1. INNOVATION THROUGH CHALLENGE:
THE CREATION OF MY LANDSCAPES
Liu Guosong, Thursday, May 1, 9:20 a.m.
From the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) onwards, with
the predominance of literati aesthetics in Chinese
art, the imitation of ancients became a popular
trend, which further evolved into a tradition. Chinese
painting witnessed no technical innovations or
developments since that time. Instead it went on a
narrow path leading to decline. As an art student in
college, I first gave up the study of national painting
(i.e. ink painting) and accepted wholesale
Westernization. However, I quickly realized that
abstraction in Chinese art had been a source of
inspiration for Western modernists, so I was
determined to achieve a synthesis of the two
traditions and to rejuvenate Chinese culture. In 1961,
I was determined to modernize Chinese painting,
and returned to the practice of painting with brush
and ink. On the one hand, I published and lectured
widely, championing a revolution in Chinese
painting, while, on the other hand, I experimented
with new techniques and materials in my own
artistic creation. Since the 1960s, I have created a
new texture pattern with the so-called “Liu
Guosong paper,” the water-rubbing method, and
the blotted ink technique. In terms of subject matter,
my paintings have been inspired by imagery of
outer space, and more recently, natural scenery in
China.