Over the course of history, Taiwan sculpture has evolved as a result of various factors—both domestic and foreign—involving the inheritance, convergence, and fusion of different cultural elements. To introduce the beauty of Taiwan sculpture, Chunghwa Post will issue a souvenir sheet on “Water Buffaloes” by Huang Tu-shui. The souvenir sheet, which has a denomination of NT$25, is designed by Delta Design Corporation and printed and embossed in color offset by Cardon Enterprise Co., Ltd. The sheet is embossed and will be released on June 22, 2010.
Huang Tu-shui (1895-1930) was Taiwan’s first contemporary sculptor and a pioneer in fusing western and traditional sculptural elements. “Water Buffaloes,” one of Huang’s masterpieces and his most representative work, is featured on this miniature sheet. “Water Buffaloes” depicts a scene in a banana grove at the height of the summer: a refreshing breeze lightly sways the banana leaves as five water buffaloes mill about in a pasture. There are two naked shepherd boys: one on the back of a water buffalo, with a bamboo rod in hand and a bamboo hat on the tip of the rod, and another standing in front of the calf, caressing it with his
hands. There is another boy, who is wearing a bamboo hat who is wearing a bamboo hat and sitting on the back of a buffalo. The air and posture of the boy touching the calf gives the work a sense of peace and stability, and the intermingling of the buffaloes provides a sense of balance. The piece vividly records a simple rural scene characteristic of early Taiwan. The design on the margins of the sheet features key parts of the sculpture, which are blown up and given a lighter hue. The sculpture is now on display in the Guangfu Auditorium of Zhongshan Hall in Taipei City.
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