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拍品专文
‘I have an equal passion for fairy tales and philosophy. Fairy tales are full of imagination and sensitivity whereas philosophy requires strict and rational thinking. Fairy tales and philosophy represent two extreme poles of thinking. My paintings roam between these two poles, at times more towards one pole and at other times more towards the opposite pole. Only some clues, incomplete ones, indicate the cause and effect behind my creative motives. But, can anyone examine his or her own self inside out?’ – Liu Ye
A tranquil, inscrutable blue envelops the vast, deep sea on the canvas. On the distant horizon, a colossal naval warship looms between the sea and the sky. In the lower right-hand corner of the foreground, a young sailor stands on the deck, gazing into the distance through a telescope. His gaze is, however, not directed towards the warship, but an unknown direction. Created in 1998, Blue Sea is one of the largest works in Liu Ye’s naval motif paintings. According to Liu Ye Catalogue Raisonné 1991–2015, there are a total of 32 paintings under the naval motif, all created between 1995 and 2000. Of these works, Blue Sea is among the five largest in size. Silence of the Sea (1995), which shares the same size as Blue Sea, is currently held in the collection of M+ Museum in Hong Kong.
The composition of Blue Sea is orderly arranged by a set of horizontal and vertical lines, with every detail seemingly having been meticulously considered by the artist. Whether it be the open book lying on the deck, the pure and restrained colour palette, or the rigorous and balanced composition, Piet Mondrian’s profound influence on Liu’s artistic language is evident throughout the canvas. Like an intricately designed stage set, the work is imbued with dramatic tension and psychological undertones, inviting the viewer to linger on the imagery to search for its hidden meanings. For a boy growing up in China during the 1990s, the navy represents a collective fantasy of distant lands and adventures. Widely considered the most outstanding of Liu’s masterpieces of the navel motif from the 1990s, Blue Sea embodies the artist’s reflections on personal memory, the zeitgeist of the era and artistic tradition.
‘Aleksandr Rodchenko, El Lissitzky, Kazimir Malevich – I like them all. I noticed the composition and graphics in their works, which contan many warships and aircrafts that eventually made their way into my paintings as well. Actually, I like the formal aesthetic of many of Rodchenko’s war posters.’ – Liu Ye
Liu’s naval motif work first emerged in the mid-1990s. At that time, China was undergoing rapid naval modernization. The offshore disputes of 1995-1996 brought issues of territorial waters, maritime borders and national defence to the forefront of public attention. In late 1996, China’s purchase of two Sovremenny-class destroyers from Russia marked a significant step in the modernisation of its navy, further fueling public debates on maritime and military issues. In face of the changes in the political and social climates, Liu started to depict children donning naval uniforms in his works, weaving into his innocent and whimsical fairy-tale narratives weighty themes such as ‘defence’, ‘navigation’ and ‘exploration of the unknown.’
When Liu first arrived in Germany, his artistic language bore distinct characteristics of symbolism. By pairing elements such as René Magritte’s floating hat, Mondrian’s abstract grid design, and the domestic interior composition of partially concealed curtains commonly used by Renaissance artists, Liu created a surreal spatial atmosphere in his earlier works. These pieces are also imbued with a classical elegance reminiscent of the Flemish master Jan van Eyck. Compared to the intricate symbolic narratives crafted in his earlier paintings, the works that Liu created after 2000 use a sleeker artistic language, as exemplified by Blue Sea. In that work, the appropriation of Mondrian’s grid design is much more subtle, appearing in the cover design of a book lying face down on the deck, illuminated by oblique light. Mondrian’s influence also permeates the overall composition of the canvas: the horizontal lines of the sea, the geometric configuration of the railings, and the colour contrast between the lifebuoy and the waters, together evoke a rational and harmonious visual order. The collective sense of balance and architectural quality of Blue Sea can no doubt be traced to the Dutch master’s works.
The beam of oblique light streaming in from outside the frame of the canvas lends Blue Sea a distinct theatrical quality. In 1998, Liu travelled to the Royal Academy of Art in Amsterdam to take part in an artist-in-residence programme, further deepening his study of European artists such as Johannes Vermeer, Paul Klee and Mondrian. Created during this period, Blue Sea was exemplary of Liu’s continued pursuit of his favourite themes of the sea and navigation. It also pays homage to his beloved Western masters through the use of meticulous composition, pure and saturated colours, as well as the emphasis on forms and theatricality. From Caravaggio’s use of light and shadow to create dramatic tension, Vermeer’s portrayal of his subjects retreating to their inner worlds as they sit quietly by the window, to Giorgio de Chirico’s rendering of long shadows to evoke a surreal, mysterious atmosphere, light has always been a vital medium for guiding the viewer into different psychological states. Liu clearly understands the importance of light to his works. In the lower-right corner of the composition of Blue Sea, a young sailor stands alone in a corner of the deck, looking into the distance through a telescope. No one knows whether he is gazing upon the first light of dawn or the afterglow of sunset, and whether it is his friends or foes who are waiting for him in the distance – it is precisely this sense of unresolved ambiguity that renders the entire scene like a pantomime frozen in a single moment. Somewhere between the still waters and the subdued light lies a space that opens to infinite possibilities for narratives and imagination.
