Born in 1953, Yang belongs to a generation of Taiwanese who lived through martial law, street protests, and social unrest. His early oil paintings were full of angry shouting, flying bricks and police batons, and other symbols of the popular mood reaching the boiling point.
1953 年出生的楊茂林，經歷了台灣政治戒嚴、街頭抗爭、社會騷亂的年代，早年油畫作品充滿了憤怒吶喊、磚塊與警棍齊飛、群眾情緒沸騰的圖像。