The artist behind the author

These experimental approaches are evident in a series of large-scale works, including four paintings donated to the National Museum of China in 2025 that are now on show: Chenxi (Morning Glow), Shuiyue (Moon on Water), Shujuan (Volumes of Books), and Jiangshan (The Land).

Each vertical scroll rises more than 3.6 meters, echoing classical landscape traditions while subtly dismantling them. Details are pared down. Colors recede. What remains are distilled forms — mountain silhouettes, luminous moons, flowing lines — rendered through delicate contrasts of light and shadow. The effect is meditative, almost austere, inviting viewers into a space of stillness and introspection.

Liu says painting "not only captures a view, or shows a space, but also carries the weight of time in passing". That idea finds poignant expression in a pair of works displayed side by side. Both depict a porcelain vessel of flowers under moonlight, yet each tells a slightly different story.

Come Back in the Morning with a Harp if You'd Like shows a lotus pot in an empty classical Chinese garden, with a hollowed rock mountain on one side and a stone table and stools on the other side. Beautiful Moon, Light Breeze, Night-Blooming Cactus shows a vigorous cactus in an empty room, with curtains on both sides.

Liu says neither painting includes human figures. Yet traces of human activity are everywhere — an open book, a partially unrolled scroll, a toppled wine bottle, and curtains swaying.

Liu often works in pairs like this, exploring variations on a theme. The approach reflects his broader philosophy: that art should create a space where viewers feel compelled to linger, a long-held core value of Chinese painting.

"I want to paint scenes that people can enter," he says, "places where they can rest — not just physically, but emotionally."

In recent years, Liu has turned increasingly toward studying classical masterpieces. After turning 70, he began copying iconic works such as Zaochun Tu (Early Spring) by Guo Xi and Xishan Xinglyu Tu (Travelers among Mountains and Streams) by Fan Kuan, both living in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). The process is rigorous and physical.

"I kneel on the floor and re-create each stroke," he says.

"One has to move forward boldly," Liu reflects, "but also look back and examine oneself."