In China’s Arts Circle, Liu Yonggang has a unique elegant demeanor. Especially recent 20 years has witnessed China’s arts become vigorous and flourishing. Different styles of artists have appeared, who are influential not only at home but also abroad. However, the artist like Liu Yonggang, is not universal. He is an artist who has a special history of growing up and distinctive art design.

　　When I started to pay attention to Liu Yonggang was from his oil painting work of Shepherd Girl of North Sara which uses rich colors such as black, green, white and red and so on to depict a plain, primitive but very modern shepherd on grassland. It adopts a very strong decorative method. After Cultural Revolution, many Chinese oil painters or traditional Chinese painters created works based on the theme of native figures and native situations, such as He Duoling, Ai Xuan, Chen Dangqing and so on who are well-known to us. But Liu Yonggang is different from them. At that time, he had developed a modern style and was especially equipped with a modern idea of depicting the image of people who grew up in ancient and plain champaign. Therefore, this painting attracted judges’ attention as soon as it appeared in the first Chinese Oil Painting Exhibition. The judges believed it was a special painting and would be distinctive from others wherever it was hung in the future. First of all, it walks away from the tradition which includes not only Chinese tradition but also international painting tradition. He absorbs both of them while also steps on his own way. For example, the application of colors, decorative method and dealing with the images of people was scarce before him or 1990s. Secondly, among the artists with similar style, Liu Yonggang’s works outperform those of others in terms of delicacy degree and deep consideration of painting processing.

　　Later, Liu Yonggang went to Germany for further study. He widely absorbed western painting ideas and techniques of expression as well as absorbed Chinese ancient and traditional culture including the ancient culture of Han nationality and Mongol nationality. Based on this, he used western modern painting technique and close visual feeling which he learnt in Europe to get close to the object he depicted. For example, his works of Fish series and Cross series both leave a superior impact on people.

　　In recent years, Liu Yonggang has created the works featured by spraying black and white words and ink. In the eyes of the public, these works change from reproduction to expression, from being realistic to being abstract and demonstrate the developmental process of his creation. In my opinion, each of his stages has displayed his unique, strong and individual colors as well as a kind of impact combining modern culture and ancient culture.

　　At the transition of this century and last century, many Chinese artists including those live at abroad, Hong Kong and Taiwan, pay attention to Chinese characters, lines and seal cuttings and take them as the basic elements of their creation. So does Liu Yonggang. However, each of them adopts different methods. They select different materials for words and line &phenomenon. For instance, Zhao Wuji and Zhu Dequn as well as several artists in Taiwan who are familiar to us, also take Chinese characters as the materials and elements for creating their paintings.

　　Compared to them, I think Liu Yonggang is the purest. Why? According to the theories of Lao Tz and Chunag Tzu (famous philosophers in ancient China), purity is the highest state of man’s thought or man’s spirit. The whole external phenomenon shall be put down to be “only one” at first and then certain purity can be achieved. If there is no complication, there will be no simplicity. And no excessiveness means no briefness. Only through this process can it be purified to be the simplest combination of lines and lines. Some Chinese artists also once tried the technique of painting by using lines and calligraphy. But in my eyes, Liu Yonggang has created his own style. What’s more, in terms of purity of painting style, he is going to develop it to the extreme soon.

　　Liu Yonggang has another characteristic in arts that is being bold to make innovations. Innovation is a rare and commendable spirit for artists. Many artists including some very famous masters will paint with a repeated style or a theme once they have mastered the characteristics while everyone also speaks highly of their works. However, some other artists keeps refreshing themselves and makes new steps on the way of arts. Liu Yonggang is among the latter ones. If reviewing his creations of different stages, we can find that each of his stage can be further explored and developed. For example, those works with the local theme and strong decorativeness represented by Shepherdess of Northern Sala and the paintings of Learn from Masters and so on created in Germany can actually be further explored. Many boutiques can be created. But Liu Yonggang is unwilling to come to a halt in the original base. Instead, he keeps creating and developing, which reminds us of famous artist of Picasso. Picasso is the artist who will keep creating and innovating and others can hardly catch up with him whatever his followers or his critics. Throughout Chinese artistic history, this kind of artist is scarce. It is also the case for those ancient famous painters. For example, if a painter is good at painting plum bosoms, he can paint it during all life. If a painter is good at landscape painting, he can paint it throughout his life. There are many artists of such kind. Certainly this kind of painting technique will not belittle them. They are also very great as long as their works are excellent. However, it is because that there are few artists who keeps developing new fields in Chinese artistic history, I attach great importance to and speak highly of Liu Yonggang’s creative spirit of arts.

　　Many people are wondering what kind of art can represent China to go to the world. Compared to other fields such as Chinese literature, dance and music, it can be said that Chinese painting is more successful in terms of going to the world. For Chinese painting going to the world, whatever the nation, enterprises and organizations shall have a good wish and give creators certain rights in the material aspect or the degree of thought freedom. We shall not and it is impossible for us to make certain standards or restrictions. As a matter of fact, the artists, who achieve success in the market or win praises in the critical field are different from each other. Recently, Zeng Laide, the calligrapher, held several big art exhibitions abroad. As he almost always develops in the field of calligraphy instead of painting, he thinks these exhibitions are not painting but calligraphy. Actually in the eyes of foreign visitors, he is painting as they have no idea about whether your strokes, words and ink develop from Wang Xizhi or Yan Zhenqing. Your works may have some elements of Huai Su. But foreigners cannot understand it and they believe it is a abstract painting. As abstract painting, Zeng Laide’s works lacks concentration on and requirements of painting. If Chinese arts want to go to the world, on one hand it shall take care of Chinese cultural characteristics and on the other hand it shall consider other countries acceptance degree which is not the same as the general requirements of Chinese audiences. It is also the case for film. If you tell a Chinese story which people all over the world can understand by using Chinese romantic charm and rhythm, it will be a successful work going to the world. I think Liu Yonggang is developing in this way.

　　Liu Yonggang has made a unique step. Whatever his painting or sculpture, he is able to represent contemporary Chinese artists to bring Chinese culture to the world which is a glorious wish of them.

　　I am full of bright hope and expect that Liu Yonggang will contribute more valuable and distinguished works to Chinese and world’s art.

　　Shui Tianzhong:

　　Researcher in the Chinese National Academy of Arts,

　　Ex-director of Institute of Fine Arts;

　　Famous art critic.

　　(Edited according to the interview records of May 2012. Edited by: Xing Qingnan)