Taiwan Amateur How much are Hong Tong’s paintings worth?

Let me introduce the background of Hong Tong first. He happens to be an elder in my hometown

Hong Tong, (March 29, 1920 - February 23, 1987) , a native of Kunjiang Village, Kunjiang Village, Beimen Township, Tainan County, Taiwan (now Kunjiang Village, Kunjiang Village, Beimen District, Tainan City)[1], also known as Hong Zhudou, a well-known amateur painter, began to learn painting when he was 50 years old, and emerged in 1972. In 1976, he held a solo exhibition and became a focal figure in Taiwan. He was highly hyped by the media for a long time. Once known as the "Picasso of the East"

Hongtong was quickly forgotten by the public after living in seclusion and died in poverty. The elements of his paintings are diverse, and his mysterious text paintings and rich colors are still praised today. Because of the special style of his works, Hong Tong is also known as a "supernatural painter".

Early life

Hong Tong was born in 1920 in Beimen Village, Beimen County, Tainan Prefecture, Taiwan, in 1920 (renamed Beimen Township, Tainan County after the war, now Tainan City) Kunjiangli, Beimen District, commonly known as Nankun), because his father passed away before he was born, and his mother also passed away when he was four years old, Hong Tong was raised by his grandmother and fifth uncle. His family was poor, and he had to herd cattle for others when he was young. Earn meager living expenses by doing odd jobs[2].

As a young man, Hong Tong even went to Kaohsiung to work odd jobs to make ends meet. He had no chance to study since he was a child, so he was illiterate. In 1945, 25-year-old Hong Tong returned to his hometown and married Liu Laiyu of Tainan City. They had three sons and two daughters. He and his wife still worked odd jobs to support the family. Before 1970, people in Hongtong were engaged in jobs such as fishermen and maidservants, and the locals called him "Uncle Zhu Dou". The name "Zhu Dou" may come from the fact that his surname "Hong" sounds close to "red" ("zhu" color) and he is short in stature [2].

Emerging into the future

On his birthday in 1970, the 50-year-old Hong Tong suddenly became very interested in painting. He knelt in front of his wife and asked for permission that he could concentrate on painting, and his wife agreed. He spent NT$1,000 a month on painting supplies and studied painting behind closed doors. During this period, he often went to Tainan City to visit painters to learn painting. He even went to Zeng Peiyao's studio to paint for a year and a half. At that time, Hong Tong would lock himself in a dark room and work hard at painting. When neighbors saw him suddenly acting like this, some even thought he was crazy or that he was drawing talismans[2]. After he became famous, some people echoed Nan Kun's remarks. Fanfu Chitose enshrined in Yudai Tianfu was originally a famous painter in the Tang Dynasty. Because his birth date coincided with Hongtong, he possessed him to paint [1].

In 1972, due to the opportunity of a photography competition in front of Nankun Yudai Tianfu Temple, Hong Tong took his works and hung them on the temple wall (some say under a tree). The seemingly mysterious text painting and rich color painting style were unexpectedly reported by a reporter from "ECHO Magazine of Things" (the predecessor of "Hansheng Magazine")[2]. In the next two or three years, the media successively reported on it, causing a "Hongtong craze" in the 1970s. In 1973, the April issue of Lion Art published the "Hong Tong Special", and the art world began to discuss and study Hong Tong, his work and his paintings [2].

On March 13, 1976, Hong Tong held his first personal painting exhibition at the Lincoln Center of the United States Information Office in Taipei. More than one hundred works were displayed for 13 days. There was an endless stream of visitors, which shocked the Taiwanese art scene. , pushing the Hongtong craze to its highest point[2][1]. It is said that the chairman of the South China Hotel, surnamed Chen, was willing to buy all the paintings on display from Hong Tong for 7 million, but Hong Tong refused [1]. On May 27 of the same year, more than 200 works were exhibited on the eighth floor of Kaohsiung's T&T Department Store, which also caused a sensation [2]. It is said that after viewing his paintings, a master claimed that Hong Tong should have used the pen of ghosts and gods to complete the paintings, and that the works he painted were not "mortal". Hong Tong was often called a "supernatural painter".

