Yao Ching-jang

Ching-Jang Yao (C. J. Yao, 姚慶章, September 16, 1941 – November 14, 2000) was a Taiwanese painter born in Xiluo, Yunlin.

Life

Early life Ching-Jang Yao was born on September 16, 1941, in Xiluo, Yunlin. From an early age, he had a passion for painting. He attended Taichung Second Senior High School, where in his senior year, he decided to apply for the Fine Arts Department. He became a student of Liao Jichun and began his formal art education. Subsequently, he was admitted to the Art Department of Taiwan Provincial Normal University (now National Taiwan Normal University).

Years at National Taiwan Normal University In 1961, Yao enrolled in the Fine Arts Department at Taiwan Provincial Normal University. Dissatisfied with its conservative teaching approach, he kept himself informed about global art trends and immersed himself in art and cultural information. In 1964, Yao, along with like-minded classmates Paul Chiang (1942–) and Ku Chung-kuang (1943–2020), formed the "Nian Dai Art Association". They held its first exhibition at the Taiwan Provincial Museum (now National Taiwan Museum) in the same year, showcasing their abstract-style paintings. Unfortunately, in 1970, the couple's residence was destroyed in a fire, resulting in the loss of most of his early works.

Yao would capture street scenes in New York through photography and then translate them into oil paintings or watercolors. Starting from 1984, Yao began creating his First Nature series in an abstract style. These works predominantly feature various lines and forms depicted with colored pencils, symbolizing natural elements such as wind, clouds, flowers, and grass.

In the 1990s, Yao explored abstract expressionism in his Nature, Birds, and Earth series. In these paintings, one can often find circular shapes and stylized representations of birds, flowers, trees, and the female body, each symbolizing different aspects of the natural universe and diverse meanings of life. During this phase, Yao expanded his canvas beyond the conventional rectangle, experimenting with circular canvases. From 1999 to 2000, he even produced artworks in diamond and hexagonal formats while still incorporating familiar visual elements and symbolism. On November 14, 2000, Yao died in New York due to a heart attack.