Strokes of genius

Ongoing exhibition celebrates the calligraphy of noted 20th-century artist and pioneer Liu Haisu, Lin Qi reports.

Liu Haisu, one of the most prominent artists of 20th-century China, is held in high esteem for leaving an oeuvre of paintings that connects the aesthetic and cultural spirits of both the East and the West. His experimental approach to Chinese painting reformed the look of this art style, which demanded innovation at the turn of the 20th century.

He contributed greatly to the establishment of modern art education in his home country. In 1912, he cofounded China's first school of fine arts in Shanghai and became its deputy headmaster. He was just 17 at the time.

Fine examples of Liu's work can be found in the collections of major museums, both at home and abroad, including the National Art Museum of China, which mounted four carefully curated exhibitions of his art between 1979 and 2017. Now a fifth show dedicated to the artist is currently underway, and for the first time, it is fully dedicated to the calligraphy that Liu created with imagination, perseverance and a firm belief in the cultural tradition of his homeland.