「Look at the Picture and Talk about the Painting」Liu Xiaodong: Roots in the East of River, Path to the West of River

After visiting Liu Xiaodong’s exhibition “The River Divides, The World Connects”, it feels more like witnessing the presentation of his “roots” and “path”. Over seventy works condense the artist’s forty years of back-and-forth and perseverance.

The east of the river is his root, deeply rooted. In his early years, the painting “Father and Son” couldn’t hide his reverence for his father, which was a young man’s tribute to his elders. More than three decades later, “Mother” exuded composure, embodying a middle-aged man’s understanding and companionship towards his loved ones. In Yu Hong’s exhibition area, several paintings strung together half a lifetime of emotions. Love gradually settled on the canvas, also witnessing the artistic harmony of the two growing up side by side. These ordinary and warm family scenes without grand narratives are what he has never let go of wherever he goes.

The west of the Daling River is his path, a path he treads very firmly. He doesn’t confine himself to the studio but moves his easel into the real world. Under the scorching sun, he paints “Warm Bed No.1”, not depicting reality but making painting a part of reality. During his sketching trip to Taihang Mountain, he sets aside the preconceived landscapes and instead paints teenagers, “Teenager Ascending to Heaven” and “Tianmen Pass”. By using the natural colors of objects instead of complex lighting and shadows, he manages to infuse a flavor of traditional Chinese landscape painting.

Ultimately, the warmth of the east bank of the river and the authenticity of the west bank meet on the canvas. This exhibition is not merely a retrospective but a revelation of art: true creation is to touch the reality before one’s eyes with the roots in one’s heart, and to paint the most vivid and profound background of life between one’s hometown and the world.

The tea for today is all gone. Next time, I’ll brew a fresh pot and enjoy art with you again.