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His Philosophy
When I was five, my father, who was a school teacher, taught me calligraphy in the
traditional style of using the brush with the formal movement of the wrist and hand to
create the artistic strokes of Chinese words. I apparently excelled in this
Chinese art
which I have enjoyed all my life. That training most definitely influenced my oil painting
technique years later when I picked up the western art of brush strokes in oil. As a
result, the expression of brush stroking on the canvas had a rich foundation in the
confidence developed earlier through the intersection of heart and hand. A painting is
created not by hand alone but by the thought originating from the heart.
In addition to the brush strokes, a painting is composed of colors, lights, and forms
with texture expressing the true meaning of the image that must necessarily speak
silently. Technically, the essential element of light must be manipulated to its physical
property with perfection in order to form the shape of an object ideally balanced and
properly presented. Colors to a painter are as essential as the nutrients of a living
human body. A healthy and beautiful body needs those nutritional components to sustain
life. The selection of colors and their combination for a particular
spot of images on the painting is usually
intuitive to the painter and, as in my case, may have a lot to do with
my background and past
experiences rather than any academic instruction. The texture shown through the colors
ensures overall added value to the paintings and it should not be ignored.
When a viewer looks at a painting, he is often drawn into the world of the creator. Art
works through the silent language of communication. The artist’s world is shaped by
his experiences and dreams in life. The truth of its content along with the variations in its
colors
are all important factors influencing the outcome of a painting. A colorful figure in life
works usually better in art than a monotonous one. The background experiences of
one’s life represent the very foundations for the creation of meaningful paintings.
This point is different for example, as comparing to music even though visual art and music, are
often considered to share quality and value much in common. A composer of music is dealing
with notes and rhythms that are oftentimes inborn, innate. Therefore a musician at very
young age may be capable of composing a very good piece of music. But it would be rather
difficult for a youngster who lacked life experiences to be mature enough to create an
exciting piece of visual art. Some old artists draw or paint like a child. This does not
mean that the work is raw or simple. It simply means that he has reached another level in
life as well as in art. A work of art requires seasoning, and needs in many ways, the
“touch” of an old hand.
Even though I started painting late in life, but I strongly believe that my background
in medicine, especially in pathology and anatomy has served me well in my new artistic
career. As a physician for more than three decades, dealing with life and death on day to
day basis has had a great impact on the thoughts going into my art making. Some critics in
the field of fine arts have said to me more than once that my art reached its maturity
right from the beginning. Those observers must realize that the spiritual maturation and
the wisdom to go with it have a life long effect. In reality, what we have experienced in
life, may catch on fire emotionally when brushing the oil on the canvas., The later is a
playground of the soul reflecting one’s life. It is a dream field of an honest
recording for a particular event or an imaginative response with a reality. It does not
matter to the record producer so long as the record reflects the true state of mind.
That is
the foundation of art. For an artist in oil paintings, the canvas is his playing field, his
freedom, his territory for soul-searching, his dream and the space for unlimited
imagination.
In my view there is no right or wrong to art, no good or bad, but rather art is a
matter of public opinion or perception. Art which receives publicity with repercussions or
echoes from its viewers is good art. Public approval or popularity is probably the most
important criteria in judging the quality of an artwork. When the audience is touched,
the artist knows it. When the viewer cries out at the painting, the artist is rewarded. In
my own experience in life, when people tell me again and again that they have enjoyed
seeing my paintings and want to see them again and more, you know that I have created real art.
What they are saying or feel is that you, as an artist, have touched their souls and
comforted their hearts. Because of that I am usually motivated to do more
and to work harder
for them. The trust between the audiences and the artist is quite similar to the bounding
between the patients and the doctor. The difference is the time element. The later is
instantaneous or of short duration, while the former may be immediate or
can silently endure for years until a sudden eruption.
Many people from all walks of life in different parts of the world have said to me that
my paintings are “full of life”. Comments such as these are very interesting to
me since I had been a man dealing with “Life” for almost all of my previous
career as a physician, long before starting to paint. I do know something about life,
especially when I have tried with all my power for so many years to restore and preserve
life for patients, and help them to live longer and healthier. It was all
hard
work, much harder than you think. When examining their fresh tissues as
a pathologist under a microscope, I see life, vivid life in the micro
world.
