Pan Chun-yuan (Taiwanese: Phuann Tshun-guân; Chinese:æ½ÂæÂ¥æºÂ; 1891âÂÂ1972), originally named Pan Lianke (æ½Âè¯ç§Â) and also known as "Ke-si,"(ç§Âå¸) with the courtesy names Jinyin (é²çÂÂ) and Cunyuan (é¨åÂÂ, æÂ¥æºÂ), was a painter hailing from Dashi Street (æÂÂç³è¡Â) in the city of Tainan, Taiwan.
In 1891 (the 17th year of the Guangxu reign), Pan Lianke, later known as Pan Chun-yuan, was born into a merchant family on Dashi Street in Tainan City (near the intersection of Gongyuan Road (å ¬åÂÂè·¯) and Minquan Road (æ°Âæ¬Âè·¯)). His father was Pan Zhao (æ½Âç §). From a young age, Pan Chun-yuan displayed a natural talent and interest in painting. At the age of 11, he enrolled in Tainan Second Public School (now Liren Elementary School, ç«Â人åÂÂæ°Âå°Âå¸), which was located inside the Tainan Shuixian Temple (æ°´ä»Âå®®) at that time. At 14, Pan Lianke dropped out of Tainan Second Public School and began self-study in Chinese ink painting and culture, frequently observing traditional craftsmen's work near his home on the mainland. In 1909, Pan Lianke established the "Chunyuan Art Studio" (æÂ¥æºÂç«室) next to the Kaiji San Guan Temple (éÂÂåºä¸Âå®Âå»Â), engaging in mounting and painting.
According to scholar Xiao Qiong-rui (èÂÂçÂÂçÂÂ), in 1909, Pan Lianke was invited by the Bajijing Wudi Temple (å «åÂÂå¢ÂäºÂå¸Âå»Â) to repaint murals, marking the beginning of his temple mural work. During the renovation of the Lords of the Three Mountains Temple (ä¸Âå±±åÂÂçÂÂå»Â) in Tainan, Pan Lianke went to observe and learn from artisans from the Chaoshan region, hired by the temple for their expertise. In 1924 and 1926, Pan also traveled to Guangzhou and Quanzhou to explore and study arts. He even attended the Shantou Jimei Art School (éÂÂç¾Âç¾Âè¡Âå¸校) to research Chinese ink painting and charcoal portraits. In addition to his diligent practice of painting and calligraphy, Pan also delved into music and poetry. In 1914, he joined the poetry society "Jingwen Society"(ç¶ÂæÂÂ社) and the "Yihe Society," (以åÂÂ社) which performed Nanguan music. In his leisure time, Pan often improvised performances in his art studio.
In the field of painting, in 1928, Pan Lianke's artwork "Scenes from a Pasture" (ç§場æÂÂè¦Â) was selected for the second Taiwan Arts Exhibition (èºç£ç¾Âè¡Âå±Â覽æÂÂ, commonly known as "Taiten", å°å±Â). He continued to be selected for six consecutive sessions, depicting scenes of his hometown, such as the painting "Morning Colors of the Mountain Village" (å±±æÂÂæÂÂè²), which was selected in 1933. For the first four sessions, he used gouache as the medium, while for the last two sessions, he turned to ink painting. However, most of the seven paintings selected by Pan Chun-yuan in the Taiten are now lost, with only the work "Ox Cart" (çÂÂè»Â) remaining.
In 1928, Pan Lianke, along with other artists from the Tainan and Chiayi region, including Lin Yushan, formed the "Chun-meng Painting Society" (æÂ¥èÂÂç«æÂÂ) to promote the Oriental painting style in Tainan and Chiayi. His temple murals were influenced by the Imperialization Movement during the Japanese colonial period, leading to a reduction in temple paintings. After World War II, he temporarily lived in Anping.
Post-war, Pan Chun-yuan painted murals for several temples, including the Kaiji San Guan Temple and Bajijing Wudi Emperors Temple. He also worked on mural paintings and door deity illustrations for temples such as Guanmiao Shanxi Temple (山西宮) and Liujia Mazu Temple. In 1950, he began creating numerous landscape paintings and served as a judge for the National Painting Department at the Tainan City Art Exhibition, as well as a consultant at the Tainan Chinese Painting Research Association. In 1960, for health reasons, Pan Chun-yuan ceased temple mural painting but continued creating ink paintings until his passing in 1972.
Pan Chun-yuan's architectural mural works, recognized as cultural heritage, include publicly accessible pieces such as:
Pan Chun-yuan had several children, including his eldest son, Pan Lishui (æ½ÂéºÂæ°´), and second son, Pan Yingzhou (æ½ÂçÂÂæ´², 1916âÂÂ2004). He also had grandchildren, among them Pan Yuexiong (æ½Âå²³éÂÂ), and several of them inherited his artistic skills. Notable disciples include Zeng Zhugen (æ¾竹根, 1910âÂÂ1984), style name Yunlin (é²æÂÂ), and Ding Wang (ä¸Â網, 1912âÂÂ1972), style name Yunpeng (é²鵬). Ding Wang's sons, Ding Qingshi (ä¸Â渠ç³, 1940âÂÂ2003), Ding Qingshan(ä¸Â渠山), and Ding Qingchuan (ä¸Â渠å·Â), also became skilled mural painters.