 Born on February 2nd, 1895 in Chiayi, Chen Cheng Po was a major figure in the development of Taiwanese modern art. However, his tragic death may be what he is most remembered for today. Growing up under Japanese rule, Chen left Taiwan in 1924 to study at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts. Two years later, his painting Street of Chiayi was displayed at the Imperial Art Exhibition in Tokyo. Chen was the first Taiwanese artist to have his work shown at this prestigious exhibition. Chen's work combines traditional Taiwanese elements with the modern foreign painting styles he saw in his many travels. Several of his pieces have sold for high prices at auction in recent years. In addition to drawing and painting, Chen wanted to advance artistic education in Taiwan, and was a professor himself. During the 228 uprising in 1947, Chen was sent to negotiate a peace agreement between Chiayi citizens and Kuomintang troops. Tragically, he was shot dead, aged only 52. In 2014, an exhibition marking Chen's 120th birthday toured Taiwan, China, and Japan. Nearly 500 of the painter's works and personal items were on display for a new generation to discover. It was an overdue celebration of this important artist and teacher whose life and death reflect the history of modern Taiwan.
陳澄波於1895年2月2日出生於嘉義，他是台灣現代藝術發展的代表性人物。然而，他的悲慘離世，可能才是今日他最為人所熟知之處。 陳從小在日本統治下成長，1924年離開台灣，前往東京藝術大學就讀。兩年後，其畫作〈嘉義街外〉即被展於東京的「帝國美術院展覽會」，他也是首位作品登上此享譽盛名之展覽的台灣藝術家。 陳的作品揉合傳統台灣元素與遊歷所見的現代外來畫風，近年來他的畫作皆於拍賣會上以高價賣出。 除了精通素描與油畫，陳澄波也致力於推廣台灣的藝術教育，其本身也是一位教授。 1947年228事件爆發後，陳被推派前往調停嘉義市與國民黨間的警民衝突，卻不幸遭到槍殺，享年僅52歲。 2014年，陳澄波百二誕辰特展巡迴於台、中、日之間，展出近500幅畫作和個人物品，供後人參觀緬懷。對這位舉足輕重的藝術家和教師而言，這是個遲來的榮耀。他的生與死，也同時反映出台灣現代史的容顏。 | 
