(Photo: CNA)

Chinese Name: 何肇衢

Born: 1931

Birthplace: Hsinchu County (Northern Taiwan)

Born in a Hakka Village in Qionglin Township, Hsinchu County in 1931, Ho Chao-chu is among the first generation of outstanding painters in Taiwan after World War II. He received a Japanese education when he was young, spoke fluent Japanese and did not learn Chinese until after Japanese colonial rule ended in 1945. Because his father was a Buddha painter, he was infected with the persistence and enthusiasm required of an artist from his father since the time he was a child. He was also favored by art teachers when he was in middle school, which made him even more interested in art.

Ho went to Taihoku Normal School (臺北師範學校) to study in the Art Department and performed well in painting. In 1950, his water color paintings were selected to be exhibited in the Provincial Fine Arts Exhibition. From then on, Ho continued to actively participate in various painting competitions. His oil paintings "Fanglan Mountain (芳蘭山)," "Rear Window (後窗)," and "Interior (室內)" won the Tai-Yang Art Exhibition (臺陽美術展) award. Due to the honors he received, Ho was recommended by the elder painter Li Mei-shu (李梅樹) to become a member of the Tai-Yang Art Association at the young age of 31. And because Ho Chao-chu's talent and achievements in painting were well-recognized, many of his works were purchased by government institutions.

Ho grew up in an impoverished environment and in an era in which resources were scarce. When he was growing up, he did not receive tutelage from any famous painters, nor did he have the opportunity to go abroad for further studies. He could only indirectly absorb the nutrients of art through the use of printed images. Yet, that did not stop him from acquiring a large amount of artistic knowledge through continuous reading and learning. He learned many of the techniques of painting and creation almost entirely on his own, from books. This appreciation for learning can be seen in his later study and painting studio, which have thousands of art books that are stacked and arranged in an orderly manner. Ho is very proud that these art books have cultivated and enriched his creative vision and served as a source of inspiration for him.

Throughout his life, Ho has had a hobby of collecting famous painting albums. When he was young, he mailed boxes of canned pineapples to Japanese publishers in exchange for gifts of expired publications. Through these exchanges, he was able to obtain Japanese art magazines, which became important for him to understand the world's painting trends. Beginning in the 1960s, he successively went to Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe and the United States to visit art museums and made sketches, seeking inspiration from the paintings of art masters such as Monet, Cézanne, and Van Gogh, and using what he gained to develop his self-learning and diligence.

Ho's painting style started from figurative sketching, and was influenced by Cubism, Impressionism and abstract painting. He also paints segmented pictures, emphasizing the combination of lines and blocks. However, he still insisted on painting real scenery, instead of imagining them out of thin air, in order to create a more profound artistic conception. In the 1980s, after returning from a solo tour of Europe, he became even more interested in painting various scenery of Taiwan, especially Tamsui and Shiding in the north, which held a special place in his heart. Prolific in his creations, Taiwan scenery under his brush became full of various colorful changes. With a habit of presenting the same scene from multiple perspectives, Ho liked to repeatedly sketch different aspects of landscapes that captivated him. Ho believed it was the best way for a painter to express his admiration of the natural beauty around him.