Abstract
Clothing often conveys the spirit of the times and also represents its cultural characteristics. By reviewing the representation of clothing, this study explores female images depicted in the works of Taiwanese painters who were influenced by the Japanese Taisho culture. Women’s clothing presented in Japan’s Taisho period (1912-1926) was characterized by a mixture of traditional styles with Western influences. These changes of fashion in Japan had some influences on Taiwanese clothing. As Taiwan was under Japanese rule during the Taisho period, some painters depicted images of women then and thereupon. The content and style of the paintings clearly reflected social changes and artistic phenomena hereafter, including changes in the status and image of women. This study explores the artists’ cultural identification through the clothing items of the female figures of the colonized people portrayed by Taiwanese painters. This study discusses the following key issues: (1). The reflection of social changes and cultural manifestations in Japan’s Taisho period over Taiwanese art. Based on pictorial references, the paper explores the characteristics of the female images depicted in the paintings under the influence of the Taisho culture in Japanese-colonized Taiwan. (2). How did Taiwanese painters illustrate the clothing styles of women in their works at that time, including the connection or blending of Chinese, Japanese and Western clothing in concerning fashions? From these appearances, this study further explores how do the representations of female clothing reflect the cultures and values that these artists identified with Taiwanese society then.
Presenters
Shu-fang HuangAssociate Professor, Department of Fashion Design and Management, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Japan’s Taisho period, Taiwanese paintings, Female images, Clothing styles
