• 2018-09-27

On August 11, 2018, the renowned professor and painter Liang Danfong (梁丹丰) gave a special lecture at the National Central Library’s (NCL) International Conference Hall, entitled “My Journey in Painting.” In her lecture, Prof. Liang displayed and told the stories behind some of her works. Besides describing what she was feeling at the time each work was painted, Prof. Liang also demonstrated how to most fully express ideas using the fewest available tools. Starting with the three primary watercolors, Prof. Liang showed how she mixes the other tones. She then painted a landscape using different shades of blue alone, and sketched a scene using a single pencil. This was Prof. Liang’s first ever public demonstration outside of a classroom, attracting a packed audience.

Prof. Liang said that painting was entirely an expression of creativity and skill; the medium was secondary. She instructs her students to use practice painting using only the three primary colors, from which they should be able to create any variation in tone. Sketching is even easier: an endless variety of drawings can be created using just a single pencil and sheet of paper. Prof. Liang also encouraged the audience to travel far and wide in order to broaden their minds and live their lives as fully as possible. She herself has traveled to over 80 countries in her lifetime, and even when living in the most difficult circumstances, still managed to devote herself to painting. She serves as a role model to us all.