With this experience or background I now treat every leaf, tree, bird, dog, fish and even
the cloud, wind, water…… almost all things as living things in the strokes of my
brushes. In paintings life goes in and comes out in equal footing.
I was born and grew up in a small town in Taiwan where people, mostly peasants, did not
have much and lived less. It was a humble beginning. I studied hard in school all the way
to medical school and read assiduously for collecting information and trying to understand more about what was going on
in other parts of the world. In order to satisfy my own curiosity and thirst for knowledge, I
struggled through many barriers to leave the small but beautiful island
of so called Formosa and come to the United States of
America, a big country with, needless to say, much different environmental and cultural
opportunities. The differences in civilization bursting with comprehensive industrial
developments, scientific and technological advancements and social changes were evident
everywhere. I was facing a cultural shock because it was such a different world than the
one I was accustom to and had left. However, I was able to adapt to this new way of life rather quickly and through
hard work, advance. I managed to get accepted into two fine institutions: the Mayo Clinic
for my medical education, and Northwestern University Business School (the notorious
Kellogg School of Management) for my business career. This has enriched me with much
valuable resources and better understanding of the world we live in and
at the same time in seeking professional
opportunities.
In the past century the U.S. and much of the western world have been on the move in all
fronts, including antibiotics discoveries, genetic research, auto and air transportation, moon exploration,
computerization, telecommunications...etc. With this have come as well with serious
consequences and new problems challenging mankind:
Social uprisings with the birth and fall of communism, world-wide environmental pollution
from harmful chemicals and nuclear waste, global warming, starvation,
political corruption, religious poisoning, and of course , the all-time unthinkable threat of
terrorism. The world has been divided
based on different ideologies and reunited in trying to make it a global community without
a template of love and for peace or a well thought out imprint of legality and diplomacy.
Where is our hope for the future in this new beginning of the Millennium? We have, in
fact, created more problems than we can solve. It has resulted in disarray with endless
regional conflicts and human sufferings on an international scale. How can we get out of
this mess of global unsolvable? Well, we must do more in soul-searching
and develop better art and culture.
We as a people may have lost touch with reality - a condition which has
exhausted our
wisdom and lacked courage. The real issues here are love and peace. The love for oneself and for
others, the peace from within and without from oneself to neighbors. If we are going to
save this world, Love and Peace are critical ingredient and not commodities. They are
tangible and indispensable. We must take up our responsibilities and show our willingness
to tackle the problems instead of stocking them up on the shelves for tomorrow. Illegal
drugs are still spreading and children on the streets are increasing. The killing fields
are there with no sign of ending and acts of terrorism on the plain are almost certain going to
strike again and again. The poor and the homeless are reaching record numbers.
The epidemic or pandemic of diseases are threatening our lives in
historical proportion. We need to act
quickly in order to slow down the deterioration in our society. We need good leadership of those
elected officers in governments, but not those big talkers giving only lip service. We do
not want to hear promises with empty results. We need actors who can act and producers who
can produce merits. We want them to be servants of the people but not dictators of
military power and injustice. Today materialistically we may be better off but spiritually
we are certainly worse down. We need to go back to the basics of Love and Peace to show our
care and kindness.
Art is perhaps one of the hopeful and alternative solutions to today’s
international strife. The visual arts, music, and literature are the foundation of all
cultures. Therefore we should concentrate on creating better cultures to overcome the
world problems. We must begin with the human mind, and furnish it with the right kind of
conceptual well being and reasoning for existence itself. Art offers hope to ensure love
and peace for improving communication and better relationships and trust. We all desire
more love for one another and real peace to live at home and to travel abroad. We want a
law-and-order-filled a safer world, for both big and small countries. We want peaceful borders
that can be traveled across without fear. This is an ideal world but it is the one we can
all be proud of calling "United Nations". Can we build the
world as one nation?