Liu has not chosen a grand historical narrative as the subject matter of Blue Sea. Rather, he transformed the weight of the era into a child’s gaze into the distance. The child’s small and fragile figure is set against a vast ocean and a mighty warship, creating an uncanny tension on the canvas. The Mondrian-esque composition, Vermeer-style lighting, together with a set design verging on the theatrical, combine to turn reality into a fairy tale-like allegory. As art critic Zhu Zhu opines, the charm of Liu’s art lies in his ability to convey the most profound of themes in the lightest of ways, distilling the memory of an era into something akin to ‘the unbearable lightness of being’ that characterised the works of Milan Kundera. In Blue Sea, the tranquil and vast expanse of the sea is like a mirror reflecting the loneliness, hope and aspirations of every individual facing the unknown in the distance. This is the power of Liu’s art – transforming the burden of history into vitality, and the complexities of life into clarity.
In 1994, Liu returned to China after completing his studies at the Berlin University of the Arts (Universität der Künste Berlin). Having spent five years living abroad, he came home to find himself confronted with a society undergoing rapid modernisation in the wake of the country’s reforms and opening-up policy. Witnessing first-hand the dramatic changes in his surroundings, he began–without even being conscious of it–to contrast them with his own childhood memories. Such comparison is projected onto the children dressing as naval officers in his navy-themed paintings, who, despite having to sit upright and observe strict discipline, always exude a hint of innocence and childlike playfulness. Coincidentally, Yoshitomo Nara also travelled to Germany in the late 1980s to further his studies. Deeply influenced by the German Neo-Expressionist movement, he gradually developed a unique artistic vocabulary characterised by the iconic image of children with large heads. The two artists’ artistic styles are markedly different: Liu’s compositions are calm, restrained, precise and rigorous; Nara, on the other hand, conveys emotion through his bold, vigorous brushstrokes. Yet, both use the image of children to manifest the complex emotions of the adult world, revealing a deep spiritual resonance between the two artists on the themes of innocence, alienation, purity and rebellion. Liu’s Blue Sea was created during the most mature phase of his navy-themed period. Using a vivid, distilled visual language, the work conveys the artist’s reflections on childhood, history, navigation and distant lands. It also demonstrates Liu’s masterful assimilation of Western classical painting and modern art traditions into his artistic practice. Blue Sea is, undoubtedly, one of Liu’s most representative and finest works within his navel motifs.
A tranquil, inscrutable blue envelops the vast, deep sea on the canvas. On the distant horizon, a colossal naval warship looms between the sea and the sky. In the lower right-hand corner of the foreground, a young sailor stands on the deck, gazing into the distance through a telescope. His gaze is, however, not directed towards the warship, but an unknown direction. Created in 1998, Blue Sea is one of the largest works in Liu Ye’s naval motif paintings. According to Liu Ye Catalogue Raisonné 1991–2015, there are a total of 32 paintings under the naval motif, all created between 1995 and 2000. Of these works, Blue Sea is among the five largest in size. Silence of the Sea (1995), which shares the same size as Blue Sea, is currently held in the collection of M+ Museum in Hong Kong.
The composition of Blue Sea is orderly arranged by a set of horizontal and vertical lines, with every detail seemingly having been meticulously considered by the artist. Whether it be the open book lying on the deck, the pure and restrained colour palette, or the rigorous and balanced composition, Piet Mondrian’s profound influence on Liu’s artistic language is evident throughout the canvas. Like an intricately designed stage set, the work is imbued with dramatic tension and psychological undertones, inviting the viewer to linger on the imagery to search for its hidden meanings. For a boy growing up in China during the 1990s, the navy represents a collective fantasy of distant lands and adventures. Widely considered the most outstanding of Liu’s masterpieces of the navel motif from the 1990s, Blue Sea embodies the artist’s reflections on personal memory, the zeitgeist of the era and artistic tradition.
‘Aleksandr Rodchenko, El Lissitzky, Kazimir Malevich – I like them all. I noticed the composition and graphics in their works, which contan many warships and aircrafts that eventually made their way into my paintings as well. Actually, I like the formal aesthetic of many of Rodchenko’s war posters.’ – Liu Ye
Liu’s naval motif work first emerged in the mid-1990s. At that time, China was undergoing rapid naval modernization. The offshore disputes of 1995-1996 brought issues of territorial waters, maritime borders and national defence to the forefront of public attention. In late 1996, China’s purchase of two Sovremenny-class destroyers from Russia marked a significant step in the modernisation of its navy, further fueling public debates on maritime and military issues. In face of the changes in the political and social climates, Liu started to depict children donning naval uniforms in his works, weaving into his innocent and whimsical fairy-tale narratives weighty themes such as ‘defence’, ‘navigation’ and ‘exploration of the unknown.’
