The Humanities and Arts Lecture invited Eastern gouache artist 吳柏儒 to share the history of gouache painting and his personal creative experiences. The first part of the lecture focused on the history of painting materials, which changed my previous impression that traditional Chinese painting was only associated with black ink paintings. The speaker explained that the prototype of Eastern gouache could be traced back to prehistoric times, when people used materials such as iron oxide and red clay as pigments. In ancient China, the concept of “Danqing” (traditional colored painting) further developed through the use of mineral pigments such as azurite and malachite. Works such as 女史箴圖 still preserve some of their original colors today, showing that early Chinese painting placed great importance on color expression. Later, with the widespread use of paper, the rise of ink painting, and the expensive and complicated production process of gouache materials, this art form gradually declined in China. It was later developed into the unique style of 大和繪 in Japan, which also influenced the development of gouache painting in Taiwan. This lecture helped me understand how the evolution of artistic materials can deeply shape creative forms.

Implemented by Department of Visual Arts
Date: 2026/04/30