Chen Ting-shih, pseudonym “Ears”, was born to a prestigious family in Changle, Fujian. The late researcher of National Palace Museum, Chu-Ge described him as a “national treasure” in the art. The former director of Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts Li Jun-xian and the art critic Lu Rong-zhi both agreed that he himself is the representative of the "art history." He became deaf when he fell off a tree when he was a child. However, that became the turning point of his life into the world of art.
Chen is expert in traditional poetry, calligraphy and painting and he improved his sketching skills in western paintings by learning from Xu Bei-Hong. His country was at war when he was young, and therefore he use his print arts to oppose the tyranny. After Taiwan’s Retrocession, he and his friends founded “ Modern Print Society,” the “Fifth Moon Painting Society” and the “Modern Eye” and became the pioneer in Taiwan’s modern art. In 1957, Chen produced engravings on bagasse boards using a process that focuses on utilizing the characteristics of the material. He had been invited to international Biennale several times. In 1970, he won the first prize of the “Korea International Print Biennale” with the print work “Hibernating ”.
In his late years, he was indulged in collecting stones and iron sculpting. When he represented Taiwan to exhibit his works in Spain and France, Chen’s work “ Jonnie Walker” was embodied in the chapter "Masters of Iron and Space" of the book "Art Of The 20th Century”. Chen and Ieoh Ming Pei are the only two Chinese artists included in the book, which shows the recognition and appreciation of Chen Ting-shih's artistic expression in the history of international art. He died in Taiping in 2002.
