Catalogue Note:
“The life of Liu Kuo-Sung is fluid because it is innate and endless, with no beginning, end, or boundaries. Though the paintings are limited, the feelings it invokes are limitless because they are the feelings of water, clouds, and wind. It is an infinite yearning for the infinite, an instant pursuit of eternity.” Yu Kwang-Chung

Liu Kuo-Sung founded the Fifth Moon Group in 1956. Taking“Revolution of the brush”, a theory of modern ink painting, for its slogan, he advocated ink aesthetics that “fused East and West” as the foundation for creative theory. Using abstraction to escape the visual experiences of the past, he transcended natural appearances to expressed the beauty of spiritual freedom in an eternal fashion. In 2017, Liu was awarded the National Cultural Award, the highest national cultural award to outstanding individuals who contributed to the promotion of Taiwanese culture.

THE BEAUTY OF THE UNIVERSE AND THE TRUTH OF ALL THINGS

Liu Kuo-Sung held a lifelong commitment to the revolutionization of ink painting. Limitations on the use of ink in traditional ink painting had inspired him to develop endless possibilities for ink. For this reason, his artistic journey became one of a constant search for improvement. Color serves an indispensable element in his art, while boundaries to image and color do not exist. The rich spatial connotation and texture as well as the pursuit of colors marked breakthroughs in modern ink painting. “Image composition,” a feature of traditional ink painting, was carried to modernity, while philosophies and life values regarding the natural universe are given form through artistic creation.

In 1968, Liu Kuo-Sung became so fascinated by a photo of Earth captured by NASA’s Apollo 8 that he began completely subverting traditional philosophies regarding Chinese ink wash to create a series on space. The upper portion of “Rising Sun (E)” is painted in a bright orange-red tone. The sunrise appears through the clouds in the sky, providing a stunning view. Unique paper pulp and ink rubbing techniques are applied to the lower part of the painting, revealing a rich texture and a layer of magnificent azure quartz that transcends forms of natural beauty and expresses metaphorical feelings. The splendid colors create a dazzling dimension of space, as well as a strong but simple form of expression. The eternal image of the rise and fall of the sun allows people to experience the ancient beauty of the universe.