吳超群   Wu, Chao-Qun   1923~1995

Born in Taihe county, Anhui province, China, in 1923, Chao-Qun Wu sat at the feet of the renowned local master Yun-Shan Xia, thus paving the way for his painting career. During his youth, he laid down his brushes and took up a gun to join the War of Resistance against Japan. While stationed in the North-West region, he admired the magnificent scenes of herds of horses in the wilderness and sketched every stance of these formidable creatures. Afterwards, he decided to devote all his life to horse painting. After moving to Taiwan, he lived in Anping, Tainan, and often went to Xinhua Pasture and Houli horse training ground to draw horses. During this period, he learned sketch and oil painting from Bai-Chuan Guo, the founder of the Nanmei Association. He served as a teacher at Pingtung Teachers College, Tainan Junior College of Home Economics, and Songbai Academy, where he nurtured numerous talented students. He also published a book titled Blazing a New Trail of Horse Painting. Possessing profound ink painting attributes, Chao-Qun Wu was able to connect the inner world with an outer view, and to integrate what he thought, what he saw, and what he drew into one piece of art. Sketch was the starting point of his creations. He excelled in a freehand style, and he also defended the traditional “Brush and Ink” spirit. Using a washing technique along with ink blocks to demonstrate the theme, Wu managed to provide a poetic atmosphere of “Brush and Ink” in his artworks and also gave them a taste of real life. Throughout his life, Wu was renowned for his horse painting, while his lotus painting is equally beautiful and elegant. As for other themes, including “people in the park” or “people playing mahjong,” Wu could also employ his excellent sketch skills to give these scenes a touch of humor, giving his ink wash painting an aura of freedom and harmony.