Liu Wei

signed in Chinese and Pinyin, titled in Chinese and English and dated 2006, framed

China Guardian, Beijing, 16 November, 2011, lot 2356
Private Chinese Collection

This work is generally in good condition. There is no sign of restoration under UV light.
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The paintings of Liu Wei have been a reflection of the artist’s inner state, with works from different periods revealing different moods. Beginning in 1999, the artist frequently used natural landscapes as his subjects, but even then, the works have varied widely in style. This is all because Liu’s works and his life are inextricably bound. He once said, “My paintings flow from my life: they’re not confined by form, nor constrained by societal expectations – my brush simply expresses what my heart feels.”  After 2006, the artist continued to retreat from the noise of the external world, his internal state meanwhile growing ever more expansive, his artistic style maturing, his pursuit of an Eastern aesthetic taking bloom, becoming natural and elegant.

“Liu Wei’s landscape paintings to a large degree reveal the qualities of both the East and the West, possessing Western technique as well as elements of the Eastern humanistic spirit. It is also because of the differences between these two cultures that any connection [from the artist’s works] to a direct cultural lineage is therefore dispelled, allowing the buds of an entirely new artistic tradition to emerge.”¹ Landscape is a classic example of the artist’s ability to step across the boundaries of Eastern and Western art. In 1999 Liu Wei began choosing landscapes for his subjects, though they still possessed the corruption and glitz, the humor and mischief of the artist’s Flesh series. But after the turn of the new millennium, Liu made astonishing strides in his work. Created in 2006, Landscape vividly illustrates elements of Eastern humanistic thought, marking the artist’s inaugural exploration of Chinese landscape paintings, as well as a desire to return to works infused with tranquility.

1  Zi Liang, Liu Wei, Saatchi Gallery, p.161