Liu Haisu

Liu Haisu is a prominent contemporary Chinese painter, and noted art educator. He excelled in Chinese painting and oil painting.

Overview

Liu Haishu , a native Fengyang, Anhui, was born in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province. His initial given name was Pan, courtesy name Jifang, and sobriquet Haiwong. He excelled in oil painting, Chinese painting and art education. He was devoted to painting at very early age. He entered landscape painting school in Shanghai directed by Zhou Xiang to learn western painting when he was 14 years old. In 1910 he opened a painting school in his county. In November 1912, together with Wu Shiguang and Zhangyunguang, he founded the first school of fine arts in modern China, "Shanghai Academy of Chinese Painting" , the former Shanghai School of Fine Arts . He initiated co-education, and pioneered human body model and traveling painting from nature, and thus was scolded as "artistic traitor", although he was supported by scholars such as Cai Yuanpei. He lectured in Beijing University and held his first personal exhibition in 1918. He went to Japan to explore education of fine arts in 1919, and founded Tianma Party upon returning to China.

He went to Japan in October 1920 to attend the opening ceremony of Imperial Academy of Fine Arts, and when he returned, he wrote "Biography of Jean Francois Millet" and "Biography of Paul Cezanne" to introduce western arts into China. He visited Japan again in 1927 and made the acquaintance of Japanese painters.

Biography

Art Theory

Liu Haisu and His Family

Liu Haisu and Xu Beihong

Liu Haisu and Taiwan

Upon the victory of Sino-Japanese War in 1945, Chinese government recaptured Taiwan, which had been occupied by Japan for 50 years. Liu was invited to visit Taiwan in the next year and communicate with artists in Taiwan. He was invited to visit the island again in 1989. He insisted on making this trip, despite his age of over 90. Thus, he was among the few painters from mainland China who visited Taiwan right after the World War II, and again after many years of separation. When talking about the impression of Taiwan, he mentioned that when he was there for first time, Taiwan was a pure rural land. When he visited the island again, it had became a prosperous place and completely incomparable.