Born in Guangdong province in 1926, Yeh Shih-Chiang studied at the Guangzhou College of Art, headed at that time by artist and revolutionary Gao Jianfu, who was a pioneer in the revitalization of the traditional ink painting language in the Republic era. At the age of 21, Yeh and two fellow students decided to take leave from the Academy and set out on an adventure to travel on foot from Guangdong to the Dunhuang Caves, sketching along the way. With the spread of China’s Civil War, they were forced to abort their plans and in 1949 redirected their route to Taiwan. In his first few years in Taiwan, Yeh studied fine arts at the Taiwan Provincial Teachers´ College (now National Taiwan Normal University) in Taipei, where his talent and originality as a painter was immediately recognized. However, as time passed and the political rift between Taiwan and the PRC made return to his home impossible, Yeh grew increasingly reclusive and finally shunned official art circles to seclude himself in the countryside, steeped in an ascetic mode of life and a literati sensibility.

Every aspect of Yeh’s daily activities was informed by a conscious awareness of the ideal of inner cultivation shared by both the literati and Zen traditions. He was a maker of the ancient musical instrument the guqin, and a dedicated painter and teacher. He is especially admired for the spontaneous energy of his lines and the visionary purity of his compositions. Yet he was not a participant in any local modern art movements, instead developing his artistic persona on his own ground and attracting many disciples. Yeh has a devoted following among collectors, artists and scholars in Taiwan and is regarded as a kind of sage among painters. Yet during his lifetime Yeh desisted from bringing his works into the larger public sphere and it was considered a privilege to be able to see his works in exhibition.