Chen Chin was one of the few female Taiwanese painters educated in Japan who attained fame. She was born in Hsinchu County and, encouraged by her father, went to Japan to enrol at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts for Girls. She studied under several Japanese masters specializing in human portrayal, and received a number of awards when she participated in Imperial art exhibitions in both Japan and Taiwan. In artistic circles in Taiwan, she was famous as a glue colour painter. However, after the Republican Government’s move to Taiwan Chen Chin found less acceptance since her Japanese style was not regarded as traditional Chinese art. Yet thanks to this disappointment her work turned towards the exploration of the inner world of feelings. The Buddha’s Work discussed here, for example, is an expression of her religious faith. With this series of paintings she moved to a new genre, and since she worked completely with her own imagination, her style differs from depictions of the same scenes as found in Dunhuang and Taiwanese folk art. Thus it is worthwhile to emphasise and study these paintings which are of importance for the history of Taiwanese art.
