Introduction to Painters

Liu Youju, born in 1955 in Jiexi, Guangdong, is a famous Chinese calligrapher and avant-garde painter. His illusionist paintings have been invited by authoritative local art institutions to be exhibited in well-known art venues such as the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and Italy, attracting widespread attention. American art critic John Sarris commented that the visual language of Liu Youju's works is neither Eastern nor Western, but based on the great beauty of humanity, showcasing the latest trends in contemporary world art trends.

In June of this year, Liu Youju, a renowned calligrapher and painter from Guangdong, held an exhibition at the Florence Academy of Fine Arts in Italy, showcasing 25 illusionist ink paintings. It is reported that Liu Youju is the first artist in China to be invited to the Florence Academy of Fine Arts to hold a personal art exhibition and a personal work seminar. In recent years, Liu Youju has exhibited at well-known foreign museums such as the Nixon Presidential Museum, the British Museum, and the Louvre Decorative Art Museum, receiving widespread attention. Recently, a reporter from Southern Daily interviewed Liu You Bureau to explore his artistic innovation and reflections on artistic prosperity.

Transformation

Integrating Chinese and Western Art for Creation

Southern Daily: As a calligrapher, you have started to shift towards modern ink painting in recent years. What artistic considerations are you considering?

Liu Youju: I have been fond of calligraphy since I was young, and I enjoy writing and painting. I have a deep artistic passion for both calligraphy and painting. From the perspective of color, calligraphy only has three levels: gray, white, and black, while painting has rich and diverse colors; Structurally speaking, calligraphy is more expressed as lines, while the space of painting levels is infinite. I have been engaged in calligraphy creation for a relatively long time, and as early as the 1980s, I was a member of the Chinese Calligraphers Association. However, calligraphy is limited to Chinese art genres and fundamentally has not yet integrated with the world. Therefore, it is quite difficult for Westerners to accept the line art of Chinese calligraphy.

Five or six years ago, I went to New Zealand to participate in cultural exchange activities. Inspired by Western artists, I began creating a fusion of Chinese and Western art. In the composition of painting, I consider reflecting the lines of calligraphy, which will be more dynamic. On the color screen, it can strengthen the power of life, making it refreshing.

Southern Daily: In recent years, your works have been exhibited at the Nixon Presidential Museum, the British Museum, the Louvre Decorative Art Museum, and the Art Exhibition Hall of the Florence Academy of Fine Arts in Italy. How did you enter these world-renowned academic institutions for exhibition?

Liu Youju: It is indeed not easy for Chinese artists to exhibit their works in well-known Western art galleries. The other party values the work more, especially the level and innovation of the work, and the artistic expression techniques need to have breakthroughs. Of course, the process of hosting exhibitions abroad is also full of difficulties and twists, and there are also different voices. In recent years, my work "Autumn Shadow of the Remaining Lotus" has been collected and displayed by the Atlantic Gallery in the United States, "Impressions of Christmas" has been collected by the Nixon Presidential Museum in the United States, and "The Cultivation of Heaven and Earth" has been collected by the British Museum. On June 15 of this year, when the "Scrambling and Reconstruction" illusion ink painting art exhibition was held at the Florence Academy of Fine Arts in Italy, my work "Autumn" was permanently preserved by the Florence Academy of Fine Arts.

innovate

Originality of Imagery Ink and Wash Drawing Western Attention

Southern Daily: Some American critics believe that your paintings are illusionary ink and illusionism. So where is your breakthrough in traditional Chinese painting art reflected?

Liu Youju: Illusionism refers to transcending the strict time and space of painting art and constructing an independent artistic expression space.

My painting also retains the traditional Chinese cultural way of thinking, for example, in composition, it also reflects this way of thinking. The breakthrough lies in the concept that traditional Chinese painting is elegant and generally does not emphasize strong ink and color. The pigments in traditional Chinese painting do not have that thickness. But I used rice paper, added acrylic paint with ink, and painted it in more than ten layers, which made it look very thick and had a bit of an oil painting effect. This is using the composition method of Chinese painting to blend in an emotional color of Western painting. Of course, this cannot simply be said to be a combination of Chinese and Western painting, after all, there is no face of Western painting. Through such integration, I hope to achieve the third spatial effect. If Chinese painting is a spatial effect and Western painting is also a spatial effect, what I hope to achieve is a spatial effect between the two. My work retains the lines of traditional Chinese painting while also making conceptual breakthroughs in the visuals.

My painting has more than ten layers of paint, from which you can feel many subtle changes, bringing fresh visual impact to the viewer.

Southern Daily: Have other Chinese or Western artists conducted similar explorations in this regard?

Liu Youju: In China, I think Wu Guanzhong was the first to explore the combination of Chinese and Western cultures, and Liu Haisu also explored. When Kang Youwei went to Europe to investigate the Renaissance, he mentioned in his letter to Liu Haisu that traditional Chinese painting should learn from Westerners, seek the essence from the origins of the European Renaissance, and seek the source of change... Of course, my works were also influenced by Wu Guanzhong, Lin Fengmian, Zhao Wuji, and others. I tried to absorb the aesthetic ideas of these masters, and I constructed my own art from another level. I believe that modern artists should not blindly preach and remain complacent, but instead seek new paths for artistic transformation.

proposal

Stimulating the Power of Folk Creation

Southern Daily: Do you have any suggestions on how to further promote literary and artistic prosperity?

Liu Youju: From a mechanistic perspective, I believe it is necessary to establish a cultural mechanism and social environment that is conducive to the growth of innovative talents. Only in this way can we better promote the development of the entire social civilization. Taking France as an example, there are also artists' associations in France, whose staff are government officials. According to regulations, the chairman of the artists' association is not allowed to sell paintings. In terms of management, the association has dedicated funds to support artists in their creations, and the taxes and fees for selling paintings must also be handed over to the state through the association.

Southern Daily: How can Chinese artists better enter the world?

Liu Youju: I believe it is necessary to stimulate innovation mechanisms and provide support and rewards to Chinese painters with innovative abilities, such as artists recognized by mainstream international art institutions; More importantly, it is necessary to provide guidance and guidance, encourage Chinese art to enter the international stage, and drive and stimulate the long-term vitality of Chinese art. At the same time, innovate cultural mechanisms, stimulate the creative power of the people, and support more artists to go abroad.

Southern Daily reporter Song Jinxu provided pictures by interviewees