Miners’ Lament is the latest narrative painting that I finished. The inspiration for Miners’ Lament goes back all the way to my time in China.
《礦山悲歌》的構想起源很久，源自在大陸時期。
Prior to 1980, I worked at Zhaoqing in Guangdong where there was a medium-sized coal mine outside of the city –Ma’an Coal Mine. I went on two painting trips to the mines and also went down to the mine shaft on two occasions, so I knew about the miners’ hardships from personal experience.
1980年前，我工作的地方是廣東肇慶，市郊有一個大約中等規模的煤礦：「馬安煤礦」。我曾兩次到礦區作畫，並兩次下到礦井工作區，對礦工的辛勞有親身體會。
Fast forward to 1997. When I came back to Taiwan from my Northwest painting trip in 1997, I saw plein air paintings of a coal mine in Taipei’s suburbs by my student Liu Ming-yen and was impressed by them. I visited Jiufen and Pingxi (two coal mines near Taipei) with Liu Ming-yen and my wife. While touring the coal mine museum, I had a look inside the small coal mine that was about to close. All of a sudden, I gazed back at the tunnel entrance and could see the scene in the draft before my eyes.
1997年，從西北寫生回台後，與學生劉明燕、我妻子同去九份、平溪，參觀了煤礦博物館，探看了剛準備關閉的小型煤礦，在洞口內，猛然回頭，仿彿看到稿中的畫面，讓我聯想起這個人類的悲剧。
Miner’s Lament Study
The topic of mine disasters is a common one all around the world. It also hints at the inevitability of humanity’s tragic destiny. For me as an artist, most importantly, when I emerged from the mine I suddenly discovered a very powerful composition, as well as a sense of continuing to move forward despite knowing what fate had in store. After that, I made many trips to Jiufen and Houtong to experience and get a feel for the mining areas.
這個礦難題材有著世界的普遍性質，也有著人類悲慘宿命的意涵，最重要的是，我從礦井走出來的瞬間發現了一個強而有力的構圖和逐步塑造出一個認命前行的強靭生命。對於一個畫家來說，這比什麼都重要！
由此，多次上九份、猴硐礦區去感受、去觀察，終於在三、四年前移入畫布，掙扎至今方告完成。
Since concept inception, it took me nearly twenty years to complete this oil painting. I didn’t dwell on the expressions of the miners as they emerged from the tunnel entrance after the mining disaster. I wanted the audience to focus on the “family members waiting at the mine entrance.” The anxiety and hope in the faces of the miners’ families expressed the heart-rending nature of the tragedy.
這油畫經過近廿年才完成。我幾乎沒有描寫走出礦難已到坑口的礦工的表情，我要觀眾將目光放在「等待在礦坑洞口的家屬」，充滿担心和希望的礦工家屬呈現了悲剧的撼動人心。
After countless drafts and paintings, I eventually came up with the silhouette making its way to the tunnel entrance – the silhouette of a miner. How many mining disasters big and small had this silhouette endured? The bent back, covered in rock and coal dust, was the product of the heavy burden it had borne. It represented a life filled with perseverance as well as futility. He knows that once the mining disaster has been cleared away, he will have to go down that dangerous mine shaft again into the darkness under the ground in order to feed his family.
在不斷的草圖和原畫探索中，我逐漸找到了走到坑口的背影，一名礦工的背影，這背影承載過多少大小的礦難啊！那拱曲的背承担了沉重的工作，滿是石屑和煤灰，這堅強又無奈的生命。他知道，待礦難過去，他還要下去那危險的礦坑，那支持一家生活的地層下的黑暗。
This was the silhouette that I found after many attempts and changes. It is not only the silhouette of a miner but also countless farmers and coolies! To eventually give shape to this image at the entrance to the mining disaster made my visits to the mines worthwhile.
我多次加工、探索，終於找到了這樣的一個背影，他不僅是礦工的背影，也是多少農民、苦力的背影！我終於在礦難之口塑造了這個形象，我的礦坑之旅也可安慰了。
The painting and its theme may seem a bit depressing for the holiday season when we are reflecting on 2018 and looking forward to 2019. But I thought maybe we can look at the painting from another angle, there is light at the end of the tunnel for whatever we have been working on. So with this note, happy holidays and best wishes for your endeavors in painting and other areas of your life.
