Liu Kuo-Sung (Liu Guosong)

titleslip on reverse: signed and titled in Chinese
signed and dated 1971 in Chinese, and marked with one seal of the artist

Acquired directly from the artist
Umbrella, Hong Kong
Private European Collection

Liu Guosong Paintings, Zhongguo Youyi Chubangongsi, Beijing, China, 1985, front cover
Hinterthur, Petra. Modern Art in Hong Kong, Myer Publishing Ltd., Hong Kong, China, 1985, p. 135

Overall in good condition. The titleslip from the original hanging scroll is preserved at the back of the frame. Overall framed dimensions: 75 by 102.2 cm; 29½ by 40¼ in.
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Following Liu Guosong’s known abandonment of oil painting in favour of pursuing the modernization of ink painting, in 1967 he began to incorporate hard-edged geometric forms into his innovative ink and collage compositions. Such paintings often position a circle within a square, alluding to the impression of a window, or a painting within a painting. Art historian Li Chu-Tsing, suggests that Liu may have been influenced by artworks from Surrealist artists, such as Salvador Dalí and René Magritte, during his travels abroad. However, Liu claims that it was Chinese festival lanterns that inspired Liu to use the shape of the circle. Inspired by the Earthrise photograph from the Apollo 8 mission in December 1968, Liu identifies the moon in his abstract landscapes as seen in the Moon’s Metamorphosis (Lot 506) series starting the following year. At this point he incorporates a metallic paint sprayed onto the paper to achieve a brilliance in his geometric designs thus enhancing his iconic cosmic landscapes as seen in Colourful Clouds Chasing the Moon (Lot 507).