Liu De-Wei (B. 1936)
“Liu’s works entailed all the features of impressionism through his focuses on brush strokes, feelings, emotions and passion, and uses of strong colors against common subject matters.” — Art Research Magazine. Although Liu has dedicated his life to art education and organization, fascinated by oil painting as a medium and with immense perseverance, Liu created series of great works. Not only is he a diligent artist, he is ingenious, creative and perceptive. Liu spent a long time doing outdoor paintings and had painted a lot for his portfolio. Liu stands at the forefront of Chinese contemporary oil painting artists. His style is free, swift, and at the same time sophisticated. Liu is not hinged on the details of matters, rather, he captures the spirit of matters, through which he expresses his emotions. Although Liu is already 70 years old, he is still not fatigue but instead, he is so persistent at creating new pieces. Born in 1936 in Qingdao, Liu graduated from Qingdao Art Institute in 1951. In 1976, after the Cultural Revolution, Liu was the Art Director in Qingdao Cultural Association. Later, he became a consultant to the Qingdao Art Research Institute, Senior Professor of Shandong Art Institute, China Art Research and Innovation Committee member. A selection of his works is listed in Famous Persons at Home and Abroad of Chinese Cultural and Art Committee for collection and archive.
According to Liu, the mysteries of life and the greatness of civilization are a strong platform for even the wildest imaginations. The compositions of his paintings reveal a connotation and express a state of mind rather than the image itself. His major series include《太古文明》,《象形系列》,《東舞系列》,《青銅系列》and《字象》.
Liu’s published works include 《劉德維繪畫集》,《心象‧意象‧墨象》and his other works have been widely published in 《當代油畫藝術》,《中國美術選集》,《美術研究》,《美術觀察》,《世界美術作品選集》,《美術叢刊》and exhibited in Japan, the United States, Canada and various countries in Europe. His biographical sketches and paintings are also carried in 《中國美術家》,《中國當代藝術界名人錄》,《中國文藝家傳集》,《國際現代書畫篆刻家大辭典》,《世界現代美術家大辭典》and over 30 collections and dictionaries.
Liu’s recent exhibitions in Asia include “Exhibitions of Liu De Wei’s paintings 2000” in Xin-Shenzhou Gallery, Singapore, “Exhibition of Artistic Work 2002” in Nagasaki International University, Japan, and “Exhibition of Liu Dei Wei’s Works 2003” in Hong-Gan Museum, Taiwan.