Returning to his hometown to live in seclusion

Hong Tong completed 312 paintings in just a few years and was troubled by fame and fortune. After the exhibition, Hong Tong returned to Nankunyu and separated from his family. He rented a house alone and could not go out. He painted all day long. There were still visitors during this period, but he refused to receive them. Hong Tong's failure to gain recognition from the mainstream of Taiwan's art world, coupled with his insistence on not selling his paintings, kept him in a dilapidated house and his life had not improved.

The death of his wife who financed his painting in 1986 left him mentally devastated, and the Hongtong craze that was enthusiastically reported by the media had come to an end around this time.

Hong Tong passed away in his sleep at his home in Nan Kunyu at around 1 a.m. on February 23, 1987 [1] at the age of 67, leaving behind about 300 paintings. On March 31 of the same year, a farewell ceremony was held at the Fahua Temple in Tainan. Tainan Mayor Lin Wenxiong served as the chairman of the funeral. He was later buried together with his wife Liu Laixian[1].

Posthumous deeds

Friends from various countries had strongly invited Hong Tong to participate in art exhibitions during his lifetime, but he refused on the grounds that he was worried about losing them. In September 1987, the Artist Magazine of the American Cultural Center held an exhibition A retrospective exhibition of Hong Tong's posthumous works, with more than 70 works on display. Known as the "Picasso of the East".

In October of the same year, the Tainan County Cultural Center recognized Hong Tong as an amateur painter and his status in local art, collected thirty of his works, held a special exhibition and published an album.

In February 1997, Hong Tong’s son Hong Shibao established the Hong Tong Art Museum Foundation in memory of his father, and held a solo exhibition to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Hong Tong’s death at the Tainan Municipal Cultural Center[2]. Sparking the topic of amateur art. In October of the same year, the Tainan County Cultural Center was invited to exhibit Hong Tong's solo exhibition at the Chinese Cultural Center in New York [2].

In September 2007, the old man Zhang Qingsong was arrested for imitating the works of the late Hong Tong. Until the 21st century, Hong Tong's works still have a certain value in the market.

Characteristics of the paintings

The images of Hongtong's works reveal spirituality, strong spiritual power, dense brushstrokes, fine textures, complex forms, and self-taught painting techniques. It is made by using color pigments, natural materials, grinding and mixing by yourself. The material is mainly substrate, which is divided into three types: sugar cane board, paper and canvas. It is known that when Hong Tong creates paintings, in addition to using his dominant right hand as the main hand, he sometimes uses his left hand, feet, reproductive organs and other body parts to supplement the painting.

The elements of Hongtong’s paintings are mostly themed around people, flowers, birds, trees, ships, and airplanes. The creative style is full of childlike flavor, and sometimes even some daily life such as religious formations, temple buildings, puppet shows, and Gezi operas. Expressions, folk proverbs and signed poems are the sources of the patchwork structure of his paintings. Hong Tong's painting techniques use varied and distinct colors, and do not stick to physical proportions. His creative style is detached from reality and free, and is highly imaginative. His paintings are simple and simple images, but they can present a balanced and symmetrical artistic beauty.

Because Hong Tong was a jitong in his early years, his natural thinking was influenced by his faith. When he was fifty years old, he began to concentrate on painting instead of working. The flowers, plants, trees and symbols in the paintings were all influenced by the past. Influenced by life background and experience, the paintings are full of lively, magical and religious images.

The overall structure of Hongtong's early paintings is similar to Taoist paintings. Taoist paintings are divided into multiple layers, with several layers of "sky" and several layers of "earth". The whole painting is full of talisman patterns, while the layered structure of Hongtong's paintings It represents the order of the world and the respective status of things in his self-awareness, so what Hongtong paints is the relationship between people, all things and heaven and earth. And because he is illiterate, his self-created image calligraphy and word paintings are full of self-awareness. The signatures in the paintings are even more unique. Hong Tong's "Hong" character is like the two brothers. Sometimes, in addition to signing "Hong Tong", he also draws "Hong Zhu Dou", and the signed patterns are different.

Experts believe that the dense line paintings of British painter Scottie Wilson always hide a peeping eye, which is similar to Hong Tong's doll faces, and the dolls Grotesque holes or human images are a favorite theme of supernatural painters. Some of the British female painter Gill's paintings are full of doll faces, and her treatment techniques are almost the same as Hong Tong's.

