Chang Yi-shiung was born in Chiayi in 1914. When Chang was young, he once bumped into painter Chen Cheng-po, who was sketching by the Chiayi Fountain. Later on, Chang studied oil painting with Chen Cheng-po. In 1932 Chang enrolled in Teikoku Art School in Tokyo (now Musashino Art University) and had to suspend from his study a semester later because he could not afford the tuition. Chang’s academic pursue was not smooth, yet it did not stop him from learning art. In 1936, Chang entered Kawabata Art School to study. Later he joined Era Art Association and won various award from “Taiwan Provincial Fine Arts Exhibitions” and "Tai-yang Art Exhibitions". In 1963, Chang accepted a part time teaching position as an associate professor in National Taiwan Academy of Arts. Chang moved to Japan in 1964. In 1980, Chang moved to France. In 1987, Chang became the first Taiwanese painter to be granted with “artist pension.” The styles of Chang Yi-shiung’s paintings varied apparently throughout different stages of his life. His “dark line period” in the 1950s, reflected upon the heaviness and gloominess he shouldered. “The white period,” however, displayed the bright and glamorous style he developed after he started his career in Paris in his later years.

Chang painted this work after moving to Paris in 1980, and it belongs to Chang’s “white period.” After Chang was in his seventies, he no longer suppressed his emotion in his artwork. The objects illustrated in the paintings were no longer intentionally flattened as one would see in his “dark period.” Making a table in a small room the main focus, Chang vaguely presents the indoor space. The unsophisticated dark hues under the table create a profound effect while set off the tranquility of the pink table and illuminate the canvas. The bright colors behind the still objects serve as a contrast to reflect on the main theme and create a bright and glamorous visual effect—presenting the tension within the painting’s simplicity.

After his father passed away in 1932 when he was 19, Chang Yi-shiung decided to make his own living without relying on the financial support from his family, even though he was born to a prominent family in Chiayi. He went to Japan to study by himself, and he had to struggle between making his living and fulfilling his dream. Though most of his lifetime he lived a moderate life and hardly settled in any place for long, he nevertheless enjoyed the challenge and eventually fulfilled his ideal and pursued his dream. Despite the hardships that Chang endured, he continued his creativity incessantly with perseverance. His achievement in art was not only affirmed in Taiwan, but also appreciated in Japan and France. Chang’s experience in pursuing his art career certainly is unique compare to the other painters who went to Japan to study art during the Japanese occupation. Living like a nomad, Chang’s lifetime can be divided into several major stages: The first stage, “Study with Fortitude Stage” (1932-1945). The second stage (1946-1864) was “The Germinate Stage in Poverty” for Chang. The third stage was Chang’s “Japan Nomad Stage” (1964-1980). The fourth stage is “Life in Paris Stage” (1980-present). Throughout his life, Chang Yi-shiung drifted from place to place like a nomad. However the situation, no matter how hard life was, Chang had always reconciled him to the situation and never stopped his creativity. His insistence on fulfilling his ideal makes him an exceptional case among Taiwanese artists.