Peeping No. 3

From 1965 onwards, Chen Ting-Shih's prints revealed a tremendous momentum as his work evolved. Chen began by carving relief on the cane fiber board with a knife, creating lines that resemble those engraved on oracle bones. Then he applied ink onto the board and placed cotton paper on top of it, and used a heavy glass paperweight with rounded edges to make the rubbing.(1) Chen's Peeping was exhibited in the 14th "Fifth Moon Group Exhibition" in 1968. The year of creation for this work (Lot 330) was listed as 1970. According to research findings, Chen often signed his work only after it had been mounted or before it was framed. The painter often attributed different titles and years of creation to the same work, which may be the result of inconsistent memories over time. There are three Peeping series, and Peeping No.3 is the largest of the series. According to available records, most of the editions of Peeping No.3 have been collected by overseas collectors, and they are collected in regions as far as Belgium and Italy. Chen was rather pleased with this work, and he once said to his friends that it could be hung "upright, upside down, rightward, or leftward" for viewing in any ways. As for the one currently on display at Chen Ting Shih Memorial Hall, it was one of the works from the series that Chen had kept in his personal collection in his lifetime, and which have been retained by the Chen Ting Shih Modern Art Foundation.

(1) Sound of Rarity: Chen Ting-Shih Memorial Exhibition, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, p.58.