Liu Kuo Sun one-man exhibit to open Friday at Luz Gallery

Liu Kuo Sung is quite simply, the most important artist in the Republic of China today. An exhibition of his recent works will be featured in a one-man exhibition at The Luz Gallery beginning on Friday, Feb. 4, and will remain on view daily except Mondays until Feb. 22.

In an introduction to Liu Kuo Sung’s exhibition at the Hugh M. Moss Limited in London last year, Avery Brundage wrote the following on Liu:

“The eye is caught by the stark and almost harsh contrasts, the bold proximity of blacks as intense as coal and clear and vivid whites. All the elements of traditional Chinese painting of the classical period are there…the remote and lofty peaks towering in the distance – the floating wisps of mist the undulating clouds – the shimmering waterfalls – the forbidding rocks – the shapes of trees and the dark and ominous forest – the threatening storm – the summer heat – the winter chill… everything except man and his works. There are no houses, no ships, no bridges, no men. The rest, all of nature, is there in pure abstract form – but, when you try to find it, it eludes you – it dissolves into infinity. It is a vast mystery, the unsolved mystery of nature.

You glimpse a clue, you follow it, and it vanishes before your eyes. You think you have it – and despite the power and the strength of the painting, you end up lost in subtle transitions. It is an engaging challenge to the – the overhanging cliffs – imagination. He has painted in a number of styles, but this is his very own.

“Liu Kuo Sung is one of the founders of the Fifth Moon Group of Taiwan.

“He was born in 1932 in Shantung, a province known for people whose main characteristics are straight-forwardness and courage.

“Liu is a hard worker and uses his talents not only for painting, but also for writing and teaching. He is the author of books on the history and appreciation of traditional Chinese painting. He has had a series of exhibitions in some of the best known museums and galleries on three continents in recent years.

“The Avery Brundage Collection has half a dozen works by Liu Kuo Sung, including the long hand-scroll which is called “The Image of Fleeting Time.”