The central theme of my life-long work in medicine
and art has been built on the platform of love, peace
and hope. I sincerely hope that my art can carry these messages further to every corners
of the world, and that it can reach as many people as possible. I hope I can, through my
painting, win over more and more people, especially those children and young ones who I
would wish could come together to think along the same lines of creating a better global community.
I set the stage of my solo exhibition at Le Toit de la Grande Arche at la Defense,
Paris, in the fall of 2002 with a dream to challenge the public on the subject of
“Meditations sur la Vie” - Passage et Passion.” I hope that audiences from
all over the world - in Europe, the Americas, and Asia in particular - will join me in
reexamining those genuine and sensible human feeling which exist in the hearts of everyone,
and which can be utilized to begin a new dialogue with which will enable us to reach out
to one another. With this basic approach, and through my paintings, I hope we can begin to
understand ourselves and to realize that we do need one another beyond the borders
in the world and the ends of this planet. With this hope and this understanding, we
can begin to disarm ourselves, to put down weapons and start embracing each other as a
world civilized people.
In place of hatred, there will be love. There will be no pointing fingers but helping
hands. There will be no words of abuse but thoughtfulness in silence. Let no lines be
drawn between blacks and whites, between east and west, between you and me, but let us all
walk together in one direction, racing towards our goal to be One. That is our destiny and
that is our Holy Land.
May 29, 2002 Shee. Paris
His Medical Life
1938 Born in Changhua, Taiwan and excelled as a child in Chinese Calligraphy.
1957 Graduated from Yuanlin High School.
1964 Doctor of Medicine from Kaohsiung Medical University and served one year in the
army
1965 Moved to the United States of America for higher education in medicine.
1966 Anatomic Pathology at the Institute of Laboratory Medicine.
1968 Clinical Pathology and Nuclear Medicine at Mayo Clinic.
1970 Discovered a new measurement for red cell survival and awarded the young
investigator in research by the Society of Nuclear Medicine.
1971 Taught Medical School at the University of Wisconsin. Certified as Medical
Specialists in the fields of Anatomic Pathology, Clinical Pathology and Nuclear Medicine.
1976 Chairman of the Department of Pathology and Director of Laboratory Medicine at the
Meriter Hospital, Madison, Wisconsin.
1980 MBA degree from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management. .
1984 Founded Vital Med Laboratories, Northbrook, Illinois and five years later merged
with the Biomedical Labs of the Hoffmann-La Roche pharmaceutical giant
of Switzerland.
1988 Permanent member of the Doctors Mayo Society.
1990 Consultant to various businesses, hospitals and universities internationally.
His Artistic Career
1993 Began oil painting in December and finished the first painting in the following
January.
1995 Published the Path from Medicine to Art.
Solo tour exhibitions in the United States - Washington DC, New York, Chicago, Las
Vegas, and Los Angeles.
1996 Published art catalog, Shee - a Reflection of Life, volume I.
Solo tour exhibitions in Taiwan - Taipei, Changhua and Kaohsiung.
1998 Published art catalog, Shee - a Reflection of Life, volume II.
Solo tour exhibitions in Japan - Nerima Art Museum and Meguro Museum of Fine Arts, both
in Tokyo.
Biography of Shee-Successful Variations in Life, by Erica Casperson.
1999 Established Musee Highland, Highland Park, Illinois as his main studio
for creating
artworks.
Solo tour exhibition in France - Centre de Art de la Cathedrale Americaine et Centre Culturel Chinois, both of Paris.
2000 Established Shee Studio and a living quarter in Paris.
2001 Permanent exhibition at Musee Highland.
2002 Published art catalog, Meditation Sur La Vie, volume III.
Solo exposition at la Grande Arche, La Defense, Paris.
2003 Solo exhibition in Taiwan at the Taiwan Television Enterprise in Taipei.
Began sculpture with wood, glass and metal.
2004 Solo international exhibitions in Taiwan, Chicago and Paris.
2005 Solo exhibitions in Hualien, Changhua and Taipei.
2006 Solo exhibitions in Mayo Clinic and Taiwan Taoyun Chanliu museum. |