When Liu first arrived in Germany, his artistic language bore distinct characteristics of symbolism. By pairing elements such as René Magritte’s floating hat, Mondrian’s abstract grid design, and the domestic interior composition of partially concealed curtains commonly used by Renaissance artists, Liu created a surreal spatial atmosphere in his earlier works. These pieces are also imbued with a classical elegance reminiscent of the Flemish master Jan van Eyck. Compared to the intricate symbolic narratives crafted in his earlier paintings, the works that Liu created after 2000 use a sleeker artistic language, as exemplified by Blue Sea. In that work, the appropriation of Mondrian’s grid design is much more subtle, appearing in the cover design of a book lying face down on the deck, illuminated by oblique light. Mondrian’s influence also permeates the overall composition of the canvas: the horizontal lines of the sea, the geometric configuration of the railings, and the colour contrast between the lifebuoy and the waters, together evoke a rational and harmonious visual order. The collective sense of balance and architectural quality of Blue Sea can no doubt be traced to the Dutch master’s works.
The beam of oblique light streaming in from outside the frame of the canvas lends Blue Sea a distinct theatrical quality. In 1998, Liu travelled to the Royal Academy of Art in Amsterdam to take part in an artist-in-residence programme, further deepening his study of European artists such as Johannes Vermeer, Paul Klee and Mondrian. Created during this period, Blue Sea was exemplary of Liu’s continued pursuit of his favourite themes of the sea and navigation. It also pays homage to his beloved Western masters through the use of meticulous composition, pure and saturated colours, as well as the emphasis on forms and theatricality. From Caravaggio’s use of light and shadow to create dramatic tension, Vermeer’s portrayal of his subjects retreating to their inner worlds as they sit quietly by the window, to Giorgio de Chirico’s rendering of long shadows to evoke a surreal, mysterious atmosphere, light has always been a vital medium for guiding the viewer into different psychological states. Liu clearly understands the importance of light to his works. In the lower-right corner of the composition of Blue Sea, a young sailor stands alone in a corner of the deck, looking into the distance through a telescope. No one knows whether he is gazing upon the first light of dawn or the afterglow of sunset, and whether it is his friends or foes who are waiting for him in the distance – it is precisely this sense of unresolved ambiguity that renders the entire scene like a pantomime frozen in a single moment. Somewhere between the still waters and the subdued light lies a space that opens to infinite possibilities for narratives and imagination.
Liu has not chosen a grand historical narrative as the subject matter of Blue Sea. Rather, he transformed the weight of the era into a child’s gaze into the distance. The child’s small and fragile figure is set against a vast ocean and a mighty warship, creating an uncanny tension on the canvas. The Mondrian-esque composition, Vermeer-style lighting, together with a set design verging on the theatrical, combine to turn reality into a fairy tale-like allegory. As art critic Zhu Zhu opines, the charm of Liu’s art lies in his ability to convey the most profound of themes in the lightest of ways, distilling the memory of an era into something akin to ‘the unbearable lightness of being’ that characterised the works of Milan Kundera. In Blue Sea, the tranquil and vast expanse of the sea is like a mirror reflecting the loneliness, hope and aspirations of every individual facing the unknown in the distance. This is the power of Liu’s art – transforming the burden of history into vitality, and the complexities of life into clarity.
In 1994, Liu returned to China after completing his studies at the Berlin University of the Arts (Universität der Künste Berlin). Having spent five years living abroad, he came home to find himself confronted with a society undergoing rapid modernisation in the wake of the country’s reforms and opening-up policy. Witnessing first-hand the dramatic changes in his surroundings, he began–without even being conscious of it–to contrast them with his own childhood memories. Such comparison is projected onto the children dressing as naval officers in his navy-themed paintings, who, despite having to sit upright and observe strict discipline, always exude a hint of innocence and childlike playfulness. Coincidentally, Yoshitomo Nara also travelled to Germany in the late 1980s to further his studies. Deeply influenced by the German Neo-Expressionist movement, he gradually developed a unique artistic vocabulary characterised by the iconic image of children with large heads. The two artists’ artistic styles are markedly different: Liu’s compositions are calm, restrained, precise and rigorous; Nara, on the other hand, conveys emotion through his bold, vigorous brushstrokes. Yet, both use the image of children to manifest the complex emotions of the adult world, revealing a deep spiritual resonance between the two artists on the themes of innocence, alienation, purity and rebellion. Liu’s Blue Sea was created during the most mature phase of his navy-themed period. Using a vivid, distilled visual language, the work conveys the artist’s reflections on childhood, history, navigation and distant lands. It also demonstrates Liu’s masterful assimilation of Western classical painting and modern art traditions into his artistic practice. Blue Sea is, undoubtedly, one of Liu’s most representative and finest works within his navel motifs.