Personal Profile
Name: Jimmy Liao Fu-pin
Pen name: Ji MiBorn: 15 November 1958
Career: Taiwanese illustrator
After graduating from Chinese
Culture University in which he majored in art, popular writer-illustrator Jimmy
worked in an advertising company for 12 years. Diagnosed in 1995, Liao underwent six months of chemotherapy and his
cancer went into remission. Nevertheless, depression and fear over his illness
changed his outlook on life and launched him on a new career. In 1998, it is
the first time starting his own artworks which are Secrets in the Woods and A
Fish that Smiled at Me. Then, he published a best-selling book “Turn Left, Turn Right” which was rewarded by huge success and generate a
trend of illustrated creation. More books were published eventually by jimmy and
some of them were displayed by different form of mediums such as movie,
animation. 'I became more observant even of some very tiny things in life.
Drawing became my therapy. It's the way I release my anxiety.' Liao (2008) said.
Nowadays, his 30 illustrated stories have sold five million copies worldwide
and many exhibitions were held in Taipei, Hong Kong and on the mainland.
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| "My parents sometimes are fine, however they usually quarrel heavily and sometimes don't speak with each other." -----------The Starry Starry Night |
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| "Father always chats on the phone which seems to be important in his dailylife. Nevertheness, I have no word to speak with him since he doesn't understand what I am talking about." -----------------The Starry Starry Night |
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| "I seem to be a bird in a cage thirsting for flying outside." |
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| " We cannot see the stars gradually in the urban" |
I choose Jimmy as my artist of
final paper because his illustration interacts with his elegant literary well. Although
his illustrations and stories convey a sense of loneliness, this touches us
feeling alienated by hectic city life. Liao (2008) mentioned that he had felt a
sense of solitude living in a hectic city but he had enjoyed the solitude of
working alone. Hence, he had tried to change the loneliness into beauty.
In addition, not only his artworks
are accompanied the elegant texts well, but also delivers the comprehensive
values, the positive attitude to our daily life. For children, they are attracted
by the colorful illustration featuring adorable animals. For teenagers, they may
experience the bitter-sweet feeling of leaving childhood and entering
adulthood. For adults, they can receive the heart-tugging loneliness and
anxieties of the urban life. Everyone may be comforted by Jimmy’s artworks.
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| the mural painting in MRT Nangang Station |
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| The exhibition of The Starry Starry Night |
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| The exhibition of The Starry Starry Night |
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| The exhibition of The Starry Starry Night |
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| The exhibition of The Starry Starry Night |
The video is talking about the aim of jimmy to create a book "The Starry Starry Night". He hope this book can raise parents awareness to their children who cannot be understood by the adults.
The visit reveals the experience of Jimmy to create his new artwork "The Rainbom of Time". Creating the artwork about the time in cinema, Jimmy tried to watch movie in there frequently in order to expressed his feeling into his artwork. Meanwhile, he would like to give his respect to all film directors.
Reference:
cultural department of Taiwan
Taking a colourful look at life Miranda Yeung (April 3, 2008).
http://www.scmp.com/article/631161/solitary-man
Solitary Man Joyce Siu( 25 March, 2008)
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90782/7240982.html
exhibition of jimmy Liao
