Liu Haisu, a member of China’s first generation of oil painters, worked together with Wu Shiguang and Zhang Yunguang to establish the Shanghai Academy of Chinese Painting in 1912, where he served as the dean. As the proponent of a new artistic revolution in China, he broke new ground as a pioneer in many respects, such as by founding the first private institute of fine arts, known as the Celestial Horse Association, and published Art magazine, the first magazine of its kind in China dedicated to covering the arts. He initiated co-education and was one of the first individuals in China to incorporate the use of nude models to teach painting, which stirred up a great deal of controversy at the time. Moreover, he encouraged artists in China to take part in en plein air painting while traveling outdoors, breaking from the convention of relegating painting indoors which was common at that time in China. Liu’s pioneering efforts also won the support of the famous scholar Cai Yuanpei. Liu excelled at traditional Chinese painting, oil painting, calligraphy, poetry, and art theory. He placed great emphasis on capturing the candid reality of his subject matter, and his style is not only bold and unconstrained but also vigorous and strong. Traces of post-impressionism can be seen in his ink and color paintings, imbuing his work with a style that is unabashedly unique. Supposedly maligned with the nickname “a traitor to the arts,” Liu instead embraced the title and took the initiative, similar to les Fauves at the time, to set out to create innovative new art that would stand the test of time.

Yellow Mountain was greatly appealing to Liu, and was also his favorite theme. Liu visited Yellow Mountain ten times. In 1988, he even held a show titled Ten Visits to Yellow Mountain at the Shanghai Art Museum. He once said, “Yellow Mountain is a truly beautiful place and a veritable natural museum of sculpture—I never grow tired of its scenery. There is stillness in moving things and a sense of movement in still objects. Gorgeous peaks, unusual stones, and lush pines seem still, but are instantly brought to life as a bank of wandering clouds rolls in. Yellow Mountain is magnificent and steadfast. Yellow Mountain has an almost indescribable aura of mystery surrounding it. Each time I visit, I am inspired in a different way. The subject matter for painting scenes of Yellow Mountain is inexhaustible. Yellow Mountain is my teacher, and its beauty inspires me to create many artistic works. When I gaze out at the ever-changing clouds and interplay of light at Yellow Mountain, I see ink and color splashing across white paper. “Yellow Mountain” taught me the splashing ink and color painting method.” This piece, “Yellow Mountain”, was created in 1985 after Liu’s ninth visit to Yellow Mountain. The splashing ink and rich colors make this fantastic painting a highly representative piece from Liu’s portfolio of work centered on the theme of Yellow Mountain.