Liu Dawei Photo: Courtesy of Liu Dawei

 

Wan Feng, 180 cm × 160 cm, 1991 Photo: Courtesy of Liu Dawei

 

Ma Bei Shang De Min Zu, 120 cm×160 cm, 1991

Liu Dawei is an influential Chinese artist famous for his achievements in traditional Chinese paintings.

As early as the 1970s, his works were displayed in the National Artworks Exhibition. During the 1980s, his paintings and sketches attracted much attention from the whole country for their exact delineation and enriched colors.

His grassland and desert themed pieces, such as Mo Shang (1988), Yang Guang Xia (1989), Ma Bei Shang De Min Zu (1991), Wan Feng (1991) and Cao Yuan Ge Shou (1995), won him many accolades from the end of the 1980s into the early 1990s.

In 1998, he was appointed vice-chairman of China Artists Association, a position he held until 2007.

In his nine years as an administrator, Liu never gave up art creation. Instead, he tried his best to improve his knowledge of art, broaden his perspective, and perfect his drawing skills by constantly innovating. His drawing style thus became more and more mature and unique.

Liu's drawings are based on traditional Chinese art, as well as an integration of both Chinese and Western skills. His artwork is not difficult to understand, but every piece contains deep meaning, suitable for both refined and popular tastes.

Liu was born in Zhucheng, Shandong Province and grew up learning the local culture and folk art.

His grandfather was good at classical poetry, and his grandmother was skilled at making handicrafts. He has been interested in art since childhood.

When he was a teenager, his family moved from Shandong Province to Baotou in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The folk culture of the grassland is totally different from that of his hometown.

In 1968, Liu became an art major at Inner Mongolia Normal University. After graduation, he worked at Baotou Daily as an art editor and honed his drawing skills through continuous practice and extensive reading of art classics both at home and abroad.

Besides traditional ink paintings, Liu also drew illustrations and picture stories for the newspaper, which made him famous among its readers.

Liu later attended the China Central Academy of Fine Arts as a postgraduate in 1978, majoring in traditional Chinese ink painting. While there, he learned from art masters, including Ye Qianyu, Jiang Zhaohe, and Wu Zuoren, gained in-depth knowledge about traditional Chinese painting techniques, and studied ancient classics and aesthetic ideology.

After he had graduated, Liu became the head of the art department at the People's Liberation Army Academy of Art in 1987. He made art creations while teaching and researched modern Chinese ink painting.

The Western drawing style focuses on realism, and traditional Chinese painting focuses on line modeling, so they seem contradictory. But Liu has different views on it.

Liu's portraits integrate Western style into traditional Chinese paintings using Western sketching techniques, light and shadow, and color incorporation. He came up with the concept based on his personal observations and extensive research.

Liu is always diligent and eager to learn. He is curious about many schools of paintings in China and studies the art history of both China and the West. He has visited many countries in Central Asia and traveled along the Silk Road, where he further sharpened the skills he now uses to create his masterpieces.

Famous for his elaborate painting style, Liu is also adept at freehand brushwork, which is rare in traditional Chinese ink painters due to his strong technique.

His freehand brushwork pieces are vivid and tinted and bear his unique style, which is appreciated by many.

Liu is described as a smart, free and easy person who is good at detecting the essence of life and art. His skill and personality helped him a lot during his time at the People's Liberation Army Academy of Art and China Artists Association.

During his tenure, Liu encouraged artists with different opinions to unite and work together, ultimately making greater contributions to China's art industry.

Always striving to innovate and improve, Liu is grateful to his country and the society for all the opportunities that have been afforded to him. He is well aware of life and art and has a great sense of social responsibility.

Liu plans to work even harder to pay back the society for its support by furthering the development of art in China.

He is right now active in art creation and is expected to produce more excellent works in the future.

A brief introduction to Liu Dawei

Liu Dawei was born in 1945 in Zhucheng, Shandong Province. He graduated from the department of traditional Chinese ink painting at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts as a postgraduate student in 1980.

Liu is now a professor at the art department of the People's Liberation Army Academy of Art, director of the People's Liberation Army Fine Arts Creation Academy, vice president of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and president of the China Artists Association.

His famous works include Mo Shang (1988), Yang Guang Xia (1989), Ma Bei Shang De Min Zu (1991), and Wan Feng (1991).

Liu has published many collections, and his works have been exhibited in many major exhibitions in China such as the National Art works Exhibition, and other countries and regions, such as Japan, Britain, the US, Germany, France, Hong Kong and Taiwan.