The Bible of a Modern Ink Evangelist – Print Exhibition by Kuo Sung LIU 【現代水墨傳教士的聖經】劉國松版畫展
Nov 28, 2015 - Sep 30, 2016
Kuo Sung Liu: Pioneer of Modern Ink Painting
Kuo Sung Liu was born in Bengbu, Anhui Province in 1932, with ancestral roots in Shandong. In 1949, he moved alone to Taiwan with the National Revolutionary Army Orphans’ School. After entering the Fine Arts Department at National Taiwan Normal University, Liu began a lifelong journey of artistic innovation—nurtured by traditional Eastern aesthetics and invigorated by Western artistic ideas and techniques. He breathed new life into traditional Chinese ink painting and became a key figure in the modern ink painting movement.
While advocating for tradition, Liu resisted blind imitation of the West. He held a critical stance toward unrestrained novelty and total Westernization, firmly believing that abandoning tradition is a betrayal of the essence of artistic creation. Alongside members of the Fifth Moon Group, he introduced new ideas and techniques from Western art, with the mission of revitalizing the rich heritage of Chinese painting. His pioneering efforts successfully ushered ink painting into the modern age, earning him the title “Father of Modern Ink Painting.” Liu has held over a hundred exhibitions worldwide and received numerous international accolades, cementing his status as a globally celebrated artist.
Describing himself as “a man of the East, West, South, and North,” Liu embraced the complex cultural challenges of reconciling East and West, mainland and Taiwan, tradition and modernity—turning them into sparks for artistic brilliance. Trained in the academic tradition, Liu was not only an artist but also a critic, educator, and thinker. His deep cultural knowledge empowered him to explore diverse media with agility, creating a vibrant and multifaceted artistic language.
Over a career spanning more than sixty years, Liu treated painting as the very code of his life, with ink art as his core expression. Deeply influenced by Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, he emphasized harmony between humanity and nature—a cosmic view that permeated his artistic vision and gave his work profound depth and meaning.
Liu’s creative output can be grouped into six major series:
1. Student Period
2. Abstract Wild Cursive Script
3. Space Series
4. Ink Rubbing Series
5. Ink Stain Series
6. Tibetan Suite
From figures to still lifes, realism to abstraction, and landscapes to imaginative worlds, Liu’s work is rooted in Chinese cultural traditions and inspired by nature. He pursued not merely the form of his subjects but sought to express his inner emotions and personal rhythm. Influenced by Western modernism, his art naturally evolved toward abstraction and innovation.
Liu’s unrelenting spirit of exploration, transformation, and refinement—regardless of changes in style, technique, or medium—reflects both intellectual insight and passionate commitment. His work masterfully fuses traditional ink painting with modern Western art philosophy, resulting in creations of remarkable depth and brilliance that continue to illuminate the world of contemporary art.
劉國松先生祖籍山東，1932年生於安徽蚌埠，於1949年隻身隨國民革命軍遺族學校遷移到台灣，進入師範大學美術系後，在東方美學薰陶，及西方藝術思潮與繪畫技法的激盪下，走上繪畫革新的道路，為傳統國畫注入新生命，是現代水墨運動重要的推手。他標舉傳統，而不附麗於西方，對盲目求新與全盤西化的作為，抱持著嚴肅批判的態度，堅信繪畫若捨棄傳統，乃是違背藝術創作的本質。他與「五月畫會」同道們，致力於歐美藝術新觀念與技巧的引入，以發揚我國悠久深遠的繪畫傳統為己任，成功地引領水墨畫的現代轉化，享有「水墨現代化之父」美譽，不僅在世界各地舉辦過上百次的展覽，更獲多項國際性大展及殊榮，藝術成就斐然，蜚聲國際。
「一個東西南北人」是劉國松先生對人生與藝術的自況之辭，他無畏地面對有關東方與西方；大陸與台灣，甚至傳統與現代...等文化課題的艱鉅挑戰，故越能激出精采的藝術火花。學院派出身，集藝術家、藝評家、教育家、思想家於一身的他，具豐富學養，孕育出對多元媒材的靈活運用能力，並建構出繽紛多彩的藝術風貌。他致力於繪畫探索逾一甲子，繪畫猶如他的生命符碼，而水墨畫更是他的創作主軸。他深受傳統儒、釋、道哲學思想的影響，重視天人合一，人與自然和諧的宇宙觀，內化至其藝術生命中，開拓他創作的視野及內涵，淬鍊出具時代性與獨特性的藝術創作。
創作六大系列：一、學生時期；二、狂草抽象系列；三、太空系列；四、水拓系列；五、漬墨系列；六、西藏組曲系列。
不論人物或靜物；寫實或寫意；具象或抽象；山水或風景，在創作表現上，可窺見他以中華文化為底蘊，師法自然，講求氣蘊，不僅在於寫物之形，更著重於表達個人獨特心緒；而在西方現代思潮的激盪下，走向抽象與創新的變革，是他繪畫創作過程中的必然。他不斷地鑽研、探索、醞釀及轉化，無論風格、技法及媒材如何轉變，既是理性的感悟，也是他對創作的熾熱投注，將傳統水墨畫與西方繪畫理念巧妙地融合，形塑出具深度與廣度的創作，譜寫一幅幅非凡作品，綻放出璀璨的藝術光芒。 參考資料~文化
Kuo Sung Liu was born in Bengbu, Anhui Province in 1932, with ancestral roots in Shandong. In 1949, he moved alone to Taiwan with the National Revolutionary Army Orphans’ School. After entering the Fine Arts Department at National Taiwan Normal University, Liu began a lifelong journey of artistic innovation—nurtured by traditional Eastern aesthetics and invigorated by Western artistic ideas and techniques. He breathed new life into traditional Chinese ink painting and became a key figure in the modern ink painting movement.
