府城粧佛工藝的在地化 ―― 「金芳閣」陳金泳及其作品之研究=A Case Study of the localization of Clay/Wooden God Statue Decoration in Tainan: Jin Fang Ge’s Chen Jin-yong and his works
As the first permanent settlement in Taiwan, Tainan has the greatest number of old temples. The location where the statue of a god situated, is seen as the center of a temple. With the increase of the need for clay/wooden god statue decoration from temples, the industry has been greatly developed. In early years, most Han immigrants were from Quanzhou and Zhangzhou. At the time, most Quanzhou craftsmen settled in the Five Channels area in Tainan. It wasn’t until Japanese rule that the Fuzhou style started to enter the market. Nevertheless, after the breakout of the Second World War and the subsequent transfer of authority after the war ended, society had to cope with many forms of instability, especially economic and political. Consequently, the industry was heavily restricted. Later, with the re-stabilization of social order in 1950s, the industry finally boomed again. The Fuzhou style’s open way of teaching, as opposed to limiting instruction to family members, attracted many more craftsmen. In 1969, Chen Jin-yong (1934~1997), also known as the king of paper-paste sculpture, resolutely determined to redirect his career into wooden god statue decoration, and founded Jin Fang Ge. Chen didn’t belong to the Quanzhou or Fuzhou styles. Instead, he applied what he’d learnt in paper-paste sculpture and combined the advantages of both Quanzhou and Fuzhou styles. In addition to having an eye for beauty, Chen also carefully observed god statues whenever he found them, and diligently learnt from people of the same profession. Additionally, he stressed making statues look natural, conforming to human body proportion. Chen not only successfully created his own style but also took quite a few apprentices who also produced high quality of works. Chen’s influence on the industry was indisputably considerable. Through interviews, a literature review, and field research, this paper discusses Chen Jin-yong’s life story, the history of his family’s paper-sculpture business, the establishment of Jin Fang Ge, the features and concepts of his creation, and the success of his style. The author aims to provide more information for the localization of clay/wooden god statue decoration in Tainan.
