In August 1947, the Department of Fine Arts at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) was officially established, marking the founding of Taiwan’s first university-level fine arts program. The department gathered a distinguished faculty — artists and educators who had come to Taiwan from China or returned from studies in Japan. Their vision not only advanced the foundations of Taiwan’s art education but also nurtured artists with diverse creative perspectives, profoundly shaping the development of the island’s modern art scene.

The university’s location in Guting, known as Gutingzhuang during the Qing dynasty, was once an important hub along the hub of liukungchun (Liu public irrigation ditch), renowned for its fertile farmlands. With the university’s establishment, this land transformed from an agricultural cradle into a source of knowledge, culture, and artistic inspiration, continuously cultivating and expanding Taiwan’s creative landscape.

“Initiation: The Dawn of Taiwanese Artists” brings together works by artists who studied or taught in NTNU’s Department of Fine Arts — many of whom have become leading figures in their respective fields. Drawing from institutional and museum collections, the exhibition constructs a coherent historical narrative that traces the roots, growth, and intergenerational legacy of Taiwan’s art education and creative practice.

This exhibition not only revisits the pioneering spirit and contributions of NTNU’s early years but also bears witness, through art itself, to how Gutingzhuang has evolved — from fertile farmland to a cradle of Taiwan’s art education and cultural development.