As a tribute to late, great Taiwanese painters who made tremendous contributions to advancing Taiwanese culture, Chunghwa Post is issuing a series of “Modern Taiwanese Paintings” postage stamps to introduce the artistic achievements of local painters to the general public. The first and second sets in this series were issued in December 2002 and November 2003. Based on suggestions by the Taipei Fine Arts Museum about works in their collection, the third set (Issue of 2004) of four stamps in this series features works by the late painters Yan Shui-long , Yang San-lang, Lee Shih-chiao and Liu Chi-hsiang.Descriptions of the stamp designs follow:(1) “A Young Girl from Lu Kai” by Yan Shui-long: Yan Shui-long (1903-1997) was born in Tainan, and he studied painting in Japan and France. After returning to Taiwan, Yan traveled to aboriginal communities deep in the mountains where he made portraits of the inhabitants. “A Young Girl from Lu Kai” is a portrait with a full frontal view of its sitting subject, who is wearing an elaborate costume and jewelry with vivid and contrasting colors that produce a unique decorative effect. Oil on canvas, 118cm x 92.5cm.(2) “Old Street in Taipei” by Yang San-lang: Yang San-lang (1907-1995) was born in Taipei. He studied painting in Japan and France. After World War II, he dedicated himself to advocating the Taiwan Provincial Art Exhibition. His works praise nature’s beauty, depicting a deep serenity, as opposed to a superficial glamour. “Old Street in Taipei” depicts a scene in the Dadaocheng area of Taipei. Its bright turquoise and brick red provide a strong contrast while his lively and nimble brush strokes create a pleasing visual effect. Oil on canvas, 90.9cm x 72.7 cm.(3) “Happy Farmers” by Lee Shih-chiao: Lee Shih-chiao (1908-1995) was born in Sinjhuang, Taipei County and studied western style painting in Japan. Although his early works were mostly realist, during the fifties he began to investigate cubism and other geometrically influenced styles. During the sixties, his works were abstract, and during the seventies, he created group portraits. Simple and moving, “Happy Farmers” depicting a scene from his family life, is a representative work of his early realist style. Oil on canvas, 157cm x 146 cm.(4) “Fish Shop” by Liu Chi-hsiang: Liu Chi-hsiang (1910-1998) was born in Tainan County, and he studied western style painting in Japan. He was also one of four Taiwanese painters who studied in France before World War II. There, he copied works of Edouard Manet and Paul Cezanne in the Louvre. He lived a simple and peaceful life, which was reflected in his neat and elegant painting style. “Fish Shop” is one of his representative works of his French period. The unique separation of space and elegant style and colors are very appealing. Oil on canvas, 117cm x 91cm.