Li Hua Su - Artistic Life - Stepping into the Master

Author: Cen Qi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: Liu Haisu was the founder of modern Chinese art education and a renowned outstanding art educator both in China and abroad. Liu Haisu's remarkable artistic achievements were celebrated in the art circles worldwide. He excelled in Chinese painting, oil painting, and calligraphy, and also had a deep understanding of poetry. Over his long career spanning over 80 years, Liu Haisu integrated Eastern and Western knowledge, bridged ancient and modern art, and stood out with his unique style, creating numerous artistic masterpieces that influenced people both domestically and internationally.
In his early years, Liu Haisu was inspired by his mother, who taught him poetry and calligraphy. Whenever he recalled his mother's teachings, he would sincerely say, "In my childhood, my mother told me the story of Sima Qian enduring humiliation to advise Li Ling. I read 'Letter to Ren Shaoqing' from 'Essentials of Classical Chinese' dozens of times. Sima Qian's writing of 'Records of the Grand Historian' while imprisoned deeply influenced and educated me. As long as one's endeavors are upright and honorable, there is no need to worry or be troubled." His mother's words and deeds had a profound impact on his entire life.
At the age of six, Liu Haisu entered a private school to study "Three-Character Classic," "Hundred Family Surnames," and "Thousand-Character Classic." At eight, he began practicing Yan Zhenqing's famous stele "Yan Family Temple Stele." In the morning, he learned characters and recited texts, while in the afternoon, he practiced calligraphy and painting, using oil paper to trace flowers and plants in the style of Xu Nantian. Liu Haisu often used bold brushwork, frequently scribbling freely without following the painting manuals, depicting daily scenes, flowers, vegetables, fruits, and insects. His teachers criticized him as "scribbling chaotically." Later in life, he often used the words "scribbling chaotically" as a title for his paintings as a.
At nine, he copied "Record of Ma Gu's Immortal Platform" and obtained "Jiezi Garden Painting Manual," becoming even more diligent in his scribbling. His mother was very strict in his studies, requiring him and his sister to review poetry and texts by the dim light of a lantern every night before going to bed, a routine that lasted for several years. His mother once taught her children to study the touching works of Gui Youguang, such as "Biography of My Late Mother," "Biography of Xiangji Pavilion," and "Biography of Si Zi Pavilion," by the lantern. Later, these famous texts were frequently mentioned in Liu Haisu's inscriptions on paintings. For example, in the inscription for "Lone Pine Painting," he wrote: "At the age of twelve, I studied at an old house in the western part of my home. In front of the house stood a lone pine, its needles sparse and branches straight, with an ancient and solemn aura. Every day, I recited poetry beneath it, while orioles and white-hooded cranes sang above. This summer, when I returned to my hometown to teach, I found the pine bent and the birds silent. Recalling those days, I was deeply moved and saddened, inspired to paint this work."
Liu Haisu often recalled his childhood when his mother held him in her arms, sitting under the pine shade, teaching him difficult poems as if they were children's songs. When painting, his beloved mother was gone, and the scenery was no longer the same. The howling of broken branches seemed to carry his mother's whispers, as if the voices of his older siblings reciting poetry in his childhood. Thinking of people in things, the emotions in the scene were amplified, enhancing the emotional impact of his paintings.
In 1905, Liu Haisu entered Changzhou Shengzheng College to study. Although young (10 years old), he was intelligent, curious, and skilled in both calligraphy and painting. He studied classical studies, history, and Western-style courses. During summer vacation, the college held an art exhibition, where Liu Haisu composed a couplet from the "Xuanmi Pagoda Stele" by Liu Gongquan, writing in bold characters "Fengyuan Association Committee, Courageous Wisdom and Eloquence," expressing his aspirations. At this time, his strong confidence in deep thinking, extensive reading, and a thirst for new knowledge, as well as his bold and daring personality, began to show.
At the age of 11, he created the painting "Crab," which, despite its natural and lively depiction, revealed the innocence of childhood. This painting later became the cover for the 1935 autumn exhibition of the "National Children's Painting Exhibition" held in Shanghai.
In 1908, he began studying seal script. He compiled the essays he wrote in school into a book, titling it "Liu Qing's Essays."