu as "a talent of the Eastern-style painting scene in Taiwan". His attempt at evolving his creative subject, genre, technique, and style found expression in this work. In 1933, Lu Tie-Zhou with Lin Yushan, Kuo Hsueh-hu and Chen Jing-Hui founded the "Li Guang Society". In 1935, Lu Tie-Zhou with Kuo Hsueh-hu, Chen Jing-Hui, Lin Jinhong, Yang San-lang, and Cao Qiupu founded the "Six Ink-stone Society", thereby continuing to organize arts education events.

Lu Tie-Zhou also contributed significantly to arts teaching. After returning to Taiwan in 1930, he began to instruct students in his atelier, originally located in No. 8 of 5-chōme, Taihei-cho, later moved to No. 83 of 7-chōme, and in 1936 it was officially registered as the "Nan-Ming Painting Institute". Those who had learned painting in Lu's atelier included Lin Xue-Zhou, Su Qi-Xiang, Liao Li-Fang, Luo Fang-Mei, Lu Meng-Jin, Yu De-Huang, Huang Hua-Zhou, Hsu Shen-Chuan, Chen Yi-Rang, and You Ben-Eh.