The foundations of Liao Chi-chun's art rest on his sketching from life followed by the management of colors and forms. His subjects were also often the things and scenes around him in everyday life. Not until he sketched in Europe and the US did "foreign" elements enter his repertoire. Even then, he was able to use his powerful imagination to create a world different from others. In addition to his figural and landscape paintings, Liao Chi-chun's still life painting was also unique. "By a Window", painted in 1960, shows a window by a courtyard. Forms abound and the colors are vibrant. On the round table is a vase of flowers along with fruit. They not only take up the center of the painting but also appear pushed into the background because of the muted colors that Liao used. Nevertheless, these beautiful flowers and round fruit are still prominent. A white cat also lies at the base of the table to form another visual center. The cat does not stand out, however, because of the white tablecloth and the brightness of the outdoor area. The ability to harmoniously combine bright and strong colors was one of Liao's greatest achievements in art. Here, in "Still Life in Front of a Window" from 1968, he took the fluidity of forms to an extreme. Indeed, Liao's works in the 1960s as a whole tended towards abstraction, and the subject of still life was no exception. Even though the two vertical lines here are not parallel, they still suggest the window frame, through which we can barely make out the surrounding trees. A round yellow table appears to be in the center along with a vase of flowers and fruit. Though the surface is filled with dark outlines, the lines of the forms were not finalized. Instead, they are blurred and seem to move. The strong colors appear in flux, mixing with the areas of white that serve to separate them. Since the forms are not easily distinguishable, the colors play an even greater role in this painting. Yet, the painter who comes to mind here is Henri Matisse (1869-1954), representative of the Fauvism movement. Liao's rough outlines, contrasting colors, and non-realistic rendering of the world with light and shadow has much of the Fauvist manner. Liao's beginnings as an artist, however, took place through the medium of Western-style painting that he studied in Japan, where many of the wilder elements of this trend had already been tamed. The draft for this painting was done in outlines of pastels, where we can still see Liao's sensitivity to and control of colors. Despite the brightness of the flowers in the vase, for example, they seem to harmonize and float to the painting surface. Liao Chi-chun was considered by many as a reserved and easy-going man, but his mastery of colors reveals a vibrant sense of energy and freedom that shows the other side of this artist.

By a Window Dated 1960 Oils on canvas, 100 x 80.3 cm From a Liao Family Collection     Still Life In Front of a Window Dated 1968 Oils on canvas, 90.9 x 72.7 cm From a Liao Family Collection     Still Life Pastels on paper, 16.2 x 20 cm From the Collection of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum