A beautiful love letter illustrated with Taiwanese poetry
Bologna Book Fair Lagazzi Prize (Poetry Category) Jury's Choice Award
A tree becomes a book's "emotional commentary"
"Qing Pi" is the Taiwanese pronunciation for "qingshu." Animo, who grew up near Hanxi River in Taichung, once learned to sing Taiwanese songs in a dream from Chen Huang Yiling, who claimed he would have become a Taiwanese singer if he hadn't painted. He's fluent in Taiwanese. In "Qing Pi," he writes a beautiful Taiwanese poem dedicated to trees and books, a heartfelt confession of his soul.
In the relationships of this world, the only one that can strike a balance between respect and possessiveness is the distance between a tree and its readers.
"Love Criticism" is an extremely beautiful poem picture book, or it can be said to be a collection of works accompanied by poems and essays; the first few paintings in the book were exhibited in the 2018 solo exhibition "White Horse Shit" and were later selected for the 2019 Bologna Illustration Exhibition in Italy.
Starting with these drawings, Animo slowly wove a coherent narrative in his mind. After completing "Little Wan," he continued to research, source material, and refine his work. The "White Horse Shit" series was already breathtakingly beautiful. The trees, resembling fireworks, lingering waves... The trees, both figurative and abstract, in a variety of poses, captivated many viewers and fellow artists.
The three mountain and sea paintings at the beginning are actually a long scroll. The woodlands, logging ponds, train tracks for transporting timber, paper mills, old printing presses in the second half... while carrying narrative and explanation, the artistic beauty of the pictures is not diminished at all.
Finally, with the addition of text, it becomes a gentle love letter depicting "from tree to book" -
Lagaze Prize jury praise
"This poem, by Taiwanese illustrator and writer Animer, is both gentle and powerful, with a touch of mystery, and is complemented by stunning artwork. Before the text begins, the book opens with a series of stunning, continuous landscapes, featuring mountains, trees, the sea, and houses. Each subsequent page of the poem is accompanied by a captivating, stunning illustration—the images not only reflect the text but also inspire further reflection and exploration. The beauty of the artwork in this book is breathtaking. The entire poem, with its enigmatic quality, resembles a Japanese haiku or tanka, lacking a clear narrative arc. The reader's expectations will be challenged by the surprising conclusion at the end."
About the Author
Animo Chen
"One day, I accidentally swallowed some paint thinking it was a chocolate bar. I found it to be a true delicacy, so I started eating it every day. The paint continued to color my stomach layer by layer until I spat out a mold of my internal organs. The intestines, the stomach, the heart—it was truly beautiful, a true cultivation of both inner and outer self."
He graduated from Dayeh University with a degree in Visual Communication Design and received a Master's degree in Painting from the University of Applied Arts in Prague, Czech Republic. His work is diverse and prolific, having worked as a still artist, art director for television and film, animation director, and illustrator for 18 years. He excels at using literary imagery to create a rich, profound contrast with text. His work is frequently published in newspaper literary supplements and he has also created book covers.