Illustrated:

The painting is to be sold with a certificate of authenticity signed by Chen Ching-jung

Liao Chi-chun was a highly acclaimed artist of the former generation. He was dedicated to his art and had nurtured many talents. His view points were innovative and pioneering. In 1924 Liao entered the art department of Tokyo Art School. With the encouragements of his classmate and friend Chen Cheng-po, Liao's artworks were selected for the 9th and 12th Imperial Art Exhibition. In his early periods, Liao painted sceneries of southern Asian tropics and blended Impressionism and Fauvism into his artworks; bold colors dominated his paintings. Thereafter,"color"became the greatest characteristic of Liao's artworks during his lifetime.

In the 30s and 40s, Liao accumulated a good amount of painting experiences and already had remarkable achievements. Because Liao wanted to participate in the Imperial Art Exhibition, Taiwan Exhibition, Taiyang Exhibition, among others, he worked even more meticulously and assiduously. The number of his artworks therefore decreased. In 1947, Liao's soul mate Chen Cheng-po and his senior perished in the 228 Incident; Liao was devastated by the news. During this period of mourning, Liao's family said he could not sleep nor eat. Even the paintbrush that never leaves his hands was put aside for a period of time.

Art critic Lin Hsing-Yueh describes Liao's artworks of that period: "Barely making ends meet in the period of mourning, the sudden death of an intimate friend and elder made the gentle and sensitive Liao fall into a state of sadness. During this bleak period, his works had stopped. His paintings were no longer of vast, wild spaces but of indoor and garden settings. Liao's artworks from 1948 to 1953, including "Lilies" "Carps" "Water Lilies" "Outside the Window" "Fire" "Girl by the Window" "Older Sister and Younger brother" "TwoGirls" "Indoors" "Serene Scenery" "Young Married Woman" "Nude Woman" are representative of Liao's works during this period of solitude (Lin Hsing-Yueh, 'Liao Chi-chun's Life & Art - A Rainbow Bridging the Gap of Time' Taiwan Fine Arts Series 4: Liao Chi Chun, Artist Publishing Co., Taipei, 1992, p. 25).

Beginning in the 40s and 50s, Liao developed his unique Fauvist style. After World War II, changes in government, economics, and society, along with western thoughts made an impact on the new generation. Traditions and authorities began to loosen. Artists planned meetings and held exhibitions. When the art circle faced the clash of the new and old, Liao's paintings took new turns with colors as the dominating factor, while abstract elements were gradually adding. Thus, during this reflection period, his creations were all the more refined and sophisticated.

Completed in 1948, "Carps"is darker in color, expressing the movements of carps swimming under lotus leaves. This painting and "Lotus"(or "Water Lilies"collected by the Taipei Fine Arts Museum were created in the same year. Lotus portrays lotuses and lotus leaves in the midst of the reflections of moving waters, while in "Carps"lotuses and leaves are auxiliary to the dynamic carps which dominate the painting. "Carps"is larger-sized and was hung in the studio of the artist, next to"Scene with Coconut Trees"shown in the 12th Imperial Art Exhibition. Carps indeed occupies a special place in the artist's mind.

Chen Ching-jung, Liao's student and well-know artist, has a deep impression of "Carps"and wrote: "In 1952 when I passed the examination to enter National Taiwan Normal University, I visited the teacher's residence and studio on Yunhe Street. On the wall was this painting, Carps. Among the brightly colored works of the teacher, the color of this painting is darker, yet alluring. On a careful second thought, the gloomy pond is to contrast the bright shadow of the willow next to the pond reflected in the water. The willow's reflection in the water is used to contrast the red carps; carps deep in the pond are lightly painted, expressing the carps in the depth of the pond. The carps form an S shape, demonstrating a liveliness. Yet, the few leaves on the water seem extremely still. On the lower left corner is a half-blossoming lotus." (Please refer to Artworks of Liao Chi-chun, Cathay Museum, Taipei, March 1981, 191).

According to Chen Ching-jung, "The studio on Yunhe Street was very small. It was a Japanese-style house of approximately eight futons large. In the center was the selected Imperial Art Exhibition work "Scene with Coconut Trees" on the left wall was"Carps" Until now I still like these two works very much. The teacher hung the paintings there until he moved to his new home on Heping East Road."

"Carps"was later collected by Tsai Chen-nan of Cathay Museum and included in the museum's publication Artworks of Liao Chi-chun. Later, Mr. and Mrs. Lai Shun-sheng (Mr. Lai was an ex-official of the Department of Education) once owned the painting and invited Chen Ching-jung to view the painting and write the above commentaries.