While advocating for tradition, Liu resisted blind imitation of the West. He held a critical stance toward unrestrained novelty and total Westernization, firmly believing that abandoning tradition is a betrayal of the essence of artistic creation. Alongside members of the Fifth Moon Group, he introduced new ideas and techniques from Western art, with the mission of revitalizing the rich heritage of Chinese painting. His pioneering efforts successfully ushered ink painting into the modern age, earning him the title “Father of Modern Ink Painting.” Liu has held over a hundred exhibitions worldwide and received numerous international accolades, cementing his status as a globally celebrated artist.
Describing himself as “a man of the East, West, South, and North,” Liu embraced the complex cultural challenges of reconciling East and West, mainland and Taiwan, tradition and modernity—turning them into sparks for artistic brilliance. Trained in the academic tradition, Liu was not only an artist but also a critic, educator, and thinker. His deep cultural knowledge empowered him to explore diverse media with agility, creating a vibrant and multifaceted artistic language.
Over a career spanning more than sixty years, Liu treated painting as the very code of his life, with ink art as his core expression. Deeply influenced by Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, he emphasized harmony between humanity and nature—a cosmic view that permeated his artistic vision and gave his work profound depth and meaning.
Liu’s creative output can be grouped into six major series:
1. Student Period
2. Abstract Wild Cursive Script
3. Space Series
4. Ink Rubbing Series
5. Ink Stain Series
6. Tibetan Suite
From figures to still lifes, realism to abstraction, and landscapes to imaginative worlds, Liu’s work is rooted in Chinese cultural traditions and inspired by nature. He pursued not merely the form of his subjects but sought to express his inner emotions and personal rhythm. Influenced by Western modernism, his art naturally evolved toward abstraction and innovation.
Liu’s unrelenting spirit of exploration, transformation, and refinement—regardless of changes in style, technique, or medium—reflects both intellectual insight and passionate commitment. His work masterfully fuses traditional ink painting with modern Western art philosophy, resulting in creations of remarkable depth and brilliance that continue to illuminate the world of contemporary art.
劉國松先生祖籍山東，1932年生於安徽蚌埠，於1949年隻身隨國民革命軍遺族學校遷移到台灣，進入師範大學美術系後，在東方美學薰陶，及西方藝術思潮與繪畫技法的激盪下，走上繪畫革新的道路，為傳統國畫注入新生命，是現代水墨運動重要的推手。他標舉傳統，而不附麗於西方，對盲目求新與全盤西化的作為，抱持著嚴肅批判的態度，堅信繪畫若捨棄傳統，乃是違背藝術創作的本質。他與「五月畫會」同道們，致力於歐美藝術新觀念與技巧的引入，以發揚我國悠久深遠的繪畫傳統為己任，成功地引領水墨畫的現代轉化，享有「水墨現代化之父」美譽，不僅在世界各地舉辦過上百次的展覽，更獲多項國際性大展及殊榮，藝術成就斐然，蜚聲國際。
「一個東西南北人」是劉國松先生對人生與藝術的自況之辭，他無畏地面對有關東方與西方；大陸與台灣，甚至傳統與現代...等文化課題的艱鉅挑戰，故越能激出精采的藝術火花。學院派出身，集藝術家、藝評家、教育家、思想家於一身的他，具豐富學養，孕育出對多元媒材的靈活運用能力，並建構出繽紛多彩的藝術風貌。他致力於繪畫探索逾一甲子，繪畫猶如他的生命符碼，而水墨畫更是他的創作主軸。他深受傳統儒、釋、道哲學思想的影響，重視天人合一，人與自然和諧的宇宙觀，內化至其藝術生命中，開拓他創作的視野及內涵，淬鍊出具時代性與獨特性的藝術創作。
創作六大系列：一、學生時期；二、狂草抽象系列；三、太空系列；四、水拓系列；五、漬墨系列；六、西藏組曲系列。
不論人物或靜物；寫實或寫意；具象或抽象；山水或風景，在創作表現上，可窺見他以中華文化為底蘊，師法自然，講求氣蘊，不僅在於寫物之形，更著重於表達個人獨特心緒；而在西方現代思潮的激盪下，走向抽象與創新的變革，是他繪畫創作過程中的必然。他不斷地鑽研、探索、醞釀及轉化，無論風格、技法及媒材如何轉變，既是理性的感悟，也是他對創作的熾熱投注，將傳統水墨畫與西方繪畫理念巧妙地融合，形塑出具深度與廣度的創作，譜寫一幅幅非凡作品，綻放出璀璨的藝術光芒。 參考資料~文化
Kuo Sung LIU 劉國松