Striving for Perfection: DONATED PAINTINGS AND CALLIGRAPHY FROM THE 1949 CROSS-STRAIT MIGRATION

#豈止於善：受贈渡海書畫集 終於出版了

過去數月反覆修訂、校稿、全都是血淚！

---

Preface

“Striving for Perfection: Donated Paintings and Calligraphy from the 1949 Cross-Strait Migration” is the third exhibition presented by our institution since its founding, and the first to focus on the theme of calligraphy and painting. The works on display were originally part of the private collection of Mr. Yuan Shouqian (styled Qizhi, 1903–1992). Thanks to the generous donation by artist Ms. Yuan Jai (b. 1941), this valuable family collection has been preserved in our museum. Forty-two pieces of calligraphy and painting were featured in the exhibition, which was presented in two parts: the first from March 27 to June 15, and the second from August 21 to October 26, 2024.

To enrich the exhibition content, we borrowed Palindrome Couplet by Cold Jade Hall (Pu Ru) in Running Script by Mr. Tai Jingnong and Five-Character Couplet in Running Script by Mr. Yuan Shouqian for display. We are also grateful to Ms. Yuan Jai and Vitamin Creative Space for generously granting permission to use image files of her works Cultural Hall and Woods and Streams Dwell in the Room; Heaven and Earth Partake in Spring in the gallery. These two pieces by Ms. Yuan were inspired by her father's calligraphic couplets and photography, presenting a cross-generational artistic dialogue that also embodies a profound father-daughter bond imbued with deep meaning.

This exhibition was made possible thanks to the dedicated efforts of the graduate students and the administrative team involved in its planning. We also extend our sincere gratitude to the College of Liberal Arts, Center for Modern Chinese Civilization Studies, and the TAIDA Museum Provisional Office at National Taiwan University for their generous support, as well as to the Ching-Lang Foundation for Arts and Culture for their kind sponsorship.

In addition to serving as a record of the exhibition, this publication also includes thirteen works that were not displayed at the time, in the hope of presenting a more complete picture of this invaluable donation.

---

Published in Conjunction with an Exhibition of the same title, organized by the NTU Art Museum

Dates: March 27 -June 15, 2024 （Part 1）

August 21 - October 26, 2024 （Part 2）

Venue: Art Museum of Graduate Institute of Art History, National Taiwan University

Organiser: Graduate Institute of Art History, National Taiwan University

Supervising Institution: College of Liberal Arts, National Taiwan University

Participating Institution: Center for Modern Chinese Civilization Studies, National Taiwan University

Partner Institution: TAIDA Museum Provisional Office, National Taiwan University

Sponsor: Ching-Lang Foundation for Arts and Culture

Editor: Hui-Wen LU

Text Contributors: Pei-Lin LIN, Yu-Jyun Gina FU, Yi-Lin YEH, Kuan-Hung LIU

English Translation: Che-Ying HSU