Hong Tong used geometric patterns common in primitive decorative arts. Zigzag lines and grid weaving are almost his basic techniques. Among the rich colors and images, he is good at using the unifying power of the circle to become an ingenious synthesis of modern and primitive tastes.

Hong Tong is considered a genius in line structure. In his sketches, there is a high sense of order and unity, but there is also a vitality of life. Admire the beauty of texture and composition in his line drawings, as well as the free-form shapes of the amoebas. His genius proved that what he pursues on the basic principles of art is indeed the innate order in the human soul.

Although almost all of the bright colors he uses can be traced back to folk colors, his use of these colors in abstract patterns is undoubtedly the creation of his personal intuition. His colorful use of color not only acknowledges his latent sense of color, but also shows that the principles of color science are already in his mind's grasp, and he can apply colors at will, with exciting effects.

Lines and colors constitute the most exciting parts of his works. Therefore, his best works are line drawings with color. His sketches are composed of hard lines, which are far better than compositions that express the feeling of the brush.

Hong Tong’s works do not deviate from the typical prototypes of any amateur painter’s works, with complicated and standard techniques, showing the accumulation of time and labor. Secondly, due to the lack of logical and metaphysical thinking, the works There are many layers of repetition in itself, and there is a strong similarity between it and folk art; finally, the mysterious shapes and rich colors in the works of amateur painters basically reflect the complete self-nature and life of the painter's world, and this self-nature and The realization of life-likeness happens to be based on the naive personal cognition that amateur painters do not possess any knowledge.

Significance of the times

In Taiwanese society in the 1970s, due to the U.S. military’s defense, U.S. aid, and a large number of technocrats and intellectuals who almost completed their higher education in the United States, Taiwanese society basically There is a comprehensive Westernism permeating the world, and this Westernism is narrowed to Americanism to a certain extent. This applies to popular music, daily necessities, life loanwords, academic trends, and even literature and art trends. Tong is actually a kind of rebound and projection of the comprehensive American culture in the subconscious of the society at that time; and affirming Hongtong naturally has the affirmation of amateur culture, the affirmation of the local vitality of the people, and the affirmation of the final dignity of national culture over the comprehensive American culture. some meaning. During the Hongtong craze, art critic Lu Rongzhi once wrote "The Aesthetics of Taiwan's Naive Art" and said: "Taiwan's understanding of the term 'naive art' is probably due to the rise of Hongtong."

But unfortunately, after the media consumed Hong Tong, they regarded him as useless and stopped reporting any news about Hong Tong. No one actually offered a helping hand to Hong Tong's poverty and plight in his later years. A paragraph in the Taiyu edition of the high school textbook states: "...the craze of the media hyping the amateur painter Hong Tong is also short-lived.

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Evaluation

"...I feel nostalgic for the name of Kundao, that is, as fondly as I infinitely miss my grandfather. Because these are products of the era of our ancestors, grandfathers, and fathers... The ancient capital of Tainan in my mind is full of folk customs and legends... The figures in the imagination are all thin... Why I think so, the reason is unknown , but I thought that imagining him in this way made him look like a typical person from my grandfather’s time. …When I was a child, my family owned a grocery store…When I was a child, I was most afraid of going upstairs in the store. The upstairs was filled with cages of gold and silver paper…and pairs of male and female paper figures that were offered to people at the coffin table when they died. …When I arrived at Hong Tong’s house, I unexpectedly saw the faces of these little people again in his paintings! "---Lai Chuanjian wrote in "Hongtong Special - Hongtong's Interview" in April 1973

"We like Hongtong's paintings and appreciate Hongtong's paintings without any special qualifications. Everyone can appreciate artistic accomplishment. ” ---Roger, Cultural Section, U.S. Information Service

“With the academic training I have received, I am accustomed to appreciate my paintings from the perspective of Western art history or Chinese literati paintings, but Hong However, the most important question now is not to 'debate' whether Hong Tong's paintings are good or not, or whether this exhibition is worth holding, but We should discuss why the 'Hongtong Painting Exhibition' attracted so much attention...our academic art education should think deeply.

" --- Jiang Xun

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View the above, I think his paintings are priceless