A conversation with Una Ursprung

Una Ursprung in her studio

HW: What is your earliest memory of art and do you think that shaped your decision to dedicate your life to it ? 

UU: I remember, when I was very young, maybe around five, my mother sent me to a children's art class and after the first class I counted the days on the calendar with great anticipation, but actually, I didn’t know how to read the calendar at that time. 

Some time later, I must have been 10 years old, my mother took me to the museum to see a special exhibition at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. It wasn’t easy to see these masterworks in Taiwan at that time. That was the first time I saw the Impressionist masters works in person, like Cézanne, Van Gogh, Manet, Monet…

 I remember the exhibition was packed, but I was still fascinated by the beauty of the paintings. After the exhibition, my mother asked me if I really wanted to be a painter, and I said yes!

I don’t think I have ever had to actively make the decision to dedicate my life to art. For me there was never a choice between art or any other job, I've always been on the path of painting, it's just very natural for me and there's no need to doubt it. 

HW: In many interviews you talk about nature scenes to be obsolete of metaphors or philosophical meaning so where does your fascination with nature come from? 

UU: Before I went to school, I spent my early childhood with my grandparents in a small village in the mountains of central Taiwan. It was a life very close to nature and simplicity. After starting school, I moved to Taipei to join my parents, a big city with a population of about three million people. However, the experience of living in the countryside seems to have planted roots in my heart. I think I connect the idea of home with the forest, nature and a sense of belonging together. I feel more comfortable in nature than in the city because I really enjoy observing everything in nature, even the smallest leaf. Everything in nature is so beautiful to me.

And besides, I really hope that the issue of protecting the environment will be given more attention now.

HW: You explore the idea of mixing figuartion with abstraction through your work, where do you think comes this desire to incorporate them both ?

UU: I didn't want to give up this desire to paint both genres. I have always liked to paint figurative things, I like to observe, to draw details, I rely on my eyes, I need to see to paint. At the same time I am attracted to abstract lines, which are everywhere when I look. That kind of abstract expression, like a child's painting, is something I've always wanted to try. So I just tried both on the same canvas!

HW: Some artists describe knowing when a painting is finished as a very difficult moment in the process, do you ever struggle with this ? 

UU: It has happened, but I am not often struggling with this.I normally trust my instincts and I am usually quite decisive. If I'm in a situation where I really can't decide, I usually follow the adage "less is more".

HW: What would be a dream exhibition or project that you would like to do ? 

UU: I usually don’t talk about my dreams, because dreams are always too big or impossible to achieve and I feel too shy to talk about them. But since you've asked, I'm going to tell you one! My dream is to paint until before I die, and then when I'm old if I could have a retrospective at the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris or any museum, I’ll die without any regret.

Untitled 34

Oil and spray paint on canvas, 170x 130cm, 2017

Una Ursprungs studio

Avalanche Landscape 36

Oil and spray paint on canvas, 92x 73 cm, 2020

For information on Una Ursprung and her available works visit the Collectors Club

An interview with Helen Waldburger