On Liu Shiming’s sculpture, Professor Shao Dazhen at the Central Academy of Fine Arts commented, “Individuality is critical in art creation. Artworks that lack a personality are mediocre without any artistic charm. However, while people value personality, they often forget the standard of value and significance in the evaluation of artworks. Probably because of this, there are many works in the art world today that possess individuality but lack artistic value and significance. There are even people promoting those pretentious so-called artworks that fabricate and brag about individuality. In this regard, Liu Shiming’s works are a refreshing breeze in the art circle.”

On 13 October, “Liberal Wormwood—Liu Shiming’s Solo Exhibition of Sculptures”, jointly organised by the China Association of Collectors, the Central Academy of Fine Arts and its Sculpture Art Institute, was held at the National Art Museum of China. More than 200 sculptures created by Liu over the past 60 years were on display, giving a full picture of Liu’s journey in art. Consistently standing apart from fashionable trends, and containing not the slightest commercial flavour, both the format and subject matters of Liu’s works are popular among the viewers and the general public. Artists, experts, scholars, collectors, and media reporters affirmed almost unanimously at the Seminar on Liu Shiming’s Sculptures that his works came from life and rose above life. They were obtained from life and in turn served life. In the face of such non-mainstream art, we are truly touched.

At first glance, Liu’s sculptures appear rough in the absence of the fine modern techniques and materials. Also, since their subject matters fade from our lives in current times, whilst we feel the affinity, we cannot trace the values pursued or advertised in our era. This is a misunderstanding of the times, and by no means an inevitable result of the artistic pursuit. A closer look at the sculptures may reveal a sense of life, that is, coming from life and going into life. Certainly, such life is refined by art. It is an artistic representation of ordinary life and a general elevation of the essential beauty of life. The apparent zero distance between life and art produces a natural affinity, which makes the artworks approachable, endearing, but also enjoyable by both the creator and viewers. While such works of art are rare in the art world of today, their persistence manifests a great spirit that we once had, “Art should serve life and serve the public.”

Liu Shiming grew up in a family of intellectuals and he received a fine education on traditional culture. In 1946, he was admitted to the National Art School in Beiping. In 1951, he completed his postgraduate education in the Sculpture Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, where he was instructed by famous teachers including Wang Linyi, Hua Tianyou, and Zeng Zhushao. In 1953, he served as the assistant of Liu Kaiqu and Wang Bingzhao, and participated in the creation of the relief sculpture, Monument to the People’s Heroes, in Tiananmen Square, and in the drafting of another relief sculpture, Jintian Uprising. He was among the first generation of sculpture graduates trained in New China who benefited from solid Western art education delivered by predecessors who studied in France and returned to teach in the Sculpture Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. However, instead of becoming an academic mainstream sculptor, Liu set foot on a boundless path of exploration in solitude after encountering traditional Chinese art and folk art at the bottom of Chinese society. 

Today, as we approach this senior artist and face his dazzling array of works, we cannot help but be amazed at his legendary life and moved by his sculptures created with heartfelt feelings. As Yin Shuangxi, a professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, mentioned in the article The Real Art—A Study of Liu Shiming’s Sculpture, “He not only embodies the integrity of the Chinese intellectuals in the 20th century, but also reflects the arduous journey of Chinese sculpture in the 20th century. Manifesting various tones in different historical periods, his art reveals many phenomena worthy of our study and appreciation.”

Prof. Yin grouped Liu’s sculptures in three stages, namely, vigorous and romantic youth, bitter and persistent middle age, and plain and warm perpetuity.

The first stage is represented by Measure the Land (1949), Heroes in the Volunteer Army (1951), Splitting the Mountains to Let the Water Flow (1958), and Shared Labor of Officers and Soldiers (group sculpture, 1959). Echoing the vigorous spirit in the early days upon the founding of New China, they are mainly monumental large-scale creation. 

In addition to the replicas of opera figurines in ancient brick carving, the second stage is represented by Farmhouse series, Ansai Waist Drummer, Man Playing Suona, Boatmen on the Yellow River, Zhuizi Ballad Singing from Henan Province, Bangzi, Clapper Operas from Shanxi Province, and many others that depict folk customs and urban life. These unrestrained, innocent and passionate works show the sculptor’s dedication to life and art. It was at this stage when Liu reflected on the Western academic education he had received and shifted to the research and application of traditional Chinese art. Building upon the Chinese tradition and the Western realism, he developed an approachable, confident and generous sculptural style with a strong Chinese characteristic, thus contributing to the modern development of Chinese sculpture. 

Typical works at the third stage include Lovers (1983), Lovers in the Imperial City (1983), In Love (1988), Bathtime (1989), Mother Returns (1990), Hold Me, Grandma (1992), General Zhao Yun (1993), General Zhao Yun (1994), A Family on the River, Woman Pulling Coal (1998), and Wooden Raft on the Yangtze River (1997). They involve the essential and timeless emotions in everyday life, and the most moving qualities of any age and society. They describe what Liu sees and feels in real life and also his perception of progress and the struggles in life.

One thing special about Liu’s sculpture is the sensitivity to the changes of the times. This sensitivity to novelties in life stems from Liu’s love for life. His natural state of life and the unrestrained form of expression constitute the most admirable vitality and simplicity in his art. The seemingly primitive life is a vivid moment captured and refined by the artist after being touched himself. In this way, he endows everyday life with poetry and he perpetuates the ordinary. 

Another feature lies in the pursuit of perfection in art creation. To achieve a thoughtful expression of his insights on a certain subject matter, Liu often creates on the same subject matter repeatedly, and through iteration and adjustment, attains the profound depiction that would not be possible in one-off rapid sculpture.

The third feature is Liu’s passion for traditional Chinese opera characters. Some of his works exemplify the characters’ martial valiance and heroic spirit, and at the same time, with an intensive impression of manual moulding, distinguish themselves from the stereotyped and decorative folk art. Therefore, the characters he reproduces show unique personalities and gestures. Fairly speaking, the freehand expression of traditional Chinese opera and the unbridled transformation like flowing clouds and waters have had a subtle influence on Liu’s art. 

Lastly, Liu pays meticulous attention to daily life and the representation of some special scenes and customs. Having already disappeared in today’s metropolises, such scenes are recorded by Liu in an authentic form for our memory of a special era.
Prof. Yin also wrote that, “Liu’s art has inherited and advanced the great tradition of Chinese folk art, and it commands an irreplaceable, unique position in the development of Chinese sculpture in the 20th century. To give the most distinctive summary, I came up with a couplet. ‘Life, tradition, and passion / Faith, spirit, and soul.’ The horizontal scroll goes, ‘At his sweet will’. In my opinion, this is the most precious core of any real art and it is what qualifies as original art. What supports Liu in his life is his deep love for sculptural art. For him, sculpture means life, survival and faith. To evaluate an artist and his art, the most important is to see whether the artist has faith and whether there is spirit in his art. Liu’s faith towards life and art is even more precious in our era of increasingly utilitarian pursuit. Just as Liang Qichao pointed out, ‘Faith is sacred. It manifests itself as the vitality of a person, and the ethos of a society.’”

Liu’s sculptures are a natural expression of what he sees and feels in life. He does not care about popular fashions and styles. He is committed to his own pathway in art, sincerely and frankly. It is fair to say that having lived at the bottom of society, far away from the urban cultural centres, he is immune to fame and vanity. Hardships made Liu’s art possible, and distinguished it from mainstream art. As Qian Shaowu claimed, “Many great artists’ lives are great works of art themselves. The same goes for Liu’s.”

That is why Luo Zhewen, a renowned ancient construction expert and Honorary President of the China Cultural Relics Academy, reflected, “Originating from life and tradition, Liu’s works are the most local Chinese art. They remind us of the life and the living environment we once had in the past. This kind of art possesses the real value for collection, for collecting them is collecting life.” Zhang Zhongyi, Deputy Secretary-general of the China Association of Collectors, agreed, “Liu Shiming is an honest artist. He does not create sculptures for fame or fortune. He does not cater to the popular trends of thought and fashion, but remains faithful to his own eyes and heart, expressing his own feelings and emotions. Standing away from the mainstream sculptural art nowadays, he proactively employs national traditional techniques and pioneers a new path in art. It is a creative act that demonstrates outstanding insight. Such sculptures will surely evoke strong responses in the circles of art and collection.”

On the value of Liu’s art, our understanding and promotion should be renewed at a higher level, so that more people can come to understand it and appreciate it. To do this, art critics, artists, and collectors must be involved. That is to say, we all should work together to create a noble cultural and artistic atmosphere, not allowing artists to serve rich people, but making rich people serve artists. This has been recognised by collectors. Yan Zhentang, President of the China Association of Collectors, concluded, “Liu’s works have three highlights. First, every piece embodies the spirit specific to the times it was created in, and each one tells a story. Second, they show extraordinary artistic attainment and give viewers an artistic pleasure that originates from life. Third, they are highly collectable. Once they are on the market, they will be immediately accepted by collectors.” Gan Xuejun, General Manager of Beijing Huachen Auctions, acknowledged that “Liu’s works are primitive art, beyond the mainstream. In the circle of collection, the more ‘life’ the artwork contains, the more collectable it is and the more potential it has for appreciation, although they are not synchronised. To accept it, be patient. Good works of art can withstand the test of time.”