Chang Ta-chien is one of the best known traditional Chinese painters of the 20th century. Chang was born in Sichuan, China but moved to Taiwan in 1978. He used all kinds of painting papers for his more than 30,000 works, but nothing surpassed his liking for paper made from the leaves of Taiwanese pineapples.
Famous painter Chang Ta-chien loved to paint Taiwan’s mountains and rivers. His favorite material to paint on was also from Taiwan - paper made from Taiwan’s pineapple leaves. During the last three years of his life, Chang only painted on this special pineapple paper, which was upcycled from parts of the fruit that are usually discarded.
Taiwan produces 670,000 tons of residual materials from pineapples a year. If they’re not used as compost, they would need to be thrown into the fire which causes pollution. The Taiwan Forestry Research Institute has developed a better use for them. It combines a unique formula of silver nitrate emulsion and the fibrous properties of the pineapple leaves and parts to create a paper that is similar to that used for developing photos. They can be used for black and white photos and as painting paper as the images on this unique material becomes permanent and does not fade.
The institute has also created other similar papers using cotton, hemp, bamboo and tree bark. Over the years, they have produced papers of many different textures, including one that feels like a wedding gown.