Kuo and classmate Guo Yulun were unable to make the trip and were thus prevented from participating in the exhibition. Frustrated, the pair applied to put on a joint exhibition on their own, which, though ultimately denied, nonetheless planted a seed in their minds that would later bear fruit.
他和郭豫倫（後娶台大才女林文月為妻）因未參加寫生無法參展，讓他深感遺憾，便向系裡申辦兩人畫展，雖未辦成，但聯展的念頭卻由此觸發。