Born in Taipei but raised in Hualien, Jyun-Han Lu derives his inspiration from the mountain and the ocean scenery of Taiwan’s east coast. With both types of natural views on his doorstep, Lu has closely observed and been inspired by the mountains’ soaring height and the ocean’s all-encompassing wideness. Rather than focusing on the landscape itself, Lu’s works explore how an artist reconfigures what he or she sees by navigating the contemplative potential that lies in the landscape. In Lu’s paintings, we can see irregular cylinder-shaped rocks creating visual emphasis. These cylindrical shapes are Lu’s rendition of rocky mountainscapes commonly seen in shan shui (traditional Chinese landscape painting). The bevelled and flattened hilltops not only represent the traces of human activities in nature but also serve as metaphors for urban high-rises. By incorporating into his painting the technique of collage, which juxtaposes symbols with abstraction, Lu encourages the spectators to appreciate the geometric malleability in his works from different angles and directions. This kind of spectatorial experience, which reveals that a specific symbol can be interpreted in individual ways, corresponds to Lu’s creative process that foregrounds an artist’s unique, subjective response to the landscape – a response that is informed by his or her life experiences, emotions, beliefs